Chartplotter
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Chartplotter will be used for navigation. An electronic chart will be shown on a display, the position, heading and speed of the ship can be displayed in the chart.
Usually, two different types of charts will be used in combination with chartplotters:
- Raster Charts
- Vector Charts
All chart plotters include GPS functions and are an evolution of the basic marine GPS combining multi functions on a single screen, usually the screen include: a Marine chart, all GPS functions, a depth sounder or sonar , and a radar screen. Depending on the manufacturer and model, the screen could be a separate screen for each function, an overlaid screen of two or more functions on the same screen, or a split screen where the screen is divided to show different windows of information.
Chart-plotting can also be performed by a computer running appropriate software. Modern navigational software running on a PC can generally out-perform dedicated chart plotters. As a computer has more processing power than a plotter, and may draw data from many sources, its functionality goes beyond pure chart plotting and autopilot control, to providing advanced passage planning functions as well.
The IMO (International_Maritime_Organization) is working on the standardization, but some chartplotters require specific data formats.
Chartplotters can also integrate data from radar and AIS receivers. Then, additional informations about traffic can be shown in the electronic chart as well.
Raster Charts: The chart plotter displays a "picture" of a paper chart or map which is referenced to geographic coordinates. A GPS position can be displayed upon the raster chart, but accuracy depends upon many factors including the type of projection (eg. conic or mercator) used in the original chart, and the reference system used (eg. NAD-27 or WGS-84).
Vector Charts: The chart plotter constructs a facsimile of a chart using raw data from a data base. The major advantages are a reduction in the amount of data to be stored, and the ability of the chart plotter to identify certain features (such as water depth) and act upon them (eg. do not allow the ship to run aground)
