Feature Requests

[ColdFusion]

Originally Posted by bdbcat

I like red, going grey with no GPS. This follows S52 standards.......

Totally agree with that.

FWIW, S52 also suggests a simple bulls-eye target when the scale is very small, I think less than 1/50,000. Also red/grey.

I agree with the need to keep red/grey but I'd prefer a smaller ownship icon rather than a bulls-eye.

[Viking Sailor]

Originally Posted by bdbcat

All...

Red/Green split ship is entirely too busy for me.

I like red, going grey with no GPS. This follows S52 standards.......

FWIW, S52 also suggests a simple bulls-eye target when the scale is very small, I think less than 1/50,000. Also red/grey.

two cents....
Dave

Dave,

OW!

Are you sure you couldn't get accustom to a multi-colored own ship icon? Maybe the folks on the S52 standards committee just didn't happen to think of this cool icon. Who knows, maybe using this icon in OpenCPN may someday result in it becoming the standard. I'm sure stranger things have happened.

BTW, please never doubt that I understand that your "two cents" are of a lot more value then my "two cents". I am ok with that. And, I thank you for considering my ideas.

Best regards,

Paul

[blubaju]

Originally Posted by LeaseOnLife

If we go back and question the own ship icon, again....

I vote for red for the own ship. This seems to conform with the default configs of SeaClear, MaxSea, Fugawi, Raytech. I also vote for red for the COG predictor.

We do need to find a way to alert the user that the GPS input isn't working anymore. I believe I asked for an audible alarm in the past. Additionally a transparent alarm window, similar to AIS alarm, alerting the user that GPS data aren't available anymore. Maybe turn the own ship icon gray then.

Raytech RNS 6.1 shows MY ship in bright GREEN, have no idea why.
FUGAWI Marine ENC 4.5 shows black cross with open intersction and 2 red rings, black cross is rotating
NavPak shows red dot, red ring, black ring, all concentric, black heading line, length indicates speed.

Though I disliked the initial coffin or tanker very much, I think the solution now is quite ok, still sleeker for me, but never mind, I am a friend of KISS, in small scale charts the ship might become smaller or like in the others just a concentric ring, for my taste it covers to much

If some want to put more appeal in the MY SHIP symbol, why not make it adjustable to the own ship size (adjusts with the chart scale where it makes sense) and create a few more, catamaran (as they are very wide)

[LeaseOnLife]

Raytech RNS 6.1 shows MY ship in bright GREEN, have no idea why.
FUGAWI Marine ENC 4.5 shows black cross with open intersction and 2 red rings, black cross is rotating

Blubaju, I stand corrected. I guess, in the past, I did change the default config for Fugawi and RNS to show a red ship. That makes it another vote for a red ship. Gray with no GPS, fine with me too, but I really would an alert if my GPS stops working.

[LeaseOnLife]

Dave,

(Reposted from Beta/Technical)

see screenshot, a ferry backing out of the terminal. The AIS icon shows the proper orientation but I couldn't find the heading in the AIS info. This caused me to think of the grouping of data in the AIS windows.

The top three groups are info about the AIS target, good!

But then I suggest to group:
Position, SOG, and Heading (missing up to know) because it relates to the target itself.

Then a second group:
Range, Bearing, TCPA, CPA. This all relates from own ship to the AIS target.

Then at the bottom I would group "Latest Report Time", "Report Age", "Recent Report Period".

[jpiebrig]

I vote for a red ship and I think that if it becomes grey when there is no GPS, it would not be easy to find it on some charts. I like the pale green background in the upper right window of the tool bar to show that the GPS is on, it is big enough and if we don't see it becomes pale red when there is no GPS, we should buy glasses .
May be pale green and pale red should be a little less pale.
I agree that the ship should be smaller according the scale, but must stay the shape of a ship.

Jean-Pierre

[blubaju]

I would not change colors, to much confusing, but their brightness and even flashing according to danger. To recognize a pale slightly transparent ship far away the outline should be a solid hairline.

I like the idea of http://www.marinetraffic.com/ais/default.aspx?centerx=120&centery=15&zoom=10&level1 =140 assigning different colors for different ships, no need to open the AIS window to verify

AIS window: frameless ond no close buttons, any left click on the chart closes the window. The chart is easier and faster to find in a rough sea compared with the X or OK.

AIS window: I'd like 20% transparency, leave the chart always visible! Or as preselection in the GUI.

Red/green own ship, lets help the beginners, red to red...
no problem with that, make it flashing and brighter when no GPS signal is coming in. But I would like it adjustable where it makes sense, in a few charts (G-grade) I would like to see my actual boat size (43x24ft). GPS position I would not trust any more, but the size reference looks better

[barnakiel]

Red for own ship. Would be nice to have the AIS 'on collision' targets (red?blinking?outline) too. Perhaps a ship for own ship while triangles for targets? Seen in SeaClear and worked visually very well.

b

[ColdFusion]

+1

A red blinking triangle for AIS 'on collision' targets would be a fantastic feature to have.

Each target would have to be interrogated along the lines of:

1) Under way?
and
2) Distance decreasing?
and
3) Target on a constant heading towards OwnShip?

So I could see this could be costly in terms of system overhead with many targets to interrogate, but it would be a great feature.

Any chance of implementing this before Christmas Dave?

[LeaseOnLife]

Originally Posted by barnakiel

Red for own ship. Would be nice to have the AIS 'on collision' targets (red?blinking?outline) too. Perhaps a ship for own ship while triangles for targets? Seen in SeaClear and worked visually very well.

b

Barnakiel. Aside from the own ship in red, I believe your ideas are implemented alread.

Have a look:

Screen shot 1: Dangerous AIS target, alert window came up, the AIS target is outlined rather well.

Screen shot 2: Same target, after acknowledging the AIS alarm. the outline is gone, but it still is red, and it shows the calculated point of closest approach.

[barnakiel]

Great!

Can the feature of pre-visualising the crossing situation be developed within OpenCPN? I have seen it in a stand alone system and it was very, very impressive (showing for a selected 'inside CPA' target the crossing situation at present parameters').

QQ How is the target turning visualised?

b.

[ColdFusion]

I've been testing the beta builds on a laptop without any AIS feed so I didn't know this feature already existed. Great if it does, but from your screenshots it looks like a collision might happen over land

[LeaseOnLife]

Trying to answer some of the questions regarding AIS display. Being close to NYC, this is probably the ideal spot to capture some screen shots.

On the turning targets. See the screen-shot: 3 out of 5 targets are turning.

I believe opencpn is using the Rate-Of-Turn AIS message to display the little hook at the tip of the predictor. Not all vessels send a ROT! Dave, please correct any inaccurate statements! (or confirm...)

Dave, the little hook is a good indication that the vessel is turning. But could the hook length be calculated by the ROT and SOG? Then move the little buble to the end of the hook?

[LeaseOnLife]

Originally Posted by barnakiel

Great!

Can the feature of pre-visualising the crossing situation be developed within OpenCPN? I have seen it in a stand alone system and it was very, very impressive (showing for a selected 'inside CPA' target the crossing situation at present parameters').

Barnakiel:

Opencpn does the "pre-visualising the crossing situation", actually rather well. I am at anchor right now, waiting for wind to pass New Jersey. Maybe I can find a screen shot in the archives, otherwise I will capture a crossing situation once I encounter one, on the way South. It does compare well with SeaClear, I think it is better.

ColdFusion:

There is no logic in opencpn to find out whether there is land between the target and own ship. Would be nice, possible with S57/ENC charts having depth info. But probably a little far fetched...

[sinbad7]

My personal choice of own ship color would be more neutral and not glaring red. There should be an alternative way of showing whether or not the GPS was on or not functioning. A discrete red or green 'pinprick' light could be shown somewhere in the icon or status bar.

The own ship icon should also bear some relationship with the big ship AIS targets. At the moment,the own ship icon is far larger than a supertanker. I am also in favor of the crossed red circle representation at high scales,or, the icon should be much reduced in size.

See the screen dumps below of Sitech's 'Ship type filter setup' and the actual map display in the Gibraltar strait.