Beta Test / Technical

[sinbad7]

Dave..

OK,I understand. The final chart presentation is NOT an integral part of c-map but is dependent upon the way the various nav.progs. elects to display the data.

I also have c-map charts used in the Russian dKart Navigator which displays in a similar manner to MaxSea, so there must be some agreed norm, which I must admit is more pleasing to the eye.

I have not done any other comparisons feature wise but will let you know if there are any major shortcomings.

Also I realize they come from well funded commercial companies and is therefore not a fair comparison. Thanks for all the hard work Dave.

[sinbad7]

Thomas..

This site http://www.siitech.com/prod_as.htm contradicts that statement about Siitechs AIS service.
Quote:AIS Server

SiiTech AIS Server is a software solution that collects AIS and ARPA (Automatic Radar Plotting Aid) messages, redistributes them, and decodes and stores AIS and ARPA data in the database.

I have just queried this contradiction with Siitech and await their answer.

[bdbcat]

Sinbad7:

I recommend that you read up on S52. It is an IHO/IMO standard based on extensive human factors research. The idea is to communicate critical information in a hurry under conditions of high stress, like in a ship at sea.
The colors/fonts/patterns and line styles are all carefully selected and maintained by international standard. Example: Italic fonts look nice, and are familiar from traditional paper charts. But they are not as readable in varying lighting conditions as a simple sans-serif font.

It is a professional standard.

As far as I know, opencpn is the only ECS which uses S52 for cm93 display.

Finally, I suspect that dKart is using the Presentation Library developed by CMAP for their own use (CmapECS), and thus available for external licensing by them. Certainly would have been easier for developers of dKart to buy rather than make a PresLib....

Dave

[sinbad7]

Re my # 287

When I was having problems receiving full AIS messages with OpenCPN,Siitech denied they were using a buffer and that ALL data was relayed in 'real-time'.

As explained to Dave in a direct e-mail today,Siitech has now admitted that they are indeed using a buffer for AIS message 5 with a 10 min delay.

I have requested a change in their procedure and I am awaiting their reply.

[sinbad7]

Dave # 288..

Thanks for the explanation. If IHO/IMO recommends the map display,who are we mere mortals to disagree? Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder!

[sinbad7]

Here's a statement from the creators of Web VTS in Vancouver:

Dave wrote:

“Source and accuracy of data from a TCP/IP AIS data feed is unmeasurable, and its use in opencpn is not recommended”.

That is true and false:

If you know the source of ais data and you can control it then a TCP/IP AIS data feed is absolutely a measurable one.

If that source of ais data is unknown and not under your control then a TCP/IP AIS data feed is an unmeasurable one.

Right now many ais devices become more and more equipped with Ethernet connector. I believe all AIS Base Stations have been equipped with Ethernet connectors and that is not just to make settings remotely, but also to get a real-time navigational information through TCP/IP that VTS and other authorities are using to calculate CPA and TCPA and warn vessels of any dangerous situation.

Also even on board of many vessels you have a vessel’s network where you have to use TCP/IP protocol to collect and redistribute data.

So, in my opinion it is not wise to ignore TCP/IP data transport protocol that already has become a vital part of real-time vessel navigation.

Oleg

[sinbad7]

re # 289

I have received a detailed technical clarification from Oleg at Siitech which I have relayed by email to Dave. I am sure,between the two of them the matter will be resolved.

In the meantime,here are two screen shots taken simultaneously from my area a few minutes ago. As you will see only 50% of the AIS queries in OpenCPN contains the full message 5,whilst Web VTS Lite displays them all with full info. It is suggested that perhaps the OpenCPN algorithm does not process both (2) parts of message 5.
I am not sufficiently qualified to argue the point and leave it to the two gentlemen to sort out.

[Ptizef]

Hello Dave
Thanks for the new 135 beta -Formidable !
First test window vista :
General : when Com Port can't be opened , I have the message but when I click OK , OpenCpn crash
When I have set a grib file directory , and used it , crash when I exit OpenCpn by the windows cross (it seams to work properly when going out by ctrl/Q)
Grib Function : many crashes when clicking on different files/days
When grib data are shown on the screen , moving the map with the cursor and wheel scrolling become very difficult and slow and lead to a crash quickly.
a request :It's possible to use up/down arrows to go through days to sea weather evolution , but to do this ,the grib window must be active and as it's active the data related to the cursor position are not updated : Could it be possible to have hot keys to do that (or the up/down arrows ,but with datas updating)
Over zoom function : "Over zoom" mark with scale 1/20000000 and zoom x5 is not absolutely necessary . could it be limited to the larger scale ?

For the crashes I'll try to send you dump files but it's time to sleep in France !
best regard
Jean Pierre

[Ptizef]

In my #293 please read "to see weather ....." and not to sea
sorry
Jean Pierre

[cagney]

Ptizef
Please repost to the special thread for 1.3.5 beta
OpenCPN Version 1.3.5 Beta Technical
so that all discussion is in one place.

Thomas

[bdbcat]

Sinbad7....

From our private email correspondence with s--Tech:

3.       About message 5 and the OpenCPN: 

 If you have other navigational programs and they displays vessel’s names, but the OpenCPN not and those programs are using the same ais feed then the OpenCPN works wrong. In this case you should not compare the OpenCPN with Web VTS, because they have a different algorism of displaying vessel’s names.

Two points here:

1. Please do not compare opencpn with WebVTS. They are different animals.
SxxTech agrees.

2. On the other hand, it is claimed that opencpn sometimes fails to display ship names from the same data stream from which other ECS programs display properly.

You are the only available source for this concentrated AIS data stream.

Accordingly, please produce a captured text file of an AIS data stream which displays:
a. repeatably correctly on MaxSea or any other AIS capable ECS, and
b. incorrectly on opencpn v 1.3.4 or later.

With this repeatable failure, any problem in opencpn can be diagnosed and corrected and I will cry "mea culpa".

Absent that data stream example, I (still) consider this matter closed.

Dave

[kerrydeare]

Originally Posted by Ptizef

... First test window vista :
General : when Com Port can't be opened , I have the message but when I click OK , OpenCpn crash ...

Same crash on XP SP3. I reinstalled 1.3.4, closed the AIS port (i.e. "None"), and 1.3.5 Beta 1117 runs fine. Great work, Dave and all other workers.

NOTE ADDED: Sorry, will post to proper thread.

[Rhoel_Asia]

Bug Report:

I haven't had time to look at all the posts since 1.3.5 was released but today I uploaded 1.3.5 and it went pear-shaped - so sorry if already noted: I haz no colours to my charts - just a plane gray background. Unloaded and rolled back to 1.3.4 and now that has no colours either - guess there is a config file lurking someplace or a rogue dll. Apologies if this has already been listed.

Whatever, here is a screen grab of the problem.


1.3.5 Build 1122 on Vista home

Rhoel

[dacust]

The colors work fine for me on Windows 7. Haven't put it on my XP machine yet. I did notice some strange zoom behavior. I'll try to quantify that this evening.

-dan

[Rhoel_Asia]

Originally Posted by dacust

The colors work fine for me on Windows 7. Haven't put it on my XP machine yet. I did notice some strange zoom behavior. I'll try to quantify that this evening.

-dan

Ah ha, figured it out - 1.3.5 changed my default settings - my vectored chart setting had jumped to "other" instead of "base", "standard" or "Mariners/Standard".

Now back to normal and working fine.

Can't zoom out yo the world view (max zoom out is 0.50x - that's no chage on 1.3.4 - in 1.4.2 (?) it used to permit a world wide view.

Rhoel