Leading AIS Manufacturer Launches Enhanced App for Smartphones and Tablets
Danderyd, Sweden – Seapilot, a leading manufacturer Automatic Identification System (AIS) solutions, GPS compasses and app navigation, announced today the release of the Seapilot Navigation app Premium Subscription Service available for iOS and Android mobile devices.
“Today, over 30% of electronic navigation is done on smartphones and tablets and the percentage is growing rapidly,” said Anders Bergström, executive chairman of True Heading AB, parent company of Seapilot. “We put professional navigation technologies, AIS boat tracking and up-to-date nautical charts on your mobile device in a user-friendly way. The Seapilot Navigation app makes coastal areas safer through accurate readings of where you are and where you’re heading. With our new features such as Social Boating, Race Planning and Weather Forecasting, Seapilot is the future of mobile marine navigation.”
New Features of the app Include: automatic updates of preferred chart data, innovative Social Boating® functionality, updated real-time weather forecasts and routing (GRIB), race planning with POLAR and GRIB files and NMEA connectivity for up-to-date instrument data.
With the help of Seapilot’s Social Boating Facebook integration, users can see friends that have attached their Facebook account to an AIS target. The app allows users to search for friends' boats or find them through an easy-to-use menu where connected Facebook friends are displayed. Boaters can also share routes and notes with friends.
In addition to real-time weather information provided by the AIS system, boaters also have access to a five-day weather forecast from MeteoGroup. Users simply tap the Seapilot screen to get a forecast with one-hour resolution for a location of interest.
For sailors, a POLAR diagram describes how fast a boat may go at different wind speeds and in different angles to the wind. Every type of sailboat has a POLAR diagram computed from hull shape, weight, rigging and sail setup. Seapilot uses POLAR files and forecasted wind and current data to compute the fastest course for simple race planning.
All users can access AIS and GPS data, as well as course information from a GPS compass through NMEA over WiFi. Depth data is also available for Android users. This information is displayed in real-time when outside network coverage.
Built to the highest of standards, the easy-to-use Seapilot Navigation app uses S-57 vector chart data displayed on its proprietary chart engine, combined with a direct GPS connection for position and to present up-to-the-minute AIS data on portable devices including smartphones and tablets. The Seapilot app is capable of displaying current position information, course and speed vectors for AIS targets, and in-app weather data for increased situational awareness. With autonomous navigation, charts are downloaded directly to a device, so internet access is not necessary while on the water. The app allows boaters to set routes and waypoints, mark objects, and assess the bearing and range between plotted points and the vessel. The customizable display has settings for day, dawn/dusk and night, and the orientation can be changed between North-Up and Heads-Up views, all in high definition.
Seapilot was founded in 2011 and quickly gained a prominent position among navigation apps. The Seapilot Navigation app is based on the functionality and design of commercial shipping standards for electronic navigation with digital nautical charts. The first navigation app in the world to implement features such as compatibility with AIS data, which makes it easily to see other vessels moving on nautical charts, Seapilot also provides weather files in real time. This has made Seapilot one of the most popular navigation apps and has been recognized as the top grossing app on Apple’s App Store.
Pricing and Availability The Seapilot Navigation App is a free download from the Apple App Store or Google Play. A Premium Service is available for an annual subscription from the Apple App Store for $39.99USD and Google Play for $37.99USD, annually. For more information on Seapilot, please visit www.seapilot.com.
