In an attempt to conquer the world, humans had to come up with a lot of features. Marine navigation was one of the most important given that by then, the choices were pretty limited and that sea was the only means of travel between separated locations.
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- Radar navigation and ship collision avoidance An Automatic Radar Plotting Aid (ARPA) in excel version - Marine freeware software. The officer on watch must be able to maneuver the ship in any conditions: adverse weather and sea conditions, high-density traffic areas. He must be able to navigate 'blind' too.
- Marine Radar Simulation Software Software Programs Constitute; The Radar TRaining Simulator offers hands-on experience navigating a choice of vessels within a virtual world, using either of two styles of radar set. All necessary elements of the virtual world are created by selecting one of the supplied exercises.
- Learn to use yacht radar correctly with this superb Radar Training Simulator, as used in most RYA Radar Courses. Gain years of radar experience in hours.Avai.
Therefore, the developments we have currently on the field is as a result of years of necessity and multiple trials. However, at the present day, the soft wares we have are just impressive.
CoxSim Marine Simulator v.1.0 Open source marine simulator - Based on FlightGear and SimGear, with the eventual aim of being better than curently avaliable commercial simulators. CoxSim is a play on the word 'coxswain', which refers to the person who steers a boat.
OpenCPN
OpenCPN is a free software developed to create a chart plotter and at the same time a concrete navigation software. The tool can be used for route planning as well as an underway software. The great thing other than being free is the fact that it is developed by sailors and that it uses real-world environment for testing.
OpenSeaMap
Designed to be the best and to revolutionize marine navigation than never before, the OpenSeaMap is a great tool that is worth your time. With this software, you have the ability to save the charts plotted locally in folders and at the same time gives you the ability to access information such as wind direction and speed.
Nuno Navigator
The Nuno Navigator is a powerful marine navigation system for the use, especially with the small crafts. The performance of this software is out of this world and one that will really impress you. The software comes with a full world chart portfolio and thus, wherever you go, you can always expect to be guided.
Other Platforms
There has been software development on all the platforms in equal measure, however, though the Windows platform in some of the sense was more vibrant due to the apparent majority users, things are currently slowly changing, and it can be noted some of the other platforms are increasingly being catered for in equal measures.
Polar View for Mac
The Polar View navigation system is a comprehensive, user-friendly onboard system for the Mac OS X. The software combines the basic marine passage planning with the complex AIS capabilities as well as GPS navigation thus making the most robust and reliable software for sailors from all over the world.
Marine Navigator Lite for Android
This is an app that uses the RNC’s to plot your position in real-time.it thus offers sailors the ability to have true copies of their official chart papers on their Android smartphones or tablets. The app accurately displays navigational data as well as the calculation of the distance and bearing.
Most Popular Soft of 2016 – MacENC
The MacENC has proven to be software of choice for the majority of the majority of the mariners. This can be heavily attributed to the comprehensive nature of the software as well as it professional outlook. The software offers the best instrument combination as well as navigation.
What is a Marine Navigation Software?
Marine navigation software is one that will be able to collect information from multiple sources and consequently be in a position to make analysis such as mapping of the journey as well as of the conditions below. Some of the sources of information for such a system include the sonar, radar, cameras and several others that are important for the navigational purposes.
At the same time, the software can be used for other functions such as underwater exploration as well as fishing in the deep seas. It is also a crucial tool for water sporting.
There is a lot that remains unexplored, and we can still expect a lot more from advances in technology. However, with what we have presently, we can really achieve much and all that is required is to pick the tools available currently and make the most out of them.
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SPx Radar Simulator provides intuitive graphical controls for its operation and for scenario creation, as well as a built-in radar display to show the simulated radar video and targets, on top of a map underlay. Targets may be defined at static locations or configured to follow user-defined motions (paths). The simulated radar origin may also be fixed at a static location or set to follow a user-defined motion. The Simulator provides graphical tools for the creation of targets and motions, allowing complex scenarios to be created and visualised with ease.
In addition to the synthetic radar video, navigation data and target data are available as separate outputs on the network. This allows SPx Radar Simulator to be used as a powerful test and development tool for real-world client radar display applications. Conversely, SPx Radar Simulator can also accept external data, for example from an existing simulation system, using this information to build the scenario and generating the corresponding radar video. Navigation data, target tracks, AIS and ADS-B feeds may all be input into SPx Radar Simulator. The application even allows you to augment a real radar video recording or network radar video input with additional, artificial targets.
The Simulator is able to generate raw primary video, SSR (IFF) video or MTI video for each radar that it is simulating. This means that the program can be used across a broad range of industries, from naval and maritime through to security and air surveillance. Typical applications of the Simulator include:
- testing/development of radar display systems
- tracker configuration
- operator training
- radar location survey
- qualification testing
Realistic Synthetic Radar Video
SPx Radar Simulator is capable of generating highly realistic radar returns, from multiple radar sources, based on a set of terrain elevation data and user target definitions. The application uses altitude, beamwidth and pulse length considerations in its calculations, to create a convincing radar video image. Simulated sea clutter, as well as target RCS and radar sensitivity settings all contribute to the realistic dynamic appearance of the radar video.
SPx Radar Simulator utilises terrain elevation data from NASA's 'Shuttle Radar Topography Mission' (SRTM). This data set covers most of the world's landmass, with an accuracy of 3 arc-seconds in latitude and longitude. Alternatively, if you have a set of DTED data that may be used by the Simulator instead. The terrain data is used to calculate radar returns from land for a given platform position. The calculation of radar returns can optionally take into account the line-of-sight along each azimuth, so that land or targets that are obscured by terrain at shorter ranges are not displayed.
Additionally, real radar data (either from a live source or recording) may be passed into the Simulator as an auxiliary input and supplemented with entirely artificial data that the software is generating. This makes extremely realistic simulations possible. For example, the injection of rogue target into real radar video to test the reactions of an operator or the behaviour of a tracker.
Scenario Definitions
SPx Radar Simulator allows the user to define complex trajectories that targets or the radar platform itself may then be set to follow. These motions may be created and edited graphically, using the mouse in the display window. Alternatively, motions may be created by specifying their heading, speed and acceleration (linear or angular) directly within a configuration file.
Once defined, a motion may have several targets associated with it, separated in time or by a fixed offset and with optional positional noise added. This can be useful for building up simulations where many targets follow a prescribed route (e.g. airport runways, vessel traffic channels, roads or railways).
The Simulator will also accept platform navigation data, target track data, AIS data or ADS-B data as external inputs, using them as the basis for creating artificial radar video returns. This facility makes it possible to drive the Simulator from real data (possibly replayed) or from an external scenario generator.
Multiple Radar Simulations
SPx Radar Simulator supports multiple user-defined radar sources within a single simulation. Each radar source may be positioned at a different geographic location and a common set of target definitions used to create simulations of whole real-world installations. The view of the targets and the terrain from each radar is considered separately, so that it accurately reflects each radar's perspective on the scenario.
Typically, VTS, coastal surveillance and security applications may require installation of multiple radars along a stretch of coastline or around a perimeter or border. By supporting multiple radars, SPx Radar Simulator can provide application developers and system integrators working in these fields with a valuable realistic test source during the design and development phase.
Shaped Targets and Buildings
As an alternative to defining targets by their length and breadth, they may be defined as complex polygons instead, allowing the user to create simulations of very high resolution radars (for example airport surface movement radars) which more accurately reflect the returns that may be expected from a real radar. As with rectangular targets, shaped targets may be static or may be configured to follow a motion. In the case where a shaped target follows a motion, it is rotated as required to present the correct aspect to the radar.
Similarly, buildings may also be defined by the user as complex polygons. Alternatively, ESRI Shapefiles (.shp) containing polygon definitions may be imported directly into the application and used to define buildings. As with targets and terrain, buildings contribute to the calculated radar video returns.
Outputs
The Simulator is capable of providing many different output data streams in different formats, including NMEA-0183 and ASTERIX. For simulations where the platform is following a motion, SPx Radar Simulator generates standard NMEA-0183 navigation data messages onto the network. Which specific NMEA sentences are generated is configurable.
As well as artificial radar video data, target track messages may be generated and output for all user-defined targets. Target reports may be created and output in the form of primary radar tracks (ASTERIX CAT-48 or CAT-10), AIS messages (NMEA-0183), ADS-B messages (ASTERIX CAT-21) or multilateration reports (ASTERIX CAT-20).
SPx Radar Simulator also fully supports Cambridge Pixel's HPx-300 Radar Signal Output card. The HPx-300 card takes the synthetic radar video data created by SPx Radar Simulator and uses it as the basis for generating radar signals (video, trigger and azimuth data). Together, SPx Radar Simulator and the HPx-300 card provide a complete, self-contained radar simulation package, capable of driving incumbent radar display equipment.
Local Display and Graphical Controls
SPx Radar Simulator provides the user with full graphical control over all aspects of its operation. Controls are available to define the radar parameters, targets and motions, as well as to configure how the artificial radar video is generated. A local PPI display window is also provided, which gives the user full oversight of the radar video that the SPx Radar Simulator is generating.
The PPI window also allows the user to define motion trajectories and position targets using the mouse. As well as the terrain display, tiled maps and world vector shoreline displays are available to add context to the radar video being displayed and to enable geographically realistic motion trajectories to be created.
Configuration Files
All aspects of the simulation, including targets and motions, may be saved to and loaded from configuration files.
Target and motion data are stored in a separate file (or multiple separate files) to the main simulation configuration parameters. This provides a level of flexibility and makes it straightforward to share common scenarios across different simulations. For example, to simulate the same set of targets under different radar noise conditions or with the radar positioned in different locations.
Since the configuration files are ASCII text-based, they may also be edited or created externally of the SPx Radar Simulator.
- Ready-made radar video simulator
- Built-in scenario editor
- Realistic radar returns generated from:
- Terrain elevation data
- User-defined targets
- External target input
- Building definitions
- Primary, secondary (IFF) and MTI video outputs
- Programmable radar characteristics, including:
- PRF
- Rotation rate
- Beamwidth
- Multiple radar simulation (2 standard version, 4 extended version)
- Programmable target size, shape, RCS
- Support for buildings:
- User-defined
- Shapefiles (.shp)
- Motion definitions for platform and targets
- Graphical motion profile editor
- Configuration file support
- Built-in real-time display
- Tiled map and world vector shoreline underlays
- Platform navigation data output
- Primary target track output
- AIS target output
- ADS-B target output
- ASTERIX CAT240 radar video output
- ASTERIX CAT048 target report output
- External track, AIS, ADS-B and navigation data input
- Auxiliary video source inputs:
- Radar recording file
- Live network radar video
- Live HPx radar video
- Test pattern
- Fixed test target and random target generation
- Target noise, radar noise and sea clutter
- Line-of-sight calculations
- Altitude considerations