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dKart Software Presentation. Age of electronic charts.
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Age of electronic charts The electronic chart is a relatively new technology that provides significant benefits in terms of navigation safety and improved operational efficiency. More than simply a computer display, an electronic chart is a real-time navigation system that integrates a variety of information that is displayed and interpreted by the mariner. It is an automated decision aid capable of continuously determining a vessel's position in relation to land, charted objects, aids-to-navigation, and unseen underwater hazards. Thus the electronic chart represents an entirely new approach to maritime navigation.
What makes dKart Navigator the best solution? A widespread use of professional Electronic Chart Systems will result in a significant reduction of –sometimes fatal – accidents caused by navigational errors and enhance the safety of the mariner and the environment. The last few years have seen a steady increase in the use of electronic chart systems, which became one of the most effective and promising means of sea navigation. This is why today the electronic chart market is rich in similar software of various producers. So what distinguishes dKart Navigator among those products, what makes it the best solution?
Program distinguishing features • Easy-to operate user-friendly interface; ability to work with all kinds of pointing devices with wheel (trackball); • Possibility to connect a wide range of external navigational devices; • World-wide chart collections; • Automatic route monitoring on chart, effective safety control with well-timed alarming; • Efficient route planning either directly on the chart or in table form; • Detailed registration of navigational situation in the electronic logbook with the function of ship movement playback straight on the chart; • Display of both raw ARPA and AIS images and target symbols on the chart, targets control and vessel-to-vessel data exchange;
Program distinguishing features • Creation of 3-dimensional sea bottom models; • Real-time 3D-modeling above the electronic chart; • Realization of weather and ice information (both vector and raster) on the electronic chart; • Presenting tidal stream vectors on the chart, calculation of tide levels for the time specified; • Quick creation/editing of user objects and layers, with their display on the chart and 3D-bottom model; • Smoothing and converting the ship run way into a route; • Efficient survey planning and post-processing; • Trial maneuvering and own ship model adjustment; • Function of connecting special user databases.
Core principle - simplicity The entire program concept bases upon the primary idea – simplicity causes effectiveness. This is why dKart Navigator is as easy to operate as possible. The program user-friendly interface has been especially designed considering specific conditions of operating with a computer at sea with the view to minimize the mariner’s actions when operating with the program to the maximum.
Descriptive elements To feel free at program operating the navigator is not supposed to deal with complex multi-level menus or study a complicated user manual. Instead, dKart Navigator provides easy selection of the required functions with the help of descriptive graphic images the program control elements are supplied with. It works as easy as that: Selection of a required chart Selection of routes Start measuring distances on chart Measure beam distance from ship to a reference point
Accessibility of functions Besides, most commonly used functions and program modes are accessed by a single mouse click so that the user does not have to search for the required element for ages. Buttons of all navigational functions are constantly available in the center of the control panel in all program modes
Easy ways to access program modes Using MAIN and AUX tabs located in the lower part of the window the user switches between basic program modes: MAIN tab is used to access Route monitoring and planning, Logbook, User layers’ editor, Dual display mode, Exploring depth profile and 3D modeling. AUX tab contains buttons of Radar mode, Search and rescue function, Calculator, Charts’ library, Tide database, Dual plotting, Special databases and printing.
Control panel adjustability The program control panel constantly displays the most important navigational data. It is very easy to adjust the font size of each window individually to emphasize the information you need so that you could refer to it quickly and efficiently.
Interface unification The entire user interface unification allows easily, often intuitively comprehend the program operation principles and quickly restore your skills even after you haven’t worked with the program for some time.
Tool tips, help The basic program elements and important chart objects are supported by tool tips containing a short description: and at any moment the user is also free to call the help-context window to learn more about this or that function:
Charts Electronic charts, used in dKart Navigator, offer certain advantages over raster and traditional paper charts – in addition to the information transferred from these sources, an ENC may include information from any number of other sources – such as List of Lights and Notices to Mariners. dKart Navigator operates with two types of vector electronic charts – in S-57 and CM 93v3 formats and allows both automatic and manual charts updating. C-MAP electronic charts are compatible with S-57 format on logical level, and provide worldwide coverage. Before starting to use C-Map 93v3 charts, they should be registered in the program, i.e. the corresponding licenses should be obtained.
Chart control Another distinguishing feature of dKart Navigator is its easy and convenient functions of chart control, available in all program modes. With a single mouse click the user gets access to chart scrolling, zooming in and out, receives charts’ objects information, controls the chart scale, presentation level, orientation and color palette. Buttons of chart control provide prompt access to zooming in/out, returning to the previous presentation scale and area, restoring original scale of chart
Charts: seamless coverage The program continuously displays several charts of different format, original scale and horizontal datum, thus providing seamless coverage of the required region with cartographic data. When zooming and panning around your chart, the program will automatically select the best chart available for the area you wish to view. This selection is based on the original chart scale.
Chart control In addition to the standard North Up orientation, the software offers Direction Up and COG Up variants. When a chart is rotated chart text will not be affected, ensuring that it remains legible.
Navigation devices: NMEA Communication between dKart Navigator and external navigational devices is based uponNMEA-0183 protocol. This protocol defines the format of data to be used in navigational information exchange.
Navigation devices dKart Navigator uses positioning data from various navigational sensors, such as compass, log, echo sounder, ARPA and AIS, thus providing the maximum level of navigational situation control. dKart Navigator is also capable of operating with information from ARPA and AIS.
Radar Interaction between the radar and the system helps in achieving the best possible results in presenting radar information together with cartographic data. Besides, when comparing the radar image with the chart presentation the user has a more solid criterion of estimating both the navigational situation and the reliability of the system operating.
Radar information window Working with radar, the navigator has two possibilities. The first variant is receiving ARPA targets data according to NMEA protocol when target symbols and vectors are displayed on the electronic charts together with their information windows available by a mouse click:
Radar targets on chart ARPA targets will be presented on the chart as green circles with movement vectors (automatic targets) or similarly, but with a capital M added to the target’s number – for manual targets.
Overlaying radar image The other variant is overlaying an unprocessed radar image over the electronic chart with the help of a special radar-processor card.
Navigation devices: AIS When connected to AIS, dKart Navigator displays AIS targets information in accordance with all necessary standards. AIS targets are presented on the chart as triangles with movement vectors. As soon as a target becomes dangerous, it is displayed in red color. The user is free to set up a safe target size and color.
Data exchange with AIS targets The program may be also used for direct operating with AIS, i.e. for exchanging textual messages with other AIS target vessels.
Autopilot With an Autopilot connected, dKart Navigator provides high accuracy and reliability of keeping the ship within the limits of the user-defined XTE corridor. Interfacing to the autopilot will enable route waypoint information to be sent to the autopilot each time a route is calculated.
Navigational safety According to ECDIS requirements dKart Navigator steadily controls the navigational safety providing both visual and audio alarms in case of a danger, which enables the mariner to take the appropriate measures to avoid an accidental situation. The program calculates and highlights on the chart the safety contour and other dangers according to the safety depth defined by the operator using Chart Presentation function:
Safety settings Conditions of signaling about approaching to a safety contour or an area, as well as safety zone parameters are to be set up using Safety page of System Configuration program mode.
Safety alarming Alarm options include: GPS failure, XTE/off course, approaching a waypoint, a dangerous target, a safety contour or an area with special conditions, and other warnings. The reason for an alarm sounding is displayed in the alarm indicator where the warning may be acknowledged and silenced.
Navigational functions The program offers various navigational functions helping to automate the navigator’s everyday work to a great extent; these functions are accessed directly from the program control panel. A single point and click is enough, for instance, to load the necessary charts, select the chart presentation level or the way point to go to, start measuring on chart, select the needed auxiliary information on the chart, fix the ship position manually, and many more.
Printing options At any moment the user is free to print the required information, such as data currently displayed on the screen, logbook table contents or route waypoints information. One of the latest innovations of Morintech is possibility to print a paper chart out of the ENC – a printed copy of the rectangular area, selected on the electronic chart.
Modes. Route monitoring Being a software well-adaptive to different navigational tasks, dKart Navigator comprises different program modes which are accessed via buttons located on the control panel. In Route Monitoring mode the program continually performs route calculations and controls navigation safety. Even if another program section is open and occupies the entire screen, functions of route calculations and safety control remain active.
Route planning Route Planning mode provides enhanced route planning facilities both in table form or directly on the chart as simply as point-and-click. All actions performed on the chart are automatically duplicated in the table, and vice versa.
Route planning options This mode also provides route safety analysis. Here you can define Way Points, XTE and other route parameters, construct a Great Circle Line leg, and save the route to diskette as well as to hard disk. Routes saved to diskette can be imported to dKart Navigator systems onboard other vessels. Routes can be imported and exported to/from NMEA devices and popular routes formats.
Charts’ library Charts are handled in the program via Charts’ library mode, enabling such operations as registering charts in the program, deleting and updating charts either automatically or with the help of the special-purpose Manual Updating Editor. An important advantage here is high speed of updates receiving via INMARSAT – the process takes just a few seconds, so that the mariner is not supposed to overpay for the connection.
Electronic logbook dKart Navigator writes all program events into the Electronic Logbook. This feature allows you to browse the logbook, to study the navigational situation in a specific moment, to print the required logbook information or to play back the ship movements directly on the electronic chart to restore the navigational situation of any required moment.
Logbook options An important feature here is possibility to create a route out of the ship track. Using the logbook records of the ship track, the user may create a route of a defined width, smooth the track, as well as save it as a linear user layer object.
User layers’ editor In practice navigators would often be interested in creating own thematic charts, dealing with their particular specialty. This may concern not only fishermen and hydrographers, but also many other people working at sea. dKart Navigator offers efficient tools for operating with such data – User layers editor, allowing the user to customise charts to indicate favourite anchorages, fishing spots or dive sites. The user may not only set graphic objects on the electronic chart, but also quickly edit them, divide into catalogues, store objects in archives, etc.
Search and rescue The program provides features to effectively perform Search and Rescue operation in accordance with MERSAR standard requirements. These features include rescue operation planning, i.e. creation of searching route, rescue operation modeling – displaying on the chart rescue vessels in accordance with the defined parameters, and cooperation between Search & Rescue and Man Over Board functions. Routes planned in this mode may be exported to analogous systems onboard other rescue vessels.
Tides database Tide Database program mode assists in calculation and display of the tide level at the specified point and time. Tide gauges are indicated on the chart as Тsymbols. The program displays the tide graph on which the operator sees level height depending on the time of the day.
Tidal streams Another useful program function is calculating and display on the chart of the tidal stream vectors. The vector is presented as a red arrow with speed indication in knots. Presentation of tidal stream information is user-configured.
Creating 3-dimensional model One of the major advantages of dKart Navigator is 3D sea bottom modeling feature. This function is extremely useful when navigating in narrows and during surveying or fishing. A 3-dimensional model may be built basing both on the bathymetrical information of the electronic chart itself, as well as on the depth information received from the echo sounder.
3D options 3D image may be rotated on both horizontal and vertical axis. To make the 3D model more informative and descriptive, it can be displayed over the electronic chart with simultaneous presentation of own ship symbol, current route and other navigational information, and colored according to the user choice.
2D presentation The chart is also updated synchronously with 3D model. Additionally a 2D model may be built on the basis of the 3-dimensional model and overlaid above the electronic chart, which provides a better visual estimation of the depth information.
Dual display Dual display mode is intended for simultaneous presentation of the system information on two monitors, or – on one half-divided monitor, which enlarges data presentation capabilities of dKart Navigator to a great extent. With the help of this function you may simultaneously operate with two different chart areas, displayed on different screens. For example, you are free to monitor your voyage on one of the screens, while browsing a random chart area with another scale, presentation level and orientation on the other.
