Though I have never used it, Maptech's Chart Navigator Pro is based on the same Rose Point software. It is a bit more expensive because it comes with a heavy load of Maptech goodies, such as charts, satellite imagery and topographic maps. But it should be just as stable.
If I were building the perfect program, it would load–and last–like these two products.
JEPPESEN MARINEA 3D Bathymetric screenshot showing the Key West Main Ship Channel approach from the south. The oerfect software package would display all kinds of charts, maps, photos and imagery.
It would also include a little brother. Many software companies produce a "chart viewer," which is a stripped down version of their larger navigation package, either as a trial or as a convenience to users. These viewers are not designed for navigation. Rather, they are created as a handy tool to view charts and plan.
I love these little guys. They start quickly and allow you to take a look at a chart without launching your big program and plugging in a GPS. It's a convenience, and a nice one. My perfect application would have a companion viewer–and that viewer would be a lot like CARIS Easy View. This little program downloads quickly, reads most common chart formats and is very easy to use. One of the occupational hazards associated with editing a boating magazine is that I often need to look at some obscure chart. I keep a copy of Easy View on a USB drive for just this reason. Why not–the program is free.
Another item high on my list is technical support–fanatical technical support. Too many companies fall short in this department. My ultimate piece of software would have the ultimate help desk, available by chat, email and phone. It would also have serious online resources, including a well-written FAQ, downloadable PDF guides and a forum to allow me to communicate with other users. And yes, I'd like a printed manual too–a thick one.
LOOK AND FEEL
MARK AND DIANA DOYLENavimaQ's unique Spyglass function magnifies difficult-to-read chart information without distortion.
Another thing I want is an interface that takes the mission into account. These programs are used on a boat, not in an office. The user is often standing up and rocking back and forth (at least that's how it is aboard my trawler–and it doesn't even heel). Tiny menus and buttons, cluttered screens that obscure the chart and anything that requires precision mousing is a major pain in the transom.
It is for this reason that I think TIKI Navigator Pro is on the right track. It was created by Fred Jenssen, a Norwegian boater, who decided to pitch some of the standard Windows conventions out the portal in favor of an interface that is designed for boaters. The result is a program that is reasonably intuitive, with a nice clean interface that puts a premium on chart display. The different interface does require some adjustment, but the direction is right minded.
Another characteristic I like is the ability to customize things: windows, toolbars, consoles–everything. One of my major complaints about software of all kinds is that too many programs force us–the users–to work in ways that don't make sense to us. The ability to customize things goes a long way toward making any application more comfortable to use.
Mark and Diana gave Nobeltec Visual Navigation Suite high marks in this regard. In fact, they counted 89 toolbar button and 41 counsel panel choices, all of which can be saved. In fact, the program will save multiple configurations for different helmsmen, vessels or situations (fishing, for example). All software should be so kind to its users.
