Creating Nautical Charts

[DaKine]

I am looking to create electronic navigation charts for my Garmin Colorado.  NOAA has freely available raster charts in BSB format and vector electronic navigation charts in the International Hydrography Organization S-57 Standard format.  I am new to creating Garmin GPs files and would like advice on how to convert these files. 

Reading thru the posts, it looks like MOAGU could convert the raster charts.  Is that true?  Are there any programs that will convert the IHO S-57 Standard format?

[trailman]

I'll second that request. I'm been trying mightily to figure out a way to do this. anyone know for sure if MOAGU will do it?

[leszekp]

As the author of Moagu, I might be able to answer some of these questions .

1. Standard Moagu maps won't work on an Oregon. But what Moagu does have is a GUI front-end to the freeware raster-to-vector converter BMaP2MP. Check the Moagu website (http://moagu.com) for a sample Nantucket marine navigation map created using this converter that you can install on MapSource, and upload to just about any Garmin GPS. The download link for this file is on the "Compatible Garmin Units" page, along with a link to the BMaP2MP program that's needed by Moagu. Read the Moagu help file for info on where to install the BMaP2MP program, and how to create such a map using Moagu.

2. BSB maps have to be converted to GeoTiffs in either UTM or Plate Carree (lat/long) projection, or to a Tiff file with Plate Carree lat/long worldfile, to be usable by the Moagu BMaP2MP GUI. Luckily, there's a free converter available from NOAA that can do the latter:

http://freegeographytools.com/2008/reproject-noaa-bsb-raster-navigation-charts-and-export-them-in-tiff-format

3. This process works best with maps that have scales of about 1:24K and smaller (1:50K, 1:100K, etc.). With larger scales, details tend to drop out.

4. Large maps may have to be tiled, and are limited to only 11 colors; smaller maps can have up to 62 colors. Not usually an issue for marine maps.

Moagu comes in a demo version that will create a single map tile; give it a shot on a map you're interested in, and see if it works. I'd be interested to get your feedback: [email protected].

[DaKine]

Thanks for the detailed instructions.  I installed the Hawaii topo off this site yesterday, and it was extremely simple.  I am not afraid of jumping into the deep end, because the tutorial and forums on this site are well written.  "Ainofea"

I downloaded a half dozen raster charts and converted them to TIFF format.  I'll let you know how the rest of the conversion goes and how quickly they update when navigating with the Colorado.

[Bigbob94]

What utilities and software are there for the Colorado unit? 

Is there a way to scan an image of a chart, calibrate and load it into the Colorado 300?

Thanks,

Bigbob

[-Oz-]

Bigbob, for the last part (load it onto the Colorado) you too could use Moagu as talked about above.

The calibrate the image at least one program that could do it is Mapwel another is Oziexplorer.  As mentioned above you'll need geotiff or tiff with the extra info files.

[DaKine]

Bigbob,

I always find the hardest part about getting started is getting the big picture.  I installed the demo version of Moagu and am going thru the help files.  This is a big help in understanding the overall process. 

Moagu does not list the Colorado as a supported unit.  However, I believe you can create maps in Moagu that can be fed into the Colorado using the MapSouce program from Garmin. 

DaKine

[leszekp]

Only maps created with Moagu's BMaP2MP GUI front end will work with the Colorado/Oregon; standard Moagu maps only work with models in the GPSMapper and eTrex series, and better on the former than the latter.

[Bigbob94]

Ok so far this is working out pretty good.  To summarize the process, of getting a marine map on your Colorado/Oregon unit:

Creating a NOAA Nautical Chart for a Colorado 300

1)   Download date from NOAA website.
a.   This data is in the .kap format.
2)   Use the NOAA preconverter to convert data from a .kap to a .tif format.
3)   Use Moagu, to process .tif file into a map that can uploaded to the Colorado 300 via Mapsource.

In Moagu I can create the map code, compile the map, when when I select Send Map to GPS I get:  Check to make sure you GPS on . . . get teh latest drivers. I got the latest drivers and can view the unit via MY COMPUTER.  Any idea how to fix this or should I use Mapsource to upload the maps.

Thanks,

Bigbob

Getting closer!

[Bigbob94]

Ok, I think I found the missing link. I need to use MapSetToolKit to convert the img and load it into MapSource

Revised Process:

1)   Download date from NOAA website.
a.   This data is in the .kap format.
2)   Use the NOAA preconverter to convert data from a .kap to a .tif format.
3)   Use Moagu, to process .tif file into a map that can uploaded to the Colorado 300 via Mapsource.
a.   Didn't work
4)   Use MapSetToolKit to convert the .img files and load into MapSource.
5)   Use MapSource to upload to Colorado 300.


Bigbob

[Bigbob94]

Humm, in Mapsource I could see and load my map (Chicago Marina) but for all purposes it was blank.   

Is this because of the demo version of Moagu?

Thanks,

Bigbob

[Bigbob94]

Ya, I'll buy it in a heart beat. I just need the confirmation that it will work. Yes, I used BMaP2MP.

So, if somebody could download the chart: 14929 and walk me through the process that would be a big help. Or if we can walk through it together and it works I'll write up a tutorial for this web site. Sound like a deal?  There are a lot of steps and a lots of things to check and thus a lot of things to go wrong.

Thanks,

Bigbob

http://www.charts.noaa.gov/OnLineViewer/GreatLakesViewerTable.shtml

[-Oz-]

Leszek emailed me. I think he's working on a tutorial for MOAGU to do just this; hopefully he'll see this and respond.

[Bigbob94]

Im working on it again this morning. I downloaded the files for NOAA 14926. I unzipped the file and it expaned to 39 files. 38 .kap and 1 .bsb

I opened the NOAA charter converter software. It appears to only let me convert one file at a time.

Do I need to convert all these .kap files to .tiff?

Thanks,

Robert

[leszekp]

Hi Oz,

I emailed you a copy of my navigation chart tutorial last Saturday, along with a sample set of maps created in the tutorial; sounds like you didn't get it. Let me know, and I'll figure out an alternate way to send it to you.

Leszek