Chart updates?

[simonpickard]

Hello all,

I know the subject of the charts we use with OpenCPN starts to enter a grey area pretty quickly but I was wondering about how up to date these charts are, and if there's a way to update them?

Is there something I'm missing in terms of chart updates? The sets I've seen are two years old, do people just use these with the understanding there may well be errors or is there a way to update these charts?

Regards,
Simon

[MBLittle]

Originally Posted by simonpickard

Hello all, I know the subject of the charts we use with OpenCPN starts to enter a grey area pretty quickly but I was wondering about how up to date these charts are, and if there's a way to update them? Is there something I'm missing in terms of chart updates? The sets I've seen are two years old, do people just use these with the understanding there may well be errors or is there a way to update these charts? Regards, Simon

Which charts are you referring to? CM93? You say 2 years old...do you mean the Jan 2011 last update of CM93?

[simonpickard]

Yes CM93. Are there updates for these charts?

[MBLittle]

Originally Posted by simonpickard

Yes CM93. Are there updates for these charts?

I believe Jan2011 are the latest CM93s

[simonpickard]

Ok, so my question is then... If these charts are 2/3 years out of date isn't that an issue? Or isn't it too much of a problem?

[nohal]

Originally Posted by simonpickard

Ok, so my question is then... If these charts are 2/3 years out of date isn't that an issue? Or isn't it too much of a problem?

How many times in the past 2-3 years have you seen a survey vessel in the area you are sailing? Stuff like rocks is not moving too much. stuff like lights and buoys likes to change at times, but does not like to announce it anywhere but in the NTMs. How safe you are at any particular moment is not published anywhere...

[simonpickard]

In the area I'm sailing, Sydney Harbour. If I was trying to use charts from 2 years ago I'd be missing out on 100's of updates. How safe I am depends if I hit any of them I guess...

[HappySeagull]

I make marks/wpts for chart corrections. You can link to pdfs or whatever too, from the marks...You can draw routes in various colours to denote "areas".
Have a look at the manual on these subjects.
Marks and Routes | Official OpenCPN Homepage
Also have a look at making your own icons for marks.There used to be a nice selection of contributed ones, but they are lost, I guess.

dead link: http://opencpn.org/ocpn/drupal/user_icons

Once made, I "export" the corrections into a saved .gpx file so it's backed up and not mixed up with day to day crapola. I then load these as a layer and hide it or show it as I please.

[cagney]

@Happy

The icons are still there. New link, after the last server crash ->
User Icons | Official OpenCPN Homepage.

@simonpickard

What are all those updates for Sydney Harbour? Have the moved the "Sow & pigs" What else is there to worry about, as long as you are a stone-throw off the shore, and keep your eyes open?

Thomas

[HappySeagull]

aha! Thanks,Thomas...

...anyways, here's an example of a fishing boundary I made. Of course it will show on every chart I have of the area, so there's a big advantage using a digital format as opposed to correcting every paper chart,but it's still work correcting charts .


...the interesting tip here might be converting it to a "Track" to get rid of arrow heads that a route would have. Of course, it's so easy to change the colour and what-all in O

[HappySeagull]

"..the interesting tip here might be converting it to a "Track" to get rid of arrow heads that a route would have."
and I learned this new thing today!
Pjotr says,
"To draw a track, use "Move boat here" to start of the planned leg, "Track On", then "Move boat here" to the end of the leg."
http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ml#post1379757

Might save some fiddling for drawing LINES and AREAS you want to have on your chart.You likely need GPS OFF, so Boat can be shifted with tracking on...I find I have to "click" and wait to get the legs to show up. Export the thing when done.

..forgot to remind that exact positions can be easily entered later by editing the gpx file in a text editor, if preferred.

[gloriax]

Originally Posted by simonpickard

Hello all,

I know the subject of the charts we use with OpenCPN starts to enter a grey area pretty quickly but I was wondering about how up to date these charts are, and if there's a way to update them?

Is there something I'm missing in terms of chart updates? The sets I've seen are two years old, do people just use these with the understanding there may well be errors or is there a way to update these charts?

Regards,
Simon

You can not update OCPN charts even if you wont. outside USA OCPN is quite useless. in the usa you have free charts that ocpn support rest or 99.9% is cm93, 3 years old (as far as I know last cm93/2 "issue" is December 2011) or raster charts last time updated in 1998.

[bcn]

Well Gloriax,

there are the NZ charts, Brasil and the BSB4 and NV plug-ins as well.
Not to forget the Inland water way charts from Europe.
And some more - see PjotrC remarks some days ago.
So far with respect "useless outside USA" - perhaps not at zero cost.
There are very important user communities outside of the US.

And as you might have seen we are working to provide S-63 support which will give OpenCPN users to the complete official chart world. Not free, no.


Hubert

[colemj]

Originally Posted by gloriax

You can not update OCPN charts even if you wont. outside USA OCPN is quite useless. in the usa you have free charts that ocpn support rest or 99.9% is cm93, 3 years old (as far as I know last cm93/2 "issue" is December 2011) or raster charts last time updated in 1998.

Can you suggest another charting program or chartplotter that provides updated free world charts? Or a country that provides free paper charts?

You shouldn't talk about things you don't understand (heard that one somewhere…).

Mark

[gloriax]

Originally Posted by bcn

Well Gloriax,

There are very important user communities outside of the US.


Hubert

yes of course there is...with Russians cm93's or raster charts last time updated in 1998.