Label : cartography

The stakeholders of electronic charting [Update-2]

Posted on3 comments

In April 2010 I published a ticket to locate the main actors of the electronic charting. Time passing, this information should be refreshed, due to recent business movements. Some have disappeared, as Maptech, more recently Fugawi, others have changed hands, an update is necessary.

Thunderbolt this 27 October 2017, Navionics charts was acquired by Garmin (¹) ! The last private publisher to remain independent, until today in the hand of the Italian founder Giuseppe Carnevali, passes into the portfolio of the multinational company Garmin, shortly after the purchase of the global database Active Captain. The cards are redistributed once again…

Read more …

Digital nautical charts : purchase or subscription [Update] ?

Posted onOne comment

[Update 3 th 2019]

With the multiple charts disappearances during the successive updates of iNavX, I received a number of requests for assistance in the recovery of the said charts.

Regardless of the fact that I am not supporting NavX Studios LLC (iNavX) (¹), a focus is needed on the method of charts provision by distributors for our mobile applications.

Read more …

The new division of the NV Charts

Posted on

I had presented in May 2015 the excellent raster charts NV Charts by the German Publisher NV Verlag. In 2016, the previous cutting in 4 areas for France - Channel and Atlantic coasts - has been split into 8 areas for 49,90$ apiece. It should be noted that each year a new edition replaces the previous one, there is no update.

Bounderies in 2015

Read more …

C-Map back to Europe

Posted on

Yachtmen my friends, do you know Altor ? Of course not, don't look for, me either until this morning. Altor is an investor from northern Europe who presents himself as follows :

"Altor is a family of Private Equity Funds focused on investing in and developing and medium sized companies with’a Nordic origin. We want to create Sustainable values and make a real difference as a a valuable partner For Owners and managers in buiding to world class companies. We work with a Nordic team with extensive international experience in fields such as private equity, consulting, investment banking and various industrial sectors."

But why talk about it ? Read more …

Does Navionics charting become dangerous [Update] ?

Posted on14 comments

Since the start of the navigation season, many boaters have found an increasing number of errors on Navionics charts, following recent updates, all media. All over Europe, Germany, Baltic States, French coasts of the Channel and until Spain, appeared non-existent channels and erroneous soundings, missing soundings, Missing information, Conflicting bathymetric information depending on zoom levels, and so on. Most importantly, these findings are made by long-time regular users of Navionics charting, experienced sailors.

[Corrective update 26 August 2015]
[October Corrigendum Update 2 2015] See end of entry. Read more …

Reading : 'Electronic charting' HS48 Voiles et Voiliers

Posted on4 comments

Since end 2012 I found no more of maritime books causing me the overwhelming desire to share, Like the few novels described in this section " Reading ”. Today this feeling comes back to me, in a completely different vein, on reading the excellent Special issue n° 48 of Voiles et Voiliers : " Understand and use electronic charting ”. Read more …

Raster Charts… the comeback [Update]

Posted on8 comments

[Update 26 August 2018]

I have been an ardent supporter of vector maps for several years.. Compact, of low numerical weight, easy to update, they are perfectly suited to use on our mobile devices.

According to the good old adage that only fools don't change their minds, Recent technical developments in hardware and software, added to maritime events that have occurred in recent years, have led me to reflect on the correctness of my opinion. Trained in the old school of safety in Glénans Sailing School, The only bias I must allow myself to express is that of the safety of human life at sea. This may sound a bit "old-fashioned" for some, but I assume. Hang, It's going to be a long time.

Read more …

Electronic charts : scales and overscale [Update]

Posted on

A recent email exchange with a Mediterranean user drew my attention to a specific aspect of electronic charting : zoom limitation of a chart. ENC vector charts (¹) are classified in 6 categories depending scale : smallest scales less than 1:1.500.000 for global views to largest scale up to 1:4.000 for harbours and anchorages. (²).

Marine charts international classification

In most cases, ENC S-57 (¹) official charts the most detailed have a scale about 1:4000, thus 1 cm on the chart (screen view) represent 40 meters on the ground. With paper chart, the only way to get more details is… to use a a magnifying glass, that provides, as we know, in no case more accuracy. But it is quite otherwise for electronics charts.

Read more …

Navionics Boating : Italian at the top of business [Update]

Posted on4 comments

How make the new with the old ? Navionics knows it ! After publishing geographic areas including a navigation application, here is now an application, but without charting. Italian are too much !

Navionics Boating Complements, since January 2014, The App Collection Navy (iPhone) and Marine HD (iPad ). Also available as standard version for iPhone and HD for iPad, Navionics Boating has the same version number 6.0 than others. Navionics point, on the dedicated website page of its website, that Navionics "Boating" does not replace Navionics "Marine" which will continue to be updated. However, it is permissible to wonder for how long, because this new application provides a very bad surprise. Read more …