aters plan and execute safe and efficient voyages. It can provide a variety of features and functions, including the ability to measure ship position, plot and course, display nautical charts, and provide weather forecasts.
There are many different marine navigation software programs available on the market, and it is important for boaters to carefully research and compare different options to best meet their needs and budget.
Marine navigation software is a type of computer program designed to help boaters plan and execute safe and efficient.
- Plan and measure routes: Marine navigation software can help boaters plan their trips by plotting courses, measuring travel distance and estimated time, and estimating fuel. See Consumption.
- Track Vessel Position: Many marine navigation software programs include a GPS function that allows boaters to track their vessel’s position in real time and view their location on a digital map.
- Display nautical charts: Marine navigation software can display digital nautical charts that show detailed information about local waterways, including depth contours, navigational hazards, and other important features.
- Provide Weather Forecasts: Some marine navigation software programs include weather forecast features that allow boaters to view current and forecasted weather conditions for their location.
- Calculate tidal information: Many marine navigation software programs include tidal forecasting tools that can help boaters plan their voyages around tides.
- Display AIS Information: Some marine navigation software programs can display Automatic Identification System (AIS) data, which can help boaters avoid collisions by showing the location and movement of nearby vessels. can.
What is the best free marine GPS app?
There are several free marine GPS apps available that can be used to track a vessel’s position and display nautical charts. Some popular options include:
- Navionics Boating: This app includes many features, including the ability to measure a vessel’s position, plot and routes, display nautical charts, and view real-time weather forecasts.
- SeaClear: This app is a free, open-source marine navigation software program that allows boaters to track their position and view their location on a digital map. It also includes a route planning feature and the ability to display nautical charts.
- iNavX: This app is a marine navigation software program that allows boaters to measure their position, plot and course, and view their location on a digital map. It also includes many features such as marine forecasting tools and the ability to display AIS data.
It’s important to note that these apps are free to download, but may require a subscription or in-app purchase to access all of their features. It’s a good idea for boaters to carefully research and compare different marine GPS apps to find the one that best meets their needs and budget.
Don’t get lost at sea by using these navigation tools
1 . SPICA
SPICA is a modern entry arranging marine programming arrangement that guides in computerized route. SPICA is the ideal programming supplement for SOLAS class vessels cruising carefully with ECDIS. It is a back of scaffold framework intended to make consistence with SOLAS Section V route necessities simple and straightforward for vessels and delivery organizations. You can get the required business standard S-57/S-63 electronic route diagram (ENC) information by basically entering the traveled ports for a journey, the product wraps up.
2. OpenCPN
OpenCPN is an extraordinary marine route programming that has a large number of highlights that will doubtlessly make cruising more straightforward for you.
All you really want to get everything rolling is this product introduced on a PC and a GPS collector associated with the PC. You can begin exploring effectively by downloading the free diagrams from NOAA (Country Maritime and Air Organization).
This software was designed by sailors for sailors, so it contains a wide range of useful features:
- Can connect laptop to GPS receiver and see your boat in real time on the chart
- Customizable ship-tracking display options
- Click on chart to create waypoints and routes
- Automatic chart quilting – can join separate charts with the same scale
- Chart zoom in/zoom out, scroll and pan, etc.
- Built-in offline tide levels and currents information
- Instant man-overboard marker with the ability to automatically return course, distance, etc.
- Daylight/nighttime color schemes for the dashboard – allows you to easily see the information presented no matter how much light is around you
- Detailed and written offline instruction manual and help screens
This product works with raster diagrams or ENC vector Outlines from NOAA, and furthermore furnishes you with 3 methods of showing your graph – north-up, course-up, look-ahead.
To forestall any serious harm to your boat, OpenCPN has an underlying anchor and boat caution. This caution begins ringing assuming the product recognizes that your anchor is hazardously near the shore or some other checks.
This product likewise permits you to quantify distances on the graph by just relocating a virtual line. Having this component available to you ensures that you stay away from other enormous boats, by expecting them to convey an ID signal.
3. Garmin
ActiveCaptain is another great software option that allows you to navigate your boat to any destination. The features included in this software show you information about anchorages, marinas, and other important local data.
The information you store regarding your route and also data about the weather and currents is easily searchable, offering you fast results. This software integrates perfectly with NOAA charts, and can also use street maps and satellite views. The data is continuously refreshed by over 100k boaters and sailors that input data around the clock, offering you more accurate information than ever.
Its easy to understand configuration is unquestionably helpful for mariners. In light of its effectively justifiable menu, guides, and choices, you can finish typically convoluted computations effortlessly, and focus erring on the genuine cruising.
Quite possibly of the best component found in ActiveCaptain is the Intelligent Cruising Manual. The fact that runs this product makes this part the motor. You can set up the ideal area by either utilizing base outlines and guides, or by composing in a name in the hunt box.
The product then takes that data and shows you information that is accessible around there, coding various components – marinas, safe havens, and dangers, by variety. Assuming you feel like you want more definite data in regards to a marina, mooring point, or danger, you can simply tap on the component, and a spring up window will give the idea that gives you other mariners’ remarks, suggestions, and other significant information.
This permits you to handily follow your course or any potential issues you could experience on your way, and manage them as needs be.
Expert Tip: Some PC issues are hard to tackle, especially when it comes to corrupted repositories or missing Windows files. If you are having troubles fixing an error, your system may be partially broken. We recommend installing Restoro, a tool that will scan your machine and identify what the fault is.
You can find a good range of marine maps on the ActiveCaptain official website.
4. TimeZero
TimeZero is another powerful marine navigation application that allows you to manage all aspects of crusing on your boat from one user-friendly dashboard designed by sailors – for sailors.
This software was released in 2 different versions, each covering the needs of different types of users. TimeZero also contains other important tools like :
- TZ Charts – contains an entire calatog of up to date charts, click here if you want to explore the chart options
- TZ Coastal Monitoring – contains all features needed to make the system suitable for use on oil and gas platforms
TimeZero Navigator
- Can connect to different instruments in order to collect navigation data – NMEA0183, NMEA2000 or Furono NavNet Network
- Autopilot output connection
- Can be installed on 2 computers
- Chart engine with seeamless chart redraw options and 2D and 3D views
- Touch screen compatible user interface
- Day, Dusk and Night Mode – allows you to see your data correctly no matter how much light there is outside
- Worldwide planning charts and 3D database
- Raster or vector chart compatibility
- PhotoFusion – automatically mixes satellite photos with nautical charts
Because of the large number of features found in this software, it is hard to choose which of them should be presented, here are some more important features that can help you reach your destination safely and in time:
- Worldwide tide database
- Anti-grounding cone – alarm that is triggered when you are dangerously close to hitting ground
- Print route feature
- Unlimited number of marks, waypoints and routes
- Unlimited boundaries, circles, lines and annotations
- Weather data service – rain, air temperature, winds, clouds, waves, oceanic currents, atmospheric pressure, etc.
- Weather forecast, tides and currents data with animation
TimeZero Professional – contains all the features found in the Navigator, and adds:
- NavData allows you to configure any actions to a custom button
- Can import S57 Charts (NOAA)
- Custom depth shading
- Custom contour lines
- Track line coloring – line tracking based on SST, speed, depth, etc.
- Search & Rescue (SAR) route patterns
- Advanced events management
- Loran C & Decca grid
- Ocean data service – measures the temperature of the sea surface, plankton, altimetry, etc.
- AIS MKD – allows you to set voyage data and navigational status
- FLIR thermal camera integration – M-Series control and tracking
- Fuel Management – fuel range ring, route warning, distance to empty, etc
⇒ Get TimeZero
- Editor’s Note: If you’re interested in other travel tools and accessories, check out our wide collection of guides.
5. PolarView NS
Polar Naval force can not measure up to the recently introduced programming in this article as a result of the restricted measure of highlighted contained. This device was intended to be a lightweight and simple to-utilize application that will assist you with exploring graphs and arrive at your objective at the earliest opportunity.
Despite the fact that this product doesn’t have the very measure of elements that other programming have, PolarView offers you admittance to a decent scope of instruments. With this product, you can design entries and outlines, notice atmospheric conditions, and tides.
It upholds GPS route and offers a decent scope of strong electronic graphs with live GPS information, across the board sweeping dashboard that offers an outline of every gathered datum.
Here are some of the most notable features:
- S57/S63 vector chart and BSB raster chart support
- Visual route and waypoint control
- Built-in GRIB weather download service
- Built-in tides and currents on-screen information
- Works with both digital and analog instruments
- Great number of worldwide charts available
Conclusion
The software options presented in this article will surely help you navigate the sea easily.
The features found in this list offer you peace of mind regarding keeping your ship on course offers great up-to-date information from other sailors, can show you weather patterns, tide information, and places that you can dock in.
This navigation software also gives you detailed information about how much fuel you need, how fast you would reach your destination, and the best way to reach it.
We would love to know what your experience was when trying the software we presented in this article. Please feel free to let us know in the comment section below.
