E-charting has also grown to display much more than simple navigational aids and landmarks. Most packages now incorporate supplemental data such as Coast Pilots, points-of-interest (POIs), street maps – even Google Earth capability. Again, the applications handle these materials differently.
SeaClear II, NavimaQ, MacENC, TIKI Navigator and Raytech RNS are less strong in this area, focusing more exclusively on marine data. The Capn does a good job including Coast Pilots, but does not include point-of-interest data, street maps or Google Earth. Software-On-Board and BoatCruiser piggyback on C-Map cartography, which includes street maps, to provide supplemental data. MacENC and Fugawi Marine ENC work with Google Earth, which can show street and land data in addition to its trademark satellite imagery.
If you want integrated information on ports, anchorages, marinas and points-of-interest, Coastal Explorer's (and by extension Chart Navigator Pro's) supplemental data is the best. Maptech's extensive disc set of cartography comes bundled with Chart Navigator Pro, or you can add it to Coastal Explorer. Either way, the integrated and searchable Gazetteer in Coastal Explorer and Chart Navigator Pro is impressive. Click on any port to pull up a window with information and photos. These two applications also had the best advanced search feature, letting you quickly and easily access these extensive data extras.
AIS, ARPA AND MARPA
"Collision Avoidance" and "Situational Awareness" are the latest buzzwords in e-charting, describing features that supplement your visual awareness of other vessels. This class of features includes AIS (Automatic Identification System) and ARPA/MARPA-equipped radar (Automatic Radar Plotting Aid and Mini Automatic Radar Plotting Aid). It can also be extended to track "buddy boats."
Although e-charting packages are heavily marketed based on their collision avoidance features, this is a perfect example of where it pays to consider what you need for your vessel given your anticipated float plan. Many collision avoidance systems require additional instruments, such as an AIS receiver or an ARPA-equipped radar, or depend on data that may not be generally available. For example, buddy boat tracking sounds like a fun way to keep track of cruising friends, but it only works if they are transmitting AIS data, which requires an AIS transmitter.
In some cases the equipment you already have onboard can largely replicate these features. For example, a common DSC-enabled VHF radio can allow you to keep track of and auto-dial buddy boats. Similarly, your existing radar can provide shipping lane alarms without an additional AIS device. Sure, it's technologically sexy to be able to display a ship's detailed information on your laptop. But do you really need to know the name and home port of the vessel that is going to hit you? For basic daytime boating, the Coast Guard reminds us that maintaining a vigilant watch is the best navigational tool.
That said, some boaters can benefit from advanced collision avoidance systems. Boaters in areas heavily used by commercial traffic, whether cargo ships, ferries or commercial fishing, are most in need of these features. This includes areas such as the Chesapeake Bay or Puget Sound. These features may also provide some peace of mind to offshore cruisers in heavy traffic areas, such as those who make nighttime Gulf Stream crossings. But a weekend boater or an Intracoastal Waterway traveler? Think twice.
If you decide AIS, ARPA/MARPA radar or buddy boat tracking are important to you, realize that even the lowest priced e-charting applications now include at least one of these features. AIS has become such a popular feature that it is now included in all the applications except Raytech RNS. Two low-cost choices, SeaClear II and TIKI Navigator, both have surprisingly robust AIS functionality. Only Software-On-Board and TIKI Navigator include buddy boat tracking, and both had a nice, but very different, implementation of this feature.
All the higher-priced choices, and several of the mid-priced choices, include the option of displaying ARPA/MARPA radar data. Note that these features typically only display collision avoidance data, not a full image of your radar scan. Many boaters mistakenly assume a display of radar data is a standard option in an e-charting package, perhaps because so many e-charting promotions show a fancy split window with a chart image alongside the corresponding radar scan. Although some e-charting applications support radar overlays, the implementation is tricky. Because radar data is analog, it must be converted to digital in order to display on a PC. This may require a digitally-enabled radar and/or a translation device, often referred to as a "black box". If you do decide you want full radar overlays on your PC – useful for boaters in high fog areas such as Maine and the Pacific Northwest – you will need a high-end package such as Coastal Explorer, Raytech RNS, MaxSea or Nobeltec Admiral.
CALCULATORS
One of the advantages of having a computer onboard is it can double as a tool for complicated calculations. Custom calculators for fuel consumption, travel time or celestial sight reductions are relatively simple programming extras. Many of the e-charting applications we reviewed include one or more of these options.
