Thank you, Rick. You are correct... the NOAA vector charts are a
simple download that was well designed.

NOAA did it this way because it was their intention from the
beginning to provide this charts for free... and they did a very nice
job of implementation. (As you mentioned in another post, vector
charts are also considerably smaller than raster charts, so it's
easier to do this efficiently.) I included the ENC charts on the DVD
simply because it is so much more convenient to have everything in
one place for those applications that will switch back and forth
between Raster and Vector charts. Also, I included an index and
reference system that NOAA does not include.

Maptech, on the other hand, offers their BSB-3 charts online for
free, simply because their contract with NOAA required them to do so
at the end of the contract. As I note on the site, Maptech still
sells their BSB-3 chart, packaged in a collection called "Chart
Navigator Pro" for $499.95. These are the identical set of BSB-3
charts that I have grouped together. Why should Maptech make it easy
for people to get free charts that they still sell for $499.94, when
all they are required to do is make them available in some fashion?

One of the greatest assets of my collection is the ability to search
for charts and to retrieve the additional information about them
like: Region(s), File name, NOAA Paper Chart#, Edition Date, Chart
Scale, DPI Resolution, Verti/Horiz Pixel Distance, Min & Max
Lattitude/Longtitude of Coverage. This is not available anywhere
else... even at Maptech.

I'm sure it must have looked at first as though I simply took a bunch
of free downloads and turned around to sell them. But I started
working on this project almost two months ago, when I found out the
contact was expiring. At this point, I have well over a thousand
hours invested in developing a collection that delivers WAY more than
the asking price... regardless of the savings in time.

Thank you for taking a look at the site... I appreciate the effort to
check it out.

Jack


On Dec 1, 2005, at 4:17 PM, Richard B. Emerson wrote:

> Um, it least here it wasn't clear to me that the DVD was something
> you'd worked on. I agree that the Maptech stuff in particular is
> somewhat less than easy to snag, probably by intent. The NOAA
> vector charts at least come down all in one huge lump and then are
> sorted, etc. by the user software (e.g., Rose Point's Coastal
> Explorer).
>
> Cheers,
> Rick
>
> Jack Webb wrote:
>
>> Rich:
>>
>> I indicate clearly on my web site that these charts are available
>> from Maptech (and NOAA) for free. The site you linked is where I
>> retrieved them (as well as NOAA's site). Even though I'm a
>> professional database developer, with many "back-door" techniques
>> at my disposal, it still took me over 100 hours to download them
>> all. It wouldn't have taken so long, except that the charts are
>> not grouped or pre-archived. You have to grab them a few at a
>> time and without knowledge of their database schema, there is no
>> way to know if you have them all. (And I DO know their database
>> schema.
>>
>> Additionally, I've create a "nowhere-else-available" search
>> engine for registered users, that gives information that even
>> Maptech doesn't provide when you buy their charts at full price.
>> I've also add a lot of additional reference material. Read the
>> "What's Included" section for details at http://
>> highseasdrifter.com/index.php? page=WhatsIncluded
>>
>> If 100 hours of your time is worth less than $99, by all means
>> access them yourself.
>>
>> Thanks for your feedback, Rich.
>>
>> Jack
>>
>>
>> On Dec 1, 2005, at 11:40 AM, Richard Cassano wrote:
>>
>>> Before you all run out and fork up $99 check out the following
>>> web site:
>>>
>>> http://www.freeboatingcharts.com/
>>>
>>> Raster charts are now free to download! I believe this is a recent
>>> development as the Rose Point Navigation, (Coastal Explorer) web
>>> site has
>>> links for free chart downloads that covers all of coastal USA.
>>> All you need
>>> is a charting program that displays raster charts. In addition,
>>> all the ENC
>>> Vector charts are "free" from the government. They're not really
>>> free as you
>>> all paid for them in your taxes. Having them all on a single DVD
>>> would be a
>>> great backup in case you have to reload software in the middle
>>> of the ocean.
>>>
>>> Rich Cassano
>>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: owner-baba-l@ballreich.net [mailto:owner-baba-
>>> l@ballreich.net] On
>>> Behalf Of Jack Webb
>>> Sent: Thursday, December 01, 2005 12:13 PM
>>> To: baba-l@ballreich.net
>>> Subject: [Baba-L] Digital Navigation - Maptech BSB & NOAA ENC
>>>
>>> If anyone has even a mild interest in digital charts for navigation
>>> on a PC/Mac, you might find the following link of interest.
>>>
>>> This site provides a way to obtain BSB3 charts of the entire US
>>> coast
>>> and inland waterways (2,177 charts) and current NOAA ENC charts
>>> (535)
>>> all bundled together on a single DVD, along with a lot of additional
>>> and indispensable references. For only $99, this is a great addition
>>> to your nautical library!
>>>
>>> Take a look...
>>>
>>> http://HighSeasDrifter.com
>>>
>>> Jack Webb
>>
>>
>
>
>
> -----------------------------------------------------------
> Baba Panda and Tashiba Owners Mailing List --
> For more info, please check out the FAQ...
> http://www.ballreich.net/hypermail/baba-l/faq.html



-----------------------------------------------------------
Baba Panda and Tashiba Owners Mailing List --
For more info, please check out the FAQ...
http://www.ballreich.net/hypermail/baba-l/faq.html

Received on Thu Dec 01 15:46:05 2005