Importance and Applications of Nautical Charts: Why Choose ECDIS for NavigatingPosted by Harry Voges on April 6th, 2018 The navigational accuracy is primarily based on the scale of the chart you use. To become a skilled sailing skipper, there is an inherent need to break the code of your chart’s treasure chest. One can employ a navigational chart to gain relevant information details including, geographic area, type of projection, scale, datum, and chart notes. There remains a host of reasons why nautical charts are becoming the premium choice for a majority of sailors today. The first and foremost reason why sailors are picking nautical charts for navigation is due to its ability to determine accurate location with the help of latitude and longitude lines. Also, it helps in notifying the crew, in advance, of a possible danger present on the route. Also, these charts prove immensely useful to making the management tasks easier. For instance, during the severe weather conditions, a nautical chart prove useful by making the navigation easier and safer than before. As you take a close look at the chart, a variety of colors can be found. Distinct colors are used a number of locations, natural and man-made both. For instance, the green color is used to look for tide areas, the color white represents deepness, the blue color is used to demonstrate regions where water is not that deep and gold color depicts land areas. Once you gain a proper understanding of these colors and its significance, making judgments will become easier. Apart from that, you can get rest assured to stay safe during the voyage. A nautical chart comprises of definite lines that are used specifically to signify the depth of water in any specific area. One can use them to determine the hazards that may arise in during the journey. Hence, if you want to sail safely in the Sea, owning a nautical chart is mandatory. For a quite long time, paper nautical charts have been used by sailors. However, paper charts have their importance, lots of improvements have been made to elevate the accuracy standards of these charts. While navigation charts have their importance and use, they are often difficult to comprehend. On witnessing problems in regards to finding the location, technology has been put to use to discover a more understandable and accurate platform. The latest development in the navigational chart system has made the lives of ship’s navigational system easy. Systems like ECDIS (Electronic Chart Display and Information System) turns critical tasks such as pinpointing locations and attaining directions easier than before.
Like it? Share it! More by this author |