Echosounder mapping own map

[kjetil6]

Hello,

I am wondering, how to use openCpn to create your own map or update existing maps.
Any thoughts about this?

[daga]

I would very much like to see bathymetric mapping features. Drive a search pattern in the dinghy with a portable depth instrument, capture NMEA, convert to LAT, import to Opencpn and voila! Depths! Anyway, that's how I imagine it.
Dave.

[prof_mariner]

What about ReefMaster? https://reefmaster.com.au/

[Neptune's Gear]

I dont know a way with opencpn, but most of the navico sonars can do this, with contours down to 300mm (1ft)

[kjetil6]

yes, a lot of the chartplotters have this feature. or small lakes, its very interesting. I would even go so far and say, that mapping is the most importaint feature of a mapsoftware and why is openCpn, which otherwise is so awesome, not having/developing this feature? If I would be more fluent in programming, I would be glad to contibute to a vectormapping plugin. This data could be uploadet to openseamaps, without the need to pay 30$ for an external NMEA mapper. the o-charts are bad quality and if you upgrade your maskin, the keys doesnt work anymore. I guess everybody, who is using opencpn is interested in a mapping tool.

[kjetil6]

Originally Posted by prof_mariner

What about ReefMaster? https://reefmaster.com.au/

sure, there are some softwarepackages out there. first it costs 200$, second I dont have enough processing power on my laptop, to run reefmaster and opencpn at the same time. also, I am running ubuntu and reefmaster is windows software.

[bcn]

[QUOTE=kjetil6;2612627. the o-charts are bad quality and if you upgrade your maskin, the keys doesnt work anymore. [/QUOTE]

Which chart sets do you have? As you will know, the data is identical to the official charts of the Hydrographic Offices. Sure, there are areas they cover better and others less. But one advantage is there: they don't invent soundings where the HO didn't make a proper survey.
A simple upgrade will not break the oeSENC key. You need to do something that makes the system to appear like a new or different one.

Ad-hoc charting and surveying is an interesting thing. We experimented with a small project two years ago which reproduced the trace with soundings on a raster chart - as a BSB/.kap .

I'm very skeptical about crowd sourced soundings as there is no way to know how these data have been recorded, calibrated and corrected.
This is a very different horse from making your own small survey knowing under which circumstances you did it, how your sounder works, etc.
Or just going with the dinghy into an unknown or difficult site and transmitting this data to the mothership in real time.

[nohal]

You can sure use my survey plugin, which I think Mike extended with some more features, for these micro surveys.
As far as “everybody is interested” goes, I have never moved it from a proof of concept stage for general lack of interest in it - about once a year someone appears asking about this stuff, yes, but there always are things asked more so far...

Pavel

[daga]

Where can I find this plugin?

[valhalla360]

I can't see taking the dingy out and mapping the local harbor but seems like a great crowd sourcing data collection method if it was built into a chartplotter/chart software.

You would need to do some averaging out for tides and GPS location accuracy but not that hard and likely far better than some of the 1800's era lead line measurements. Also, how you would show areas outside of boat tracks. But overall very much doable.

Odds are the main channels & routes would be heavily covered in a short time period and if there are shifting channels, it would help stay on top of it.

Probably the biggest issue is the same as the recent Active Captain debates...you need enough people using one system and uploading the enough data to where it hits critical mass and people find it useful.
- If it's a half dozen tracks near the developers home harbor, it's unlikely to take off.
- If it covers most harbors along the ICW pretty well, others will pick it up for their trip down the ICW and likely leave it on when they hit the Bahamas and beyond.

[nohal]

Originally Posted by daga

Where can I find this plugin?

The version with Mike's changes is at https://github.com/Rasbats/survey_pi

[prof_mariner]

Originally Posted by nohal

The version with Mike's changes is at https://github.com/Rasbats/survey_pi

Where is the .DLL? I'd love to give this a try.

[nohal]

Originally Posted by prof_mariner

Where is the .DLL? I'd love to give this a try.

https://github.com/Rasbats/survey_pi/releases

[prof_mariner]

Originally Posted by nohal

https://github.com/Rasbats/survey_pi/releases

I put survey_pi.dll (version 1.0) in the plugins folder and it doesn't appear in OpenCPN. I'm guessing I need all the other files listed on that page as well? Is there any specific folder they should be put in? Is there a compiled version of 1.1 for windows available? Thanks!

[Rasbats]

Prof ...

I have added a Windows installer to the v1.1 GitHub release.

tamar.gmp and tamar.txt are soundings in the River Tamar, Devon, Uk. They can be used for testing.

"Zoom to" is not working reliably.

tamar.txt can be played with the vdr plugin, to simulate an NMEA stream for recording from.

Mike