This article may rely excessively on sources too closely associated with the subject , potentially preventing the article from being verifiable and neutral.(August 2018) |
Developer(s) | The OpenCPN Authors |
---|---|
Stable release | |
Repository | github |
Written in | C, C++ |
Operating system | Cross-platform |
Type | Chart plotter and navigation |
License | GPL v2 [2] |
Website | opencpn |
OpenCPN (OpenChart Plotter Navigator) is a free software maritime chart plotter and navigation software for use underway or as a planning tool. Developed by a team of active sailors and tested in real world conditions, it has multiple supported chart formats and a variety of data inputs. [3] [4]
By using satellite navigation and other NMEA 0183 data feeds, OpenCPN determines a ship's own position and status from sensors such as AIS receivers to automatically plot and track the positions of ships in the neighborhood. [5]
In 2017 Norwegian ENC charts were available for OpenCPN. [6]
Navigation is a field of study that focuses on the process of monitoring and controlling the movement of a craft or vehicle from one place to another. The field of navigation includes four general categories: land navigation, marine navigation, aeronautic navigation, and space navigation.
A nautical chart or hydrographic chart is a graphic representation of a sea region or water body and adjacent coasts or banks. Depending on the scale of the chart, it may show depths of water (bathymetry) and heights of land (topography), natural features of the seabed, details of the coastline, navigational hazards, locations of natural and human-made aids to navigation, information on tides and currents, local details of the Earth's magnetic field, and human-made structures such as harbours, buildings, and bridges. Nautical charts are essential tools for marine navigation; many countries require vessels, especially commercial ships, to carry them. Nautical charting may take the form of charts printed on paper or computerized electronic navigational charts. Recent technologies have made available paper charts which are printed "on demand" with cartographic data that has been downloaded to the commercial printing company as recently as the night before printing. With each daily download, critical data such as Local Notices to Mariners are added to the on-demand chart files so that these charts are up to date at the time of printing.
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An electronic navigational chart (ENC) is an official database created by a national hydrographic office for use with an Electronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS). ECDIS and ENCs are the primary means of electronic navigation on cargo ships. Charts can be used in navigation to provide an indication of location once a position is fixed and the charted depths can be used in under keel clearance calculations to ensure the ship is navigating in safe water.
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Navico is a marine electronics company providing navigation, marine instruments and fish finding equipment to both the recreational and commercial marine sectors.
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Teledyne CARIS, A business unit of Teledyne Digital Imaging, Inc. is a Canadian software company that develops and supports geomatics software for marine and land applications. The company is headquartered in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada. CARIS also has offices in the Netherlands, the United States and Australia, and has re-sellers offering sales and support of software products to more than 75 countries.
This article contains a list with gratis satellite navigation software for a range of devices. Some of the free software mentioned here does not have detailed maps or the ability to follow streets or type in street names. However, in many cases, it is also that which makes the program free, avoid the need of an Internet connection, and make it very lightweight. Very basic programs like this may not be suitable for road navigation in cars, but serve their purpose for navigation while walking or trekking, and for use at sea. To determine the GPS coordinates of a destination, one can use sites such as GPScoordinates.eu and GPS visualizer.
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