BSB 4 PlugIn

[fgd3]

Originally Posted by Netsurfer

Dirk

I have a problem ... .
I personally do not understand why so many people are that keen on having a GE image/ overlay?

Gunther

Aerial images give you a view of the bottom that is much more detailed than the representation on nautical charts. While it's true that many of the available images are old, most of the surveys on which nautical charts are based are even older. If you could make your charts transparent and turn on a Google Earth image as a background the combined view could be very helpful in finding a safe path that wasn't a marked channel. Gunkholers are always testing the limits of where our boats will float.

Fabbian

[skipmac]

If this inquiry is still active I'll vote for paid plugins, for BSB4 (now BSB5 I hear) and S63 charts.

Have been researching charts for sailing to Europe in a year or two and not finding anything that seems to work with OpenCPN. Navionics or C-Map chart compatibility would be great. Anyone that doesn't want to pay would not have to buy the plugin. Seems simple to me.

[oem]

Originally Posted by skipmac

If this inquiry is still active I'll vote for paid plugins, for BSB4 (now BSB5 I hear) and S63 charts.

Have been researching charts for sailing to Europe in a year or two and not finding anything that seems to work with OpenCPN. Navionics or C-Map chart compatibility would be great. Anyone that doesn't want to pay would not have to buy the plugin. Seems simple to me.

CM93 charts works perfectly well in OCPN for (I guess) all Europe. I'm not using them, but I did find a 2010 version on a street corner somewhere(can't remember where, - honestly). I tested them for some areas, they work fine.

S63 charts (e.g. from www.chartworld.com) are not supported by OCPN, but they work very well with Polarview NS (www.polarnavy.com) , which is priced very low, - I think it's around $40, - absolutely worth the money.

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by oem

CM93 charts works perfectly well in OCPN for (I guess) all Europe. I'm not using them, but I did find a 2010 version on a street corner somewhere(can't remember where, - honestly). I tested them for some areas, they work fine.

According to the OpenCPN website it will read CM93 ver 2 charts but not version 3 or higher. I thought that the old ver 2 format was no longer supported and would be out of date and the new, updated charts would be in versions not readable by OpenCPN. Am I wrong, right, confused or just misinformed?

If CM93 ver 2 only and those are not being updated I am very reluctant to trust my boat to old chart data. Deep water, ocean crossing or even port to port is one thing, but anywhere the bottom gets a little closer to the top I want the latest information.

Also, not sure about the issues with using a program that "fell off the back of a truck" for ethical and again safety issues. Has the CM93 ver2 been officially given to the public domain?

Originally Posted by oem

S63 charts (e.g. from www.chartworld.com) are not supported by OCPN, but they work very well with Polarview NS (www.polarnavy.com) , which is priced very low, - I think it's around $40, - absolutely worth the money.

Have looked at Polarview and it's a pretty good deal but

1. I like OpenCPN, want to support it, even made a donation.

2. Chartworld web site is pretty awkward and one could spend a good bit of money getting a full set of charts for a serious cruise. I kind of like the package deals for regions one can get with C-Map, Navionics or even Maptech.

[fgd3]

Originally Posted by skipmac

I am very reluctant to trust my boat to old chart data. Deep water, ocean crossing or even port to port is one thing, but anywhere the bottom gets a little closer to the top I want the latest information.

That would be a lot more of a concern if it weren't for the fact that most charts are based on bottom surveys that are over 40 years old. Hydrographic offices all over the world spend a lot more effort updating the location of aids to navigation than they do updating bottom surveys. The accuracy of GPS makes the location of aids to navigation less important than it used to be. Unless you know newer charts are based on more recent bottom surveys you don't get much by buying the latest editions. Now, if you're cruising in US waters, where you can get current charts for free there's no excuse for not having the latest editions.

Fabbian

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by fgd3

That would be a lot more of a concern if it weren't for the fact that most charts are based on bottom surveys that are over 40 years old.

Quite right but in general it does seem that, at least in the US, harbor and channel charts are updated more frequently. I assume that is the case overseas as well?

At the end of the day, the bottom doesn't change much in deep water, at least not enough to concern the average sailer, so updated and accurate charts are most important in harbors and channels.

Originally Posted by fgd3

Now, if you're cruising in US waters, where you can get current charts for free there's no excuse for not having the latest editions.

Fabbian

Absolutely. The problem is it spoils me getting all these new, free charts. Looking at the costs for charts for cruise overseas it makes me really appreciate what we get here.

Skip

[Paradocs]

As a Canadian I would love to see a plug-in for BSB4 charts which would mean I could use up to date Canadian Hydrographic Charts rather than old BSB3 charts.
Wouldn't mind contributing/buying it either

[fgd3]

Originally Posted by skipmac

Absolutely. The problem is it spoils me getting all these new, free charts. Looking at the costs for charts for cruise overseas it makes me really appreciate what we get here.

Skip

That's right. I don't bother updating charts, I just download new ones from time to time. NOAA makes it easy by zipping all the charts into one big file.

Fabbian

[AndreBibeau]

Originally Posted by bdbcat

Hello all....

I am researching the possibility of implementing a PlugIn to allow OpenCPN to support BSB4 encrypted charts on a limited basis.

Current thinking:
1. Initial support for MS Windows platforms only.
2. PlugIn would would be a firewalled two layer, open<->closed architecture, relying upon a user's existing BSB4 installed license key(s).
3. PlugIn would not be totally free, in neither the "free beer" nor "free speech" interpretations. Might cost something like US$50 per seat, and full source code to the PlugIn would not be published.
4. PlugIn would be distributed and supported online only.

So, before investing a lot more programming and business effort into this PlugIn, I am seeking a little ad-hoc market research on the idea.

Would anybody pay money for such a PlugIn?
First person opinions are most valuable.

Other comments?
Dave

I own raster bsb 4 maps of the St-Lawrence and lake Champlain area. I tried to use them with Opencpn and was very frustrated to find that I cannot see the canadian charts on this Cd while the american ones were available.

So YES I would pay for such a plugin rather than buying another navigation program. I feel hostage of my own government... But this is my private frustation.

When do you expect this happening?

[Cotemar]

AndreBibeau,

I am with you. I have the real good "Wavey Line charts" of the Bahamas in BSB4 format that I purchased from MapTech.
I would love to be able to use them in OpenCPN.

Mark

[idpnd]

There's a rumour it might happen soonish

[brak]

That would be cool - sure hope the plugin is going to be available for other applications as well .

Until now the only thing one could get to support BSBv4 was the old Win32 Maptech SDK, which is not very useful if you want to support Linux or Mac (and isn't all that well designed for what it is)

Edit: oh, I read the note above. Well, that's a bummer. Won't do any good to us

[manimaul]

Indeed, this would/will be cool! Especially cool if the alleged plugin works on all platforms.

[idpnd]

Originally Posted by brak

That would be cool - sure hope the plugin is going to be available for other applications as well .

Either it will be free software or proprietary dave stuff - eihter way, it won't go with your proprietary software afraid to report

[GPSNavX]

BSB4 and BSB5 is supported natively on Mac. Both MacENC and MacGPS Pro support them. In addition MacENC supports Navionics Gold and NV Verlag from X-Traverse.