AIS support in Offshore Navigator

CSFenwick

CSFenwick

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Does anyone know if Maptech are going to support AIS in the near future? There are various threads on the US website all giving the impression that support for ON has pretty much dried up and they're all working on a new piece of software call Chart Navigator Pro. This new s/w does provide AIS support but it's $400, includes all NOAA charts and doesn't seem to be sold outside of the US. Anyone know what's going on??
 
Support for OSN is still there.
There has been a recent update in Jan 2006 to Version 5.07c...which fixed various problems including tide and current display for BA (maptech) charts.
Updates are freely downloadable from the Maptech US website.
As to whether AIS will be appearing in OSN ..well dunno...as you say Chart Navigator which uses the free NOAA charts is not really for European consumption.
Given the fact that some of the free offerings like Seaclear and Software on Board include AIS as standard, the market is becoming increasingly competitive, and Maptech cannot afford in the face of this competition to increase the price too much for what is now quite a dated product..although still quite good.
The future however probably lies with the "Duel Fuel" products like Seapro and Maxsea, which can handle both raster and vector, which are coming down in price all the time in the face of "free" competition.
My guess is that they probably will upgrade as a chargeable add on for AIS and MARPA sometime this year...but it's only a guess.

Steve.
 
I hear that Maptech in the UK are going to release a European version of the Maptech Chart Navigator.
Called Maptech Chart Navigator Pro and will have AIS, weather, raster and vector chart support, the same as the US version I guess.
 
And probably the same price (just replace the $ with a £ !!)

seriously going off Maptech ... /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif
 
All very well, but the American product comes complete with packaged S57 USCG/USN/NOAA Vector Charts of the entire US coast now available free.
S57 charts in Europe are just too expensive for the average Leisure sailor, and even C-map CM93/3 vectors would cost £800 for an average sailing area.
Really the only option is C-mapNT..for leisure sailors, but these are not "true" vector charts and are a long way from the S57 ENC standard.
So..what vector charts would it use for Europe??...anything other than S57 would probably require a re-write of the chart engine and an agreement with a European chart supplier. And then of course we have all the ridiculous encryption and dongles to be considered, to protect the European Chart agencies copyright
My guess is that if it does happen it will be BSB4 raster only for the European Market. Nothing is easy in the EU.
However it does look a very good product and puts it up there with the likes of Maxsea and Seapro.
It will be interesting to see what happens.


Steve.
 
Although there seems to be a sharp downwards trend in the cost of electronic charts..... wonder how long it'll be before a complete European set of decent quality vector charts are available at a sensible price?

After all, the media unit cost is approaching zero (the price of a CD), and the upfront development costs must be written down at some point, leaving only operational overheads and maintenance costs to be recovered?
 
Re: AIS support in Offshore Navigator..more

The maptech product Chart navigator pro..is almost entirely licensed from Rose Point navigation systems..and 100 dollars more expensive than rose point.
So I would think that any decision to distribute in Europe will probably be Rose point's not Maptech's.

Steve.
 
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