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UK Marine Charts

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Ian Phillips

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May 30, 1998, 3:00:00 AM5/30/98
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It seems that evrywhere apart from the UK enjoy the availability of
Public Domain Maps and Charts, both paper and digital. Here in the UK
Digital Marine Charts (ARCS) are encryted by our Hydrographic Office,
requiring very expensive software to view. To develop software to use
or even view ARCS Charts you need to be prepared to prove to the
Hydrographic Office that you are a suitable candidate (both technically
and financially!) to develop software for their digital products.

There are already software suppliers who have been through the mill and
have developed Navigation software for ARCS, but their products with GPS
mapping cost over £500 ($750US), probably due to the enormous hoops they
have had to jump through!! When so many packages exist that will do the
same thing on any digital or scanned chart, it seems ludicrous to have
to spend this sort of money. It also seems ludicrous that one should
have to illegally scan a paper chart (in UK), when perfectly good charts
already exist.

I appreciate our Hydrographic Office wish to "protect" users of their
charts from inferior software, but wonder whether there are more
commercial reasons?

I would be interested to hear from anyone who shares my feelings and/or
knows of any reasonable UK digital charts/maps that can be used by an
"ordinary" GPS mapping package.

Ian Phillips

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May 31, 1998, 3:00:00 AM5/31/98
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Does anyone know of any Digital UK Marine charts that do NOT require
decryption software that costs over Ł500. I want to be able to use an
ordinary GPS Mapping package, but do not really want to scan maps.

I'm told that PC plotter might be the answer but do not know where I can
get info.

Help would be appreciated.

Ian.

Tim Thornton - TT Designs

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Jun 2, 1998, 3:00:00 AM6/2/98
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Ian,
It is not just the UK HO - the Australians appear to be at least as
restrictive with their new (ARCS format) Seafarer charts - they recently
took Navionics to court over charting issues (and lost).

We can supply Logbook, a package that uses the C-Map NT format charts, for
£359.oo inc. VAT, or seaPro 2000 (which uses Livechart or ARCS or NOAA/BSB
charts) for £399.95. Send me your postal address if you want more
information, or come down to our stand at SeaWorks '98 in Southampton on
June 16-18 to see them in action..

Tim Thornton - TT Designs (Southampton)

Ian Phillips <ingrid....@virgin.net> wrote in article
<3571A8...@virgin.net>...


> Does anyone know of any Digital UK Marine charts that do NOT require

> decryption software that costs over £500. I want to be able to use an

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