rigger 47 Posted July 17, 2013 Share Posted July 17, 2013 Works with OpenCPN NZ 152/13 LINZ Raster Navigational Charts– Proposed Change in Format. The New Zealand Hydrographic Authority (NZHA) will change the format in which it delivers NZ Mariner, the official New Zealand Raster Navigational Chart (RNC) product, in 2013. The encrypted format currently used for RNCs will be replaced by an unencrypted format (BSB), bringing a number of benefits to mariners, other chart users, software manufacturers and the NZHA. More information is available on the LINZ website: http://www.linz.govt.nz/hydro/charts/di ... /nzmariner. A sample set of New Zealand BSBs is available for download to allow users to test in chart viewing software: http://www.linz.govt.nz/sites/default/f ... _NZTDS.zip. Users are encouraged to trial the sample dataset in their systems for functionality and usability, and to provide comments and feedback at the email address below by 31 July 2013. A questionnaire is included in the download to assist users in providing feedback. As this is a test dataset: Under no circumstances must this dataset be used for navigation purposes; it does not contain official New Zealand raster charts; it does not meet carriage requirements. We welcome any feedback. If you have any questions, concerns or feedback please contact us by email at customersupport@linz.govt.nz.New Zealand Hydrographic Authority NI 159/2013 Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Posted July 17, 2013 Share Posted July 17, 2013 Yar marn that be real groovy. Do yar need dreads for this maarn. sorry could,not resist Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Posted July 17, 2013 Share Posted July 17, 2013 About the best news this year! Should work with Polar Navy. That link ( to chart zip) does not work nor the one on the LINZ website. Link to post Share on other sites
rigger 47 Posted July 17, 2013 Author Share Posted July 17, 2013 Just checked them, both working, one of them downloads a zip file Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Posted July 18, 2013 Share Posted July 18, 2013 Must be something wrong with my system, keeps trying to open these zip files in windows media player! i tried right clicking on the zip link to save the file but it does not have that option. Link to post Share on other sites
Island Time 1,235 Posted July 18, 2013 Share Posted July 18, 2013 Works fine with OpenCPN Nobeltec MX Mariner Limited range of charts though - not as complete as http://mce66.altervista.org/software.ht ... aster_Maps Open CPN is the One! http://opencpn.org/ocpn/download Comprehensive chart plotting, including radar overlays, polars, weather routing etc. All for Free!!! Send me a PM if you want more info. Matt Link to post Share on other sites
rigger 47 Posted July 18, 2013 Author Share Posted July 18, 2013 Limited range of charts though - not as complete as http://mce66.altervista.org/software.ht ... aster_Maps IT if you actually read the quote from LINZ fully it is about proposed changes - they have published a few charts (sample data set) to get an idea if it works for people. Hopefully all the NZ charts will be free straight from the people that make them - in other words legitimate RNCs not copies that are made from the LINZ tiffs by a third party - not saying that there is anything wrong with them but being able to get the genuine article for free legally would be great I do wonder when the genuine vector charts will be free. There are a heap of pirated ones around. Link to post Share on other sites
Island Time 1,235 Posted July 18, 2013 Share Posted July 18, 2013 Yep totally agree Rigger! Some of the vector charts are now available at no charge - Malaysia, for example have said that they are (or maybe have now?) releasing all their charts free of charge, as it makes boating safer! The CM93 worldwide charts are widely used by the cruising fleet, and are, in fact illegal. And a bit old now, and inaccurate in places. Be nice to see this change. I used Nobeltec on our last extended voyage, and yes I paid for the charts. Automatic updates, and cheaper than the paper ones! It would be great to see this type of thing available at no cost - it would remove a significant cost to the world cruiser! (You can print out the Nobeltec charts that you want, so You don't have to buy paper ones as well) It would be great to see! Link to post Share on other sites
NevP 0 Posted July 18, 2013 Share Posted July 18, 2013 I do wonder when the genuine vector charts will be free. My understanding is that this isn't likely to happen anytime soon. That at least part of the reason for the encription is the ability to verify that the charts haven't been tampered with, for situations where they are to be used as a legal replacement for paper charts (ie commercial vessels required to follow SOLAS protocols). If the encryption is removed then it would be possible to edit them which would open a whole can of worms. So we're stuck with encrypted charts that can only be read with authorised software. For the same reason, I assume that authorisation won't be given to open source software like Open CPN because by definition anyone with coding knowledge could use the program's source code to access the encrypted data. One thought could be for LINZ to publish two versions. One encrypted for SOLAS use and an unencripted version "not to be used for navigation". Don't know that that is very likely. Big ups to LINZ for working on giving us raster charts to use though. I wonder if they will still have the "not for navigation" disclaimer? Link to post Share on other sites
Island Time 1,235 Posted July 18, 2013 Share Posted July 18, 2013 The encryption is fine - just give us a public licence key! No need to be able to modify the charts... Link to post Share on other sites
NevP 0 Posted July 18, 2013 Share Posted July 18, 2013 Looks like my assumptions are all wrong. If NOAA can provide US charts unencrypted then there doesn't appear to be any technical reason why LINZ can't provide the NZ ones. I expect they are keen to recoup some of the cost of converting all the paper/raster charts into vector format (not a trivial task), so would rather sell them than give them away. We can but hope and have to give them credit for planning to provide us with the raster versions. Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Posted July 18, 2013 Share Posted July 18, 2013 Well raster shouldn't be a problem nowadays with huge memory and speed aboard. I prefer raster charts as what you see is whats actually there. The vector charts are tricky. Easy to reduce the size of raster charts also. Link to post Share on other sites
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