4 Things To Consider When Doing Nautical Chart Plotting

When you are navigating on a ship, knowing about the areas and the charts are important. As you have to travel across the sea, you have to make sure that all the routes that you take are correct. A way in which you can do this is by plotting charts or looking at admiralty charts online. Although you can get the admiralty charts with ease, you should make sure that you have enough information about the plotting and the technicalities.

Before you are ready to read or plot the chart, here are some of the things you should consider.

• The scale of the chart

The first thing you should look at is the scale of the chart. This means that you look at the information which is given below the name of the chart and study it properly to get more details about it. Some of the things you should pay attention to while looking at the scale include the latitude graduations, longitude graduations and the depth of the scale of the chart. After you have a clear idea about the things to look in the chart, the errors while plotting is reduced.

• Chart notes

The second thing you should look at is the notes of the chart. The notes of the chart are also mentioned below its name and convey important information about navigation. These details include anchoring, fishing areas, wrecks, tidal information, and traffic separation schemes. When you get all the information about the same, you have to look at how you plot. You won’t have to worry about committing any errors in plotting as you would have access to the information that you need.

• Symbols of the chart

The third thing you should look at is the symbols of the chart you are using. This is because the special symbols give you information about the geographical areas and other signs which help you to get your things done. You should have ready access to the marine publications and the admiralty charts so that you can make an informed decision about the further course of action. This means that you will be able to plot a chart free from errors.

• GPS Positions

Last but not least, you should pay attention to the GPS positions in the chart. These positions have an accuracy of about 50 meters which helps you in making an informed decision about the plotting. However, you need to ensure that the accuracy is not compromised when plotting the maps. To ensure this, you should be careful in checking that you should avoid GPS situations when you are traveling in restricted waters and low-lying areas.

If you wish to get admiralty charts online, you should visit the websites of various nautical publication retailers online.

Author’s Bio- The author is an avid writer. This article is about chart plotting.