For a number of years ship's equipment has included automatic steering, off-course alarms, speed and distance logs, &c., all of which make use of separate electronic or electro-mechanical devices. The digital computer has meanwhile come into use for a large number of control systems, mainly ashore, and has improved in reliability and cost. The question therefore arises whether ships could be operated more efficiently and safely by making use of the rapid and accurate calculations which the digital computer can perform. Data loggers may produce such a profusion of information that it becomes an embarrassment and we may not see the wood for the trees. The ability of the digital computer (or processor) to edit and analyse information, as well as to store it, makes it a logical step in developing optimum performance.