Seeing the Big Picture: Expanded Chart Overlay
FarSounder's chart overlay with sonar images of the seafloor and in-water targets.
Early in FarSounder’s development, we added a raster chart display to help our engineers correlate what we saw in the sonar display with what was in the real world. The raster chart display evolved to a vector chart display. Soon after that, we started displaying in-water targets on top of the chart. Now, with the release of SonaSoft 3.0, our software includes an expanded overlay with the complete 3D sonar image. The seafloor and in-water targets are shown with the same colors as the 3D Sonar Display as an overlay on top of the chart data. Many users will find that the Chart Display will become their primary display rather than the 3D Sonar Display since it shows a more complete situational awareness with both chart and sonar data.
FarSounder sonar (2nd from right) next to the ship's ECDIS (center).
Though many of our customers are running a full ECDIS side by side with our sonar, having basic chart plotting capabilities built into the FarSounder software adds a lot to the user experience. By seeing the sonar image as an overlay on top of a chart, the user can quickly confirm whether the sonar is detecting a known target (like the rock pinnacle marked on the chart) or an unknown, uncharted obstacle. In some locations, the chart may only have a general indication of what is outside the channel. With the forward looking sonar overlay, a captain can see exactly where the reef lies.
Chart Plotting Features
Chart image with vessel history marks.
SonaSoft software includes the following charting capabilities:
The graphic distance measurement tool shown at dusk.
Overlay of seafloor and in-water targets as detected by our 3D FLS
Overlay of AIS and ARPA targets
Vessel location and history marks
Sonar field-of-view indicator
Zoom/pan/auto-center
Graphical distance measuring tool
Day/Dusk/Night color themes
These capabilities are built into the FarSounder user interface software and are separate from our other integrations with 3rd party systems.
Chart Database Details
FarSounder uses standard S57/S63 format charts in its software. Chart plotting with sonar overlay capabilities come standard with FarSounder’s software. However, the chart data needs to be licensed separately.
