Videotel, a global provider of e-Learning maritime training solutions and a company of KVH Industries, Inc., has released the Videotel Partner API, an application programming interface that facilitates the exchange of data between Videotel and any of its clients’ crew management software systems.
Videotel developed the API in collaboration with software and solutions developer Netvision, whose products include Compas, one of the leading crew management systems for the maritime industry. The Videotel Partner API is designed to be used with any crew management software; there is no additional fee for the service.
The Videotel Partner API is designed to allow Videotel and crew management systems, including Compas, to communicate with each other and automatically update and share information. Eliminating the need for manual input and dual recordkeeping, the API lets ship operators easily manage information such as training history, computer-based training (CBT) scores, and ship assignments for individual crewmembers from a single system, thus ensuring that the most up-to-date crew data is available when needed.
“This is a great initiative, as it means individual ships in a fleet can access crew login information automatically via our Videotel On Demand (VOD) unit,” says Nigel Cleave, Videotel’s chief executive officer. “The API will collate all crew CBT test results from the VOD and share it with our clients’ crew management systems. The benefit to our clients is that all their data will be stored, managed, and updated in one central location, saving them time, effort, and money.”
“Videotel’s API is a totally secure and robust interface. Being able to track crewmembers’ ship assignments and their training history from one central database will save valuable time and resources,” says Cornel Ciocan, Netvision’s general manager and chief software architect. “We are really happy to be the first crew management software provider to partner with Videotel in using its API, and offer a totally integrated data exchange solution for our respective clients.”
Videotel’s training solutions are in use on more than 12,000 vessels worldwide, and include 950 new and updated titles to meet current seafarer training needs. The Videotel programs are available in a range of formats, including 500+ e-Learning courses, more than twice the number of CBTs offered by competitors. Videotel has recorded more than 10.5 million training events in recent years; its training programs are developed in cooperation with leading industry experts and have been recognized with nearly 100 awards.