ScanNav Documentation

Please also refer to the Release Notes

INTRODUCTION: 

Note: Some elements of this documentation may be incomplete or out of date, please also check the Release Notes

ScanNav is a navigation program that enables you to:

-SCAN large charts by pieces with a standard desktop scanner, merge the pieces and georeference the resulting charts using the workshop mode. ScanNav is of course also compatible with several standard chart formats. You can therefore mix charts of different origins, either commercial or home made, in the same charts library, which gives you a great latitude.

-NAVigate using these charts and a GPS with an NMEA output. Charts are then loaded automatically on screen, and can be zoomed in or out at wish. ScanNav will load the charts the more appropriate to the zoom level.

ScanNav not only uses the GPS information to position the boat on the screen, but it can do a lot more by interfacing other instruments such as the depth sounder, loch, wind indicator, compass, etc… which are displayed in various repeaters and kept in the track for future analysis.

It also integrates management of Danger areas, waypoints and routes with approach alarms, upload and download of routes, tracks and waypoints to/from the Garmin GPS, as well as holding an automatic graphical journal all information being kept in the track..

ScanNav consists of the main software, and optional modules that can be added from the start or later. See scannav.com for more info.

Any suggestions are welcome. You can send an email at postmaster@scannav.com. You can also contact us through the Facebook page which serves as a communication vector for new products: https://facebook.com/scannav

The privileged domain of ScanNav is the maritime domain, but it is also suitable for inland navigation or aerial navigation.

Some adaptations can be done to match specific needs. Please contact  us directly at postmaster@scannav.com for further details.

Disclaimer:

See also the Terms of sales on the ScanNav website.

Navigation software whatever they are can always fail. It is your responsibility to make sure you have and can use all necessary documents and papers charts on board to cover your navigation area.

ScanNav is a navigation help tool. It is in no way meant to substitute to official paper charts and other navigation documents, as well as the skills and interpretations of an experienced captain.

No guaranty whatsoever can be given that ScanNav will be exempt of errors or bugs, that calculations are 100% accurate or that it should meet all your needs. Despite the fact that all has been done to avoid them you might find bugs or miscalculations. Nevertheless, if you report me your problems or requests, I will do my best to satisfy you.

You are using ScanNav at your own risks, and in no events shall the author be liable for any loss or damage of any sort and any party.

Be also aware that the Global Positioning System (GPS) might have some random precision failures due to poor satellite reception and depending on the receptor quality, that might lead to erroneous - thus dangerous - interpretation. This in spite of the suppression of SA (Selective Availability, or voluntary error generated by the US Army) since May the 2nd 2000.

Hardware configuration:

See also the F.A.Q. on ScanNav website for latest information

ScanNav does not require a lot of resources, any minimalist PC configuration running Windows is sufficient. Small configs are quite suitable, it is better to favor low consumption rather than high performance. There are also no prerequisites such as graphics cards or others.

ScanNav works in any PC or Tablet configurations running Windows from XP SP3 to the latest versions (Windows 10 to date). For the future, we will continue to adapt as Microsoft evolves.
It also works on Apple computers running MacOS, by using Parallels (www.parallels.com) to create a Windows environment.

The points to be privileged (but not compulsory) are:

• •Hard Disk: an SSD will be faster than a classical hard drive, and brings a real plus especially for starting Windows. 

• •Memory: this is the most important point in terms of performance. It all depends on the number of applications that you will be running at the same time on the pc. ScanNav is optimized on memory management, and is not very greedy. The Workshop part may however require more memory depending on the type of images you are handling as input. 

• •Processor: The better it is, the faster the display will be; but we're not in video games, and that's far from a critical point. It is better to focus on consumption than speed. 

Regarding connections, it all depends on the instruments that will be connected, and the connection mode. For example, you can connect each instrument independently, in which case you will need one port per instrument, or go through a central control unit that will only require one port on the computer side ... or even none if you use Wifi.

• •Wifi: Present on most computers, wifi will not only allow you to connect to the Internet to retrieve Gribs or other mails, but also to communicate with Nmea multiplexors, or to send Nmea information via Wifi to Compagnon or any other compatible device. 

• •USB ports: Apart from connecting instruments, you always have something to plug in (mouse, USB key, external drive, etc.). So the more is the better. 

• •RS232 Serial Ports: this type of port is getting rare on today's PCs, and absent from most laptops. If your configuration has one, it will avoid going through a Serial-USB adapter. Otherwise, it is not prohibitive. It also depends on the connection type of your instruments and / or multiplexor. 

In short, ScanNav is largely satisfied with small configurations, but the more powerful the PC, the more performance you will have.

Package Installation:

The package and documentation being updated regularly please make sure to have the latest version which is downloadable at http://www.scannav.com. The site has a history page that enables you to have a quick view of the last enhancements.

Once downloaded, the installation process follows the windows standard scheme. Just double-click on the downloaded file and follow instructions. You just need to click”Next” at each step unless you want to change the default installation location.

Installing ScanNav doesn’t modify anything on your computer, and doesn’t add any DLL to windows. The only registry entries used are "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Marc Lombard\ScanNav" and “HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Marc Lombard\ScanNav”.

ScanNav stores its files in the “ScanNav Settings” subdirectory under your “Documents” folder. In particular, you will find the “curobjets.zrw” file there which contains all your personal objects (routes, tracks, waypoints, etc.). By default, charts will also be installed under this directory, although it is possible to choose another location.

These files and keys will remain on your system after un-installation so as to keep your parameters between different installations, but you can manually remove them without any risk for other applications.

Generalities:

ScanNav is composed of two different parts:

• .Charts Workshop: (scan, georeferencement...)  

• .Navigation usage   

On the first use, ScanNav opens by default in navigation mode. On next sessions, ScanNav will open in the last used mode. To switch between both modes, you have to open a new window in this mode using the “File” menu:

 

These two modes have nevertheless a certain number of common aspects:

Multi-Windows functionality:

Be careful, ScanNav is a multi-documents application. This means you can open several “Documents” or working windows independently from each other. In this case, if you open several times the same chart in separate documents, it will be present several times in memory. That’s what happens if you use “Open in new window” or “New”. This can be interesting in some cases but bring more confusion than functionalities, especially in navigation mode.

The alternative is to open several windows of the same document, in Workshop or in navigation mode, which lets you view different areas of the same chart or library, at different scales, but without duplicating the data. To do this, you can use the “New Window” of the “Window” menu.

 

You can then arrange windows in Mosaic or Cascade inside the main window.

General layout of the different tool bars:

Three tool bars are present by default in ScanNav:

and are used in both modes

 

and are used in workshop mode.

 

and are used in navigation mode.

In order not to overload the dislay with unused icons, some buttons are not present in the navigation mode default toolbar. These are

. To include them in your interface, you have to create a new toolbar (see further the creation of « custom toolbars »)

 

Each bar can be placed where you want, docked on one of the four edges of the screen, or as a floating separate window. To move a toolbar you just have to click on its border (or in any region without a button) with the mouse's left button, and drag it where you want it. It will appear vertical or horizontal, depending if it's attached to a vertical or horizontal edge of the main window.

 

By clicking with the mouse’s right button on a tool bar, and selecting the « Customise » entry of the menu, you can open the following dialog box to add or remove buttons from the toolbar. To reset the toolbar to its default buttons, just select the « reinitialize » entry of the same menu.

 

The list on the right represent buttons that are already present in the toolbar, and the left list those that can be added to it. You can add or remove buttons from the toolbar by selecting them in the appropriate list and clicking on “Add” or “Remove”. The order of buttons in the toolbar can be changed using the buttons on the right. You can also click and drag them to the right position. “Reinitialize” resets the buttons in the toolbar the way they were on entering the dialog.

You also have the possibility to add any number of custom toolbars, with a few extra buttons that do not appear in standard bars. This can be done using the « Add new toolbar » of the above menu, or the « Custom bars » entry of the « View » menu.

• .To create a new bar, click on « New », and give a name to the bar. It will be created including all the available buttons by default, and the above dialog will open. You will just have to remove buttons you don’t need in this toolbar.  

• .To temporarily hide a toolbar without destroying it, just uncheck the check-box on the left. 

• .To suppress a custom toolbar, select the entry and click « Suppress » 

On line help

Scrolling and zooming around the screen:

Scrolling can be performed in several ways:

• .With the keyboard: 

Use the keyboard arrows to scroll up/down/to the left/to the right.

• .With the scroll bars:  

-These scroll bars can be activated or deactivated through the "Scrollbars" entry of the "View" menu, this letting you gain some space for chart viewing if you have a small screen.

-By clicking on the scrollbars' arrows, you scroll by a 10th of the screen

-By clicking outside the square, you scroll by one screen

-By clicking in the square, you can move it to a given relative position. Nevertheless, in navigation mode it is not recommended to use this capability, as the working area is "virtually infinite", and it might be difficult to find your way back, as the relative region represented by the scroll bars change as the charts are loaded.

• .By clicking on the inside edges of the window:  

When you move towards the edges of the main window, the cursor changes to double arrows oriented North, South, East, West, NE, NW, SE, SW, depending which side or corner you're approaching. If you then click with the mouse's left button, you scroll of a 10th of the screen towards the arrows direction.

• .With the tool:  

When this tool is selected, you just have to click on the screen with the mouse's left button and drag it.

• .With the mouse's center button:  

For those who have a 3 buttons mouse (or an Intellimouse), you can use the middle button as a shortcut to the tool. This way you can scroll very quickly without changing tool. If you have a mouse wheel, just press it down vertically as if it was a button instead of rolling.

 

Zoom forward and backward can be done by:

• .Using the mouse wheel:  

If you have a mouse wheel, you can use it to zoom forward or backward by rolling it forward or backward. The chart will also be re-centered at the mouse’s position at the same time.

• .Using the keyboard: 

Use the + and - keys to zoom forward or backward on the cursor's point.

• .Using the buttons:  

Zooms forward or backward by a level of 2 from the center of the screen.

• .Using a contextual menu:  

By clicking with the mouse's right button anywhere on the screen, a menu shows up. You just have to select one of the entries "Zoom Forward" or "Zoom Backward" to zoom forward or backward on the cursor's point.

• .Using the tool:  

When this tool is selected, click on a point in the screen and drag the mouse to define a rectangular region. When you release the mouse, the defined rectangle will be zoomed to fit in the screen.

• .Using tool : 

This tool lets you define the scale as a true distance represented by the "<-------->" symbol. This distance can be chosen in a list (by clicking on the left arrow), or directly by entering the desired value in the appropriate field and typing the <Enter> keyboards key. This value is then automatically added to the list so it can be recalled easily later on. You can choose (in the right list) the unit between nautical miles (NM), kilometers (KM), or meters (M) multiplied or not by 10.

Distance taken in account is at the center of the screen. It is updated as you move around the map.

• .You also can move directly to a precise place at a given scale through the tool activated with the "Visible Area" entry of the "Operations" menu. This opens the following dialog box: 

 

 

You just have to enter the position you want to move to, and the horizontal distance of the area you want to view. This is done in the same manner as for the previous tool, except for the distance taken in account: here it is the distance shown from the left to the right of the screen.
"Apply" lets you move to the position at the given scale without exiting the function, and "OK" does the same but also exit the dialog.

 

Selection tool :

How do the , and tools work?:

Commercial charts compatibility:

To view the full offer see the following link: www.scannav.com/GB/cartographie.php

ScanNav is also compatible with several other older chart formats listed below. Although most are not kept up to date and no longer available for sale, this will allow you to recover your existing charts for evaluation purposes. However, we obviously recommend updating your maps with a more recent offer in order to navigate safely.

BSB Charts and other Maptech formats:

ScanNav is fully compatible with the BSB format charts (.kap and .cap extentions), including latest releases 4.0 and 4.1. This format is the propriety of Maptech Inc (http://www.maptech.com).

Maptech also released other chart formats in the past: (Truecharts PCX (.hdr suffix), RML (.rml suffix) and TIFF files (.tif, .nau and .aer suffixes). These are also supported in ScanNav, but the BSB is preferred as it has been optimized, and more tested.

Note: For copyright reasons, when printing or exporting Maptech charts in another format, these are incrusted with a copyright text. The result is still handy for personal use.

SoftChart charts :

ScanNav also supports natively charts with extention NOS/GEO that are released by SoftChart. Please refer to their web site at http://www.softcharts.com/ for further details.

EasyNav charts:

ScanNav can import some of the EasyNav charts.

The EasyNav charts (at least the ones that have been tested) are composed of several files gathered in a "cartes" directory.

• .".car" files: these are the image files in BMP format 

• .".tar" files: these are the georeferencement files (nothing to do with the Unix .tar files…) 

• .".par" files: I didn't find the utility of these files 

To insert an EasyNav chart, use the "Insert" function, and choose the "EasyNav charts (*.car)" file type. Select one or several files (through the "Shift" and "Ctrl" keys), and click on "Open".

 

In Navigation mode, the maps will adjust together automatically as you import them.

In "Workshop" mode, maps inserted in one step will be adjusted together, but those inserted in two different successive "import" operations will be on top each other. You just have to ask ScanNav to adjust them together by selecting All Charts ("Select All" in the "Edit" menu, or "Ctrl A" keyboard shortcut) and applying the "Adjust to Reference" function of the "Operations" menu. All the pieces will then adjust together. You will then just have to save the chart as a ScanNav chart. It is strongly recommended to do a color reduction to 256 or 16 colors before saving so as to optimize the chart.

Land Topologic IGN charts :

It is possible to order topologic charts to the French IGN in Tiff/Tfw format. They can then be used in ScanNav using an optional tool to convert. For further details please contact postmaster@scannav.com

Aerial photography of the French coast:

The French « L’inventaire permanent du Littoral » has a free download service of aerial photography of the French west coast. The web site is accessible at  http://siglittoral.test.application.equipement.gouv.fr/ ( click on « Orthophotographie » then on « consultation et téléchargement des dalles »)

The actual coverage goes from the Spain border up to Concarneau, the Gironde river included.

Files are downloaded in the MrSid format. In order to use them in ScanNav, you will need to convert them using an optional utility.  For further details please contact me at postmaster@scannav.com

Warning : These photos are not for navigation usage. They nevertheless are of very good precision, and let you have a very good idea of the land configuration and anchorage areas. All photos having been shot at low tide.

These photos use the Lambert projection, and although it is possible, it is not recommended to mix them in the same chart library with nautical charts that use the Mercator projection. Indeed, the two projections are incompatible and cannot fit perfectly together on the screen, which can be disturbing for non advised users. It will be better to build two different chart libraries, one for nautical, and one for aerial photos, and switch between them according your needs (refer to Charts library management).

USGS/DRG charts:

ScanNav can import USGS/DRG charts. These are Topo maps of the USA, and their usage is limited for navigation usage. The interesting thing is that they are public domain and cover all of USA, including shores. THEY ARE NOT ADEQUATE FOR NAVIGATION, but can be used for trip planning. Several sites exist where you can download them for free. http://mcmcweb.er.usgs.gov/drg/avail.html#online is one of them.  Warning: these charts are in TIFF format and not compressed. So they can be quite big! You will gain a lot in disk space AND in time for loading by exporting them as ScanNav maps. It also is recommended to make a color reduction to 16 or 256 colors before exporting.

Licensing:

ScanNav is downloadable at http://www.scannav.com. You can try it for free, make your friends try it (it is strongly recommended!), and if you’re convinced, and to be able to use the full functionalities, you can order a license on the online shop or at one of our partners.

A license code will then be sent to you with instructions in order to activate your license online. Make sure to keep this code for eventual future use.

Limitations of the evaluation version :

The free download demo version includes all the functionality of the basic software. However, some limitations are introduced:

• .Optional modules are not activated 

• .A copyright text is overlayed on the map in transparency 

• .In workshop mode, any image saved with an unregistered version of ScanNav will be embedded with copyright text. 

• .A copyright message pops up every 10 minutes..  

• .ScanNav cannot run for more than an hour at a time.  

• .The period of use of the demo version is limited to one month from the first launch. However, it is possible to explicitly request an extension through a temporary license. 

Obtaining a free temporary license

All these limitations can be bypassed by asking a FREE temporary license. To do so, just follow the instructions of the document available on the following link: www.scannav.com/GB/Doc/Version_Demo-GB.pdf

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