CHARTS NavPak-32 NOAA digital charts which offer full coverage of US waters are being produced and distributed on CD ROM and floppy disk in the BSB format by Chart Kit. These digital charts consist of two file types. The files with the extension: .KAP contain the image, georeference points, datums, palette, and various other types of info. The main image of the chart would have a name such as: XXXXX_1.KAP, where XXXXX corresponds to a NOAA chart number. Insets on the chart are named XXXXX_2.KAP, and so on. Files with the extension: .BSB are the other component of the chart. These files have the same name as the .KAP file and contain info about the image files and the names of the .KAP files. These files can be read with a text editor or word processor. Canadian charts are also available in the BSB format mentioned above. NOS/GEO format charts are available from PinPoint Systems International for: Canada, Bahamas, Iceland, Denmark, Norway, and portions of the Mississippi and Ohio rivers. For more information call PinPoint at: (516) 288-0264. The director of cartography can be reached at: (301) 417-2452. To fill in some areas not covered by other sources, we have a selection of monochrome charts available to registered users of NavPak for US $ 12.00 each. See "LIST" below for a list of charts which are available. NOS/GEO and BSB (KAP) FORMATS MapSetup includes a feature "Convert KAP/NOS..." which is found in the "Tools" menu . This feature gives the options of selecting the resolution, to clip or not clip borders and to save as an uncompressed bitmap (.bmp) or a run length encoded (.rle) compressed bitmap, then it converts the file and rewrites the georeference points and places all the important data from the KAP or NOS/GEO header into a binary script file. The script file will set up the coordinates, datum shift, variation and the Chart Info dialog box, when the chart is loaded into MapSetup or NavPak. The optimum resolution of a digital chart for navigation is about 50% to 66% of a NOS or BSB chart. Reducing the resolution speeds up the scrolling and displays a much larger area on the screen, helping to reduce tunnel vision. The BSB and NOS formats do not have any provisions to record heights units (feet or meters), and the BSB format does not have magnetic variation. This missing information can be added to the chart if it is converted using MapSetup. Variation is normally received with the NMEA data, however some GPS units may not transmit variation, and if the GPS fails, then a default variation in the chart script file will be important for plotting bearings. In addition to the formats above, NavPak will continue to support formats which allow unrestricted use of public domain maps and charts. Future versions of NavPak will have downward compatibility with charts made for previous versions. VECTOR FORMATS NavPak will display one or more vector (.wmf) overlays. There are 3 types of Windows metafiles (.wmf): Aldus Placeable Metafile, MetafilePICT, and plain Windows metafile. Navpak will create and load the plain variety. Future versions of NavPak are expected to support vector format chart data bases which are being developed by National agencies, but this is years away. See "Metafile.txt" for more info. SCAN YOUR OWN CHARTS For most areas of the world, the only source of charts is to scan your own. Any size scanner can be used to make your own charts. The ideal size of bitmaps for navigation are between 1/4 and 1/2 of the full chart, depending on the scale and geographic layout, however 8-1/2 x 11 inch portions of a chart are useful for navigation. There is normally no advantage in having the entire chart loaded at one time, since you would most likely use a small portion. It is more likely that you would want to quickly look at charts of different scales, and be able to scroll quickly. For these reasons less than the whole chart is advantageous, but if you prefer to load the whole chart, you can as explained below. There is a trade-off between loading speed, file size, and compression ratio. Charts can be scanned in one piece for $15 or $20 by a scanning service in various raster formats. A large chart scanned at 200 dots per inch (black and white) results in a BMP file size of 7.1mb. Compressed with PKZip, this BMP image is 1023k, which will fit on a floppy disk. BMP format bitmaps compress very efficiently. Using "Windows Paintbrush", you can crop a selected area and save it as a bitmap under a different file name. A crop of 50% of the chart will result in a bitmap of approximately 1940k. A 1.4 mb floppy disk should be able to hold a black and white uncompressed bitmap equal to about 22 x 17 inches scanned at 165 dpi. Stacker, IBM PC-DOS 6.1, Novell DOS 7, and other compression programs can be used to make compressed floppies which can be read by computers not equipped with compression software. NavPak can quickly decompress and display images from these disk files, transparently to the user. The compression utilities above promise compressing as much as 5 to 1 for bitmaps. Converting charts to monochrome is considered a modification of the data, but the file size will be much smaller and it will load much faster. Since paper charts should be on hand, the color loss is not objectionable. NavPak will also display color and grey scale charts. Grey scale images have the disadvantages of large file size and lack of color. HORIZONTAL CHART DATUMS The difference from one datum to another could be from, among other things, survey method, math model of the earth or point of reference. Some charts give north/south and east/west datum shift values. The shift values are the estimated distance necessary to shift the local datum on which the chart was drawn to conform with the WGS datum. The BSB digital chart format gives values to shift the coordinates to conform to WGS84, DMA charts have a datum shift when known and significant, and preliminary versions of the Admiralty's HCRF (Hydrographic Chart Raster Format) indicate that datum shift values to WGS84 will be given for their digital charts when known. In all cases there is no provision to indicate when the datum is unknown. It is the navigators responsibility to look at the paper chart to see if the datum is known, and if any navigational hazards are reported to be plotted off position. NavPak and MapSetup will apply the datum shifts when contained in the .kap file (BSB format) or .geo file (NOS/GEO format) or they can be defined in the script file when scanning your own charts. The end result of chart datums is where a position derived from GPS plots on a chart relative to navigational hazards. The whole subject is not well defined, however datum shift values are normally a fraction of a second and therefore not significant. PLOTTING BEARINGS The best solution to the uncertainty of horizontal datums, is to take and plot bearings when close-in, and stay clear of hazards which can't be seen at night. Most chart plotting programs have the facility to measure distance and direction, however many programs do not have the capability to draw lines to plot bearings, which is important for triangulating two or more bearing lines as lines of position (LOPs). Any program which doesn't plot bearing lines should be considered incomplete, and unsuitable for navigation. See "MapSetup.txt" for information on how to scan and setup charts for navigation with NavPak. CHART LIST NUMBER TITLE HO EDITION PRINT DATE /*****************************************************************/ OCEANIC 11 North Atlantic Ocean- Northern Part DMA 1 Jul 12,'89 126 North Atlantic Ocean - Northeast Part DMA 38 Aug 13,'83 528 Pacific Coast of US and Mexico DMA 67 Nov 13,'76 4000 Territory of Hawaii US&G 1943 602 Tasman and Coral Seas DMA 3 Aug 18,'82 605 New Zealand to Fiji & Samoa Is DMA 3 Feb 19,'83 621 South Pacific Ocean Sheet I DMA 3 Jul 23,'77 622 South Pacific Ocean Sheet II DMA 6 Aug 29,'81 /*****************************************************************/ ALASKA 16016 Dixon Entrance to Cape St. Elias NOAA 17 Mar 21,'81 16580 Kodiak Is. NOAA 8 Oct 31,'81 16640 Cook Inlet-Southern Part NOAA 20 Apr 5, '86 16645 Gore Pt. to Anchor Pt. NOAA 14 Jul 30,'83 16682 Cape Resurrection to Two Arm Bay NOAA 12 May 1, '82 16700 Prince William Sound NOAA 22 Jan 1, '83 16701 Prince William Sound- Western Entrance NOAA 14 Dec 3, '83 16723 Controller Bay NOAA 13 Dec 27,'80 16760 Cross Sound to Yakutat Bay NOAA 7 Mar 16,'85 16761 Yakutat Bay NOAA 13 Aug 18,'84 16762 Lituya Bay NOAA 7 Sep 1, '79 17300 Stephens Passage to Cross Sound NOAA 21 Mar 17,'79 17301 Cape Spencer to Icy Pt. NOAA 6 Sep 1, '79 17303 Yakobi Island and Lisianski Inlet NOAA 6 Jul 19,'80 17320 Coronation Island to Lisianski Strait NOAA 12 Apr 13,'85 17360 Etolin Is. to Midway Is. NOAA 26 Aug 18,'84 17382 Zarembo Is. and Approaches NOAA 12 Jul 25,'81 17400 Dixon Entrance to Catham Str. NOAA 13 Mar 16,'85 17420 Hecate Strait to Etolin Is. NOAA 23 Mar 16,'85 17437 Portland Inlet to Nakat Bay NOAA 6 Jun 16,'79 /****************************************************************/ ALLEUTIANS 16011 Alaska Peninsula & Aleutian Is to Seguam Pass NOAA 31 Jun 29,'85 16012 Amukta Is to Attu Is NOAA 20 May 29,'82 16420 Buldir Is to Attu Is NOAA 8 May 12,'90 16421 Near Is - Ingenstrem Rocks to Attu Is NOAA 8 Nov 5,'83 16440 Semisopochnoi Is to Buldir Is NOAA 12 Oct 15,'83 16460 Igitkin Is to Semisopochnoi Is NOAA 12 Dec 24,'83 16480 Amukta Is to Igitkin Is NOAA 9 Jul 10,'82 16500 Unalaska Is to Amukta Is NOAA 8 Sep 8,'90 16520 Unimak & Akutan Pass NOAA 21 Apr 15,'89 /*****************************************************************/ CALIFORNIA, USA 5060 Approaches to San Diego Bay C&GS 3 Jan 13,'69 5105 North San Diego Bay C&GS 14 Nov 11,'68 5112 Santa Catalina Is C&GS 3 Mar 4,'68 5142 San Pedro Channel C&GS 8 Apr 18,'70 18620 Point Arena to Trinidad Head NOAA 19 Apr 4,'90 18645 Gulf of the Farallones NOAA 17 May 17,'80 18700 Point Conception to Point Sur NOAA 15 Jul 30,'88 18762 San Clemente Is NOAA 12 Sep 4,'82 /******************************************************************/ MEXICO 21005 Cabo San Quintin to Punta Eugenia DMA 3 Jan 10,'76 21011 Punta Eugenia to Cabo San Lazaro DMA 4 Sep 22,'79 21017 Cabo San Lucas to Manzanillo DMA 49 Nov 3,'79 21020 Manzanillo to Acapulco DMA 41 Jan 22,'77 21021 Bahia de Todos Santos DMA 1 Dec 11,'76 21023 Acapulco to Puerto Madero DMA 40 Jun 9, '79 21041 Plans on the West Coast of Baja DMA 12 Jul 22,'74 21061 Bahia de San Quintin DMA 12 Apr 30,'73 21062 Anchorages, West Coast of Baja DMA 12 Dec 10,'73 21080 Cedros Is. to Abrojas Pt. DMA 27 Oct 1, '73 21120 Bahia Magdalena to La Paz DMA 3 Jan 10,'76 21121 Bahia Magdalena DMA 17 Nov 8, '80 21342 Bahia de Manzanillo & Santiago DMA 26 May 10,'80 21384 Port of Lazaro Cardenas DMA 1 Jun 18,'77 21661 Islas Revillagigedo, Guadalupe & Escollos Alijos DMA 11 Mar 13,'76 /******************************************************************/ GUATEMALA - NICARAGUA 21026 Puerto Madero to Cabo Yelas DMA 45 May 28,'77 21540 West Coast of Central America DMA 35 Jul 22,'78 /******************************************************************/ COSTA RICA - PANAMA 527 San Blas to the Panama Canal DMA 53 Jul 17,'76 21030 Cabo Velas to Punta Mala DMA 2 Mar 4,'78 21500 Punta Remedios to Cabo Matapalo DMA 1 Aug 10,'85 21544 Golfode Nicoya DMA 17 Jan 18,'75 21560 Punta Guiones (Judas) to Punta Burica DMA 32 Nov 2,'85 21562 Golfo Dulce DMA 12 Jan 22,'73 21580 Punta Burica to Punta Mala DMA 38 Jul 17, 76 21601 Morro Puercos to Panama DMA 3 Oct 30,'82 21603 Approaches to Balboa DMA 7 Aug 27,'88 21605 Panama Canal to Golfo de San Miguel DMA 3 Dec 23,'78 21607 Northern Part of Archipielago de las Perlas DMA 4 May 15,'76 21608 Southwestern Part of Archipielago Perlas DMA 4 Aug 20,'77 /****************************************************************/ NORTH PACIFIC - HAWAII 124 Phoenix Is USN 13 Sep 1, '43 19010 Hawaiian Islands, Southern Part NOAA 9 May 6, '78 19016 Niihau Is. to French Frigate Shoals NOAA 6 Oct 1, '77 19019 French Frigate Shoals to Laysan Is. NOAA 6 Jul 23,'77 19022 Laysan Is. to Kure Is. NOAA 7 Sep 1, '79 19340 Hawaii to Oahu NOAA 20 Oct 3, '81 19347 Channels Between Molokai, Maui Lanai, and Kahoolawe NOAA 11 May 5, '79 19348 Approaches to Lahina NOAA 5 Jul 14,'79 19342 Kahului Harbor & Approaches NOAA 7 Feb 9, '80 19401 French Frigate Shoals NOAA 6 Jun 9, '79 19441 Maro Reef NOAA 5 Dec 22,'79 19442 Lisianski & Laysan Islands NOAA 3 Jul 19,'80 19481 Midway Islands NOAA 7 Aug 2, '80 19483 Kure Island NOAA 4 Oct 6, '79 19367 Honolulu Harbor NOAA 29 Aug 10,'74 19380 Oahu to Niihau NOAA 11 May 10,'80 19381 Island of Kauai NOAA 6 May 23,'81 83015 Enderbury Is to Christmas Is DMA 7 Oct 9, '76 83130 Christmas Island DMA 2 Jun 4, '77 83158 Fanning Island DMA 6 Sep 30,'74 /******************************************************************/ SOUTH PACIFIC 76030 Fiji to New Zealand DMA 5 Feb 9, '80 74041 Reefs & Anchorages in Coral Sea DMA 3 May 17,'75 82020 Solomon Is to Vanuatu (New Hebrides) DMA 5 Jun 6,'81 83218 Hiva Oa, Tahu Ata & Motane DMA 4 Sep 10,'64 83225 Islands in the South Pacific Henderson, Ducie, Oeno, Pitcairn DMA 4 May 22,'72 83251 Iles Gambier (Tuamotus) DMA 1 Jun 18,'77 83476 Harbors on Upolu DMA 25 Jul 16,'77 83382 Tahiti and Moorea DMA 7 Apr 10,'82 83383 Moorea DMA 1 Mar 8,'80 83392 Iles Sous le Vent DMA 5 Oct 6,'79 83397 Bora Bora DMA 4 Aug 16,'75 83484 United States Samoa Is NOAA 7 Sep 11,'82 83555 Vava'u Group DMA 3 Jul 3,'72 83594 Fiji - Northeastern Part DMA 3 Mar 19,'73 /******************************************************************/ AUSTRALIA 74000 Cape Byron to Port Jackson DMA 5 Mar 8,'86 74002 Fraser Is to Cumberland Is DMA 2 Jan 7,'95 74003 Lady Elliot Is to Cape Byron DMA 3 Jun 30,'79 74008 Booby Is to Cape Wessel including Gulf of Carpenteria DMA 6 Dec 9,'94 74009 Cape Arnhem to Cape Fourcroy DMA 10 Jul 29,'95 74181 Point Danger to Cape Moreton DMA 7 Jun 14,'86 74182 Moreton Bay DMA 11 Aug 7,'93 74200 Great Keppel Is to Sandy Cape DMA 7 May 18,'85 74210 North Reef to Pine Peak Is DMA 6 Aug 1,'81 74220 Percey Is to Whitsunday Passage DMA 7 May 28,'88 74240 Magnetic Is to Double Point DMA 8 Jul 22,'95 74251 Brook Is to Russell Is DMA 7 Oct 23,'93 74253 Russell Is to Low Is DMA 5 Sep 4,'93 74281 Cape Weymouth to Cairncross Is DMA 6 Apr 16,'94 74283 Cape Weymouth to Olinda Entrance DMA 1 Nov 16,'85 74285 Bligh Entrance to East Fields DMA 1 Oct 1,'88 74286 Approaches to Thursday Is DMA 1 Aug 26,'89 74290 Torres Strait DMA 10 Jun 18,'94 74293 Caincross Is to Arden Is DMA 6 Sep 10,'94 74391 Port Essington to Cape Hotham DMA 3 Aug 12,'95 74392 Clarence Strait DMA 6 Sep 6,'86 74410 Darwin to Penguin Shoal-east DMA 2 Oct 19,'91 /*****************************************************************/ CARIBBEAN 11013 Straits of Florida NOAA 37 Dec 10,'88 25600 Anegada Passage NOAA 47 Dec 6,'93 25609 St Thomas to Anegada DMA 4 Oct 11,'86 25640 Puerto Rico and Virgin Is NOAA 35 Jan 7,'95 26000 Caribbean Sea - Central Part NOAA 79 Aug 1,'87 26280 Eleuthera Is to Crooked Is Passage DMA 5 Jul 25,'81 27000 Key West to San Juan DMA 54 Nov 23,'85 27040 Cayo Verde to Punta Lucrecia DMA 4 Feb 20,'82 27060 Cayo Lavela to Anegada DMA 1 Dec 12,'81 /*****************************************************************/ INDIAN OCEAN 1604 Porto de Mozambique to USN 10 Feb 24,'69 Rio Inhambane 3869 Chagos Archipielago USN 1 Dec 20,'67 5266 Approaches to Durban USN 1 Mar 11,'68 /*****************************************************************/ EUROPE 36005 English Channel DMA 1 Dec 23,'89 52030 Strait of Gibraltar to Islas Baleares DMA 1 Feb 1,'92 52040 Strait of Gibraltar to Cabo de Gata and Cap Milonia DMA 17 Sep 27,'86 53031 Golfe Du Lion to Tyrrhenian Sea DMA 1 May 2,'92 54131 Adriatic-Ionian & Tyrrhenian Seas 1 May 21,'92 54151 Aegean Sea & the Sea of Crete DMA 1 Jun 20,'92 /****************************************************************/ ORIENT 94125 Chi-lung Kang DMA 23 Mar 26,'83 95030 Wakasa Wan to Tsugaru Kaikyo DMA 5 Aug 24,'85 95140 Donae Hae to Busan Hang DMA 11 Aug 11,'84 95149 Busan Hang to Kadeok To DMA 6 Oct 24,'81 95151 Busan Hang DMA 14 Sep 29,'84 95160 Busan Hang to Jugbyeon Man DMA 10 Sep 7,'85 95340 Kammon Kaikyo to Busan Hang DMA 5 Sep 22,'84 96012 Mys Bychiy to Mys Belkina & the Southern Part of Sakhalim DMA 12 Jul 9,'77 96024 Ostrov Paramushir to Ostrov Simushir DMA 2 Sep 19,'81 96028 Poluostrov Kamchatka to Aleutian Is including Komandorskiye Ostrova DMA 4 Sep 14,'85 96200 La Perouse Strait DMA Mar 18,'78 96760 Shikotan To to Erimo Saki DMA 2 Jan 28,'78 96820 Ostrov Simushir and Approaches DMA 2 Apr 25,'81 96860 Ostrov Shiashkotan to Ostrov Makanrushi DMA 2 Feb 16,'80 96900 Sikotan Sima to Soya Misaki DMA 2 Jan 29,'77 96938 Soya Kaikyo DMA 2 May 1,'82 96962 East Entrance of Tugaru to DMA 3 Jan 18,'86 Erimo Misaki /*****************************************************************/ EAST COAST - USA 11420 Havana to Tampa Bay NOAA 23 Oct 29,'94 11460 Cape Canaveral to Key West NOAA 29 Aug 20,'88 11480 Charleston Light to Cape Canaveral 31 May 23,'92 11520 Cape Hatteras to Charleston NOAA 30 Nov 19,'88 12200 Cape May to Cape Hatteras NOAA 37 Oct 25,'86 12214 Cape May to Fenwick Is NOAA 37 Jun 27,'92 13260 Bay of Fundy to Cape Cod NOAA 33 Oct 16,'93 /****************************************************************/ NEW ZEALAND 76040 Cape Maria van Diemen to Tutukaka Head DMA 5 May 27,'78 76050 Manukau Harbor to Maunganui Bluff & Tutukaka Harbor to Mayor Island DMA 4 Oct 6, '79 76052 Approaches to Auckland DMA 3 Jan 13,'79 76054 Mercury Bay to Town Point DMA 4 Jun 25,'77 76056 Approaches to Whangarei DMA 1 May 20,'78 76170 Mayor Island to Poverty Bay DMA 5 Feb 16,'80 /************************ end **********************************/