SEAiq - Intelligent Vector Chart Plotter

Application: iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch 

Function: Marine Navigation and Charting

Rating: *****
Cost: $9.99

Take a software engineer with a PhD in computer science, add equal parts live aboard family man, captain and world cruiser and you have the creator of this new unique app called SEAiq.  Mark Hayden, his wife and their new born child are presently cruising Australia after successfully sailing through the Caribbean, transiting the Panama Canal and the Pacific Ocean. Their adventures can be followed on their blog svnorthfork.blogspot.com.

The author of this app is a sailor which I find very beneficial.  Mark knows first hand what is required by a charting and navigation app and the type of information we are all looking for while out on the water. He related to me how he was frustrated with many of the apps out there and wanted to create one that addressed all his needs. He has built a slick and efficient app that provides easy download of NOAA ENC Vector charts.  He makes full use of all the information supplied on these vector charts.

Version 1.2 of the app was just released on April 13, 2012. 

Features:

• Free NOAA ENC Vector charts
• Best for use on the iPad
• Offline use of charts
• On screen instrument display
• Detailed Vector chart information
• Waypoints creation and edit
• Route creation and edit
• Smooth chart quilting
• World chart view
• Multi-touch gestures

The main display is a world view. At the top of the screen is a handy instrument display.  Instruments include latitude, longitude, ACC, COG, SOG, BTW, and DTW.  The instrument display takes advantage of both the internal GPS of the iPhone and iPad but will also use the assisted GPS when within cell range or connected to the Internet. An iPod touch could also be used if provided a GPS signal. The program downloads NOAA charts to the device so it will operate offline when no cell or internet are available. 

At the bottom of the display you will see soft keys for Navigate, Waypoints, Routes, Settings and NOAA.

Simply tap the screen twice on any point on the chart and a pop up box will display. You can view the coordinates of that point, bearing and distance from you present location, add a waypoint or get additional details about the location.

Settings are also available to follow your vessel on the screen and turn on and off the instrument status bar at the top of the screen. When the instruments are turned off you get a full screen display of the chart.

The Waypoints page is where you can create, edit and view all of the waypoints.

To create a new waypoint simply tap on the + icon on the top left corner of the waypoints screen. A pop up box will appear allowing you to edit the Name, Description, latitude and longitude.  A button also allows you to GoTo or navigate to the waypoint.

The Edit icon in the top right will allow you to delete waypoints or move them using the rows icons on the right side of the screen. Simply touch the rows icons on the right and move your waypoints up or down in the list. Tap Done when you finished.

Routes are nothing more than a list of waypoints that you want to navigate. The Routes page works similar to the wapoints page. The Edit button allows you to delete or move the route up or down in the list. When you have them in the order you want, select Done.  

Tapping the + icon adds a route to the page. Select your new route to edit it, this will take you to the routes edit page.

The Routes edit page allows you to edit the waypoints in the route, edit the route name or follow the route.

In the routes edit screen, select the + icon to add waypoint to your route.  A pop up of your waypoint will be displayed for easy selection.  The Edit button allows you to add, delete or change the order of your waypoint by moving them up or down the list.

I found editing of both waypoints and routes to be very easy and intuitive. It took no time at all to create some waypoints and a route. The pop up windows allowed for easy selection of waypoints, I did not have to go hunting for the points I wanted to add.

The Settings screen has numerous selections for speed, depth, symbols and status. Saftey depths can be set to show different colors on the charts to keep you off the reefs and out of trouble.

Selection between English and metric units is provided.  Another nice feature is the selection of different displays contrasts for Day, Dusk and Night making it easier to view your device in varying light conditions.

The NOAA Charts screen is where you can download and update your complete set of free NOAA ENC vector charts. NOAA charts are only provided for US waters. They are nicely divided into regions which makes it easy to download only the charts you need in a particular area.

The app does not come with any charts to start with. The user needs to download the charts for their desired region.  You will need to be connected to the Internet to download the charts. Once downloaded the charts can be used offline without an Internet connection.

Toggle the regions to On for the charts you would like to download.  Select the Update icon in the top right of the screen. The charts will download to your device.

Update the charts at any time by returning and selecting Update.

My first look at the app was encouraging.  Many apps only provide the NOAA raster charts which are like the old paper charts most people are use to. The raster charts are fine but have limitations.  This app uses the NOAA ENC vector charts which allows access to more information and zooming to different levels.

I was using the app on my iPad 2 and found that when panning or zooming there was quite a delay in the updating of the screen.  The app displayed a Working message while updating.  This may be something the developer can improve on. I assume if I had fewer chart files downloaded it may have updated the screen faster.

I liked the waypoint and route creation and editing displays.  It was quick and easy to make waypoints and routes and edit them.  Beyond that there are not many other bells and whistles with the app. As most of you know I have a list of features that I would like to see in an app as noted in my blog post The Perfect Marine Charting App.  It would be nice to see some of these features added to SEAiq in the future. Some apps can get to overloaded with features which may cause performance issues. This app is very efficient at charting and navigating and seems to perform well.

SEAiq is a compact and smooth working app that does a great job allowing the user to display, track and navigate a vessel on the NOAA ENC vector charts.  For $9.99 it is well worth the price. If it fits your needs, pick it up and give it a try.   

~~~Sail On~~~
Mark