Files Tab (SEAiq and SEAiq Pilot)
Files/Charts (SEAiq and SEAiq Pilot)
SEAiq and SEAiq Pilot are the only marine navigation apps
that allow use of any marine charts in a wide variety of standard
formats on your iPad/iPhone.
A free downloader is includes for charts from the NOAA and US Army
Corps of Engineers charts for USA and its territorial waters.
Automatic download and updating of charts from PRIMAR, ChartWorld and other vendors are also
available.
There are many freely available charts you can
download from the internet.
SEAiq does not come with any marine charts so you have to install
them yourself. Often, charts are installed in the form of zip files,
which are special files that contain other files. They are useful
for packaging many files together that can then be treated as a
single unit.
There are several ways to transfer charts into SEAiq,
including download directly from the internet using the iPad Safari
browser, transferring from Email or another app such as DropBox, and
using iTunes File Transfer.
The remainder of this help information is structured as follows:
- Supported Chart Formats
- S-57 and Inland ENC Charts
- S-63 Charts
- KAP/BSB Raster Charts
- Creating Zip Files
- Apple Mac OS
- Microsoft Windows
- Transferring Charts to your iPad
- Installing from the Web
- Installing from Email or other App
- iTunes File Transfer
- FAQ and Troubleshooting
Supported Chart Formats
This section describes the chart formats that are supported
by SEAiq and how they must be packaged in order to be
correctly recognized.
Note We want SEAiq to work with all charts in
supported formats. However, because of the variety of charts
available you may try charts we have been unable to test. Be sure to
test your charts before purchasing the upgrade. If you have problems
with any charts, please let us know and we will do our best to get
your charts working with SEAiq.
S-57 and Inland ENC Charts
S-57 and Inland ENC Charts are similar formats; Inland ENC has
somewhat different display as it is intended for navigation on inland
waterways. For the purposes of this document, we will use S-57 to
refer to both standards.
S-57 charts are normally distributed in a Zip file with a folder
named ENC_ROOT, which in turn should contain a
file CATALOG.031 along with the charts (normally in
sub-folders). This is normal for S-57 charts: if you have valid S-57
charts, they should include the CATALOG.031 file along with
the charts. The ENC_ROOT folder should normally either be
the so-called root folder of the Zip file or there may be a single
folder that contains the ENC_ROOT folder.
SEAiq will accept Zip files that do not contain
a CATALOG.031 file but include S-57 chart datasets. You can
also install .000, .001, ..., .015 files
directly. However, we normally recommend using Zip files to package
sets of charts together, along with a CATALOG.031 file,
since this can avoid a number of errors, such as neglecting to
install an update file.
S-63 Charts
Charts in the IHO S-63 format are essentially the same as S-57 but
are encrypted. If you use charts from either PRIMAR or ChartWorld, you can visit the relevant settings
for downloading and updating them. Go to Settings / S-63 Charts to
for settings related to S-63, as well as
detailed help information.
BSB/KAP Raster Charts
The BSB/KAP formats were developed by MapTech and are a commonly used
format for raster charts. This format is used by NOAA for their
raster charts. Also, the ge2kap program is used by many
mariners to generate KAP files from satellite imagery, usually from
Google Earth.
SEAiq by default does not display any raster charts. You must
change the Display Raster Charts switch in the Raster Chart Settings
to ON in order for Raster Charts to be displayed.
BSB files are catalogs listing the associated KAP files. KAP files
contain the actual raster chart image data. KAP files can be used
standalone without a BSB file. There are several options for how
charts can be installed in SEAiq:
-
Chart sets with both BSB and KAP files can be used as part of Zip
files. The Zip file must contain a single folder
named BSB_ROOT, which in turn contains BSB catalog files
with the .BSB suffix and the corresponding .KAP
files. The raster files distributed by NOAA have this format.
-
Simple chart sets in zip files composed only of KAP files. The
zip file may only contain files with the .kap
or .KAP suffix. If any other non-KAP files are in the
zip file, the file will not be accepted.
-
Individual KAP files can be installed directly (not packaged in a
zip file).
Creating Zip Files
These are instructions to package your charts in a Zip file. Many
charts are already distributed as Zip files. If you have charts that
are structured as described above then you can skip this section.
Instructions for MacOS
Creating Zip files is a built-in feature for recent versions of
MacOS. Follow these steps steps:
- Select the folder named ENC_ROOT.
- Select File from the bar at the top of the
screen.
- Select Compress "ENC_ROOT" (mid-way down the
menu).
- When done compressing, you should now have a file called
ENC_ROOT.zip.
- IMPORTANT: You may want to rename the file if
you are installing multiple sets of charts because each Zip file
must have a different name.
- Follow the steps below for installing the Zip file onto your
iPad/iPhone.
Instructions for Microsoft Windows
For Windows, we recommend the free 7-Zip utility for creating zip
files: http://www.7-zip.org
Here are the steps to create a Zip file of your charts using 7-Zip.
- Go to the folder containing the folder
named ENC_ROOT.
- Right click on ENC_ROOT folder.
- Select 7-Zip sub menu (if it is not there, then there may have
been a problem installing 7-Zip).
- Select Add to ENC_ROOT.zip option.
- When done compressing, you should now have a file
called ENC_ROOT.zip.
- IMPORTANT: You may want to rename the file if
you are installing multiple Zip files, because each Zip file must
have a different name.
- Follow the steps below for installing the Zip file onto your
iPad/iPhone.
Transferring Charts to Your iPad
Once you have your charts in the appropriate format, you can now
transfer them to your iPad. Most users will transfer their charts
from their laptop using the iTunes File Transfer. However, you can
also download charts directly from the web into SEAiq using
the Safari Web browser or you can install charts from another app, such
as from an email attachment.
While downloading from Safari or email can be very convenient, we
normally recommend using iTunes File Transfer, especially if you are
working with many charts. That way you will have a copy of your
charts on your laptop and the actually transfer to your iPad will be
faster.
From the Web
If you have link to a chart zip file that is formatted correctly, you
can download and install the file in one step, without using iTunes.
Just click the link. After downloading onto your iPad you will be
asked which app should handle the charts. Select SEAiq
or SEAiq Pilot.
Once SEAiq has started, select the Files tab and check that the
charts were imported without errors.
From Email or other App
This is very similar to installing from the Web. Select a Zip file,
choose SEAiq to open it, and then check that it has been
imported correctly.
iTunes File Transfer
iTunes File transfer is a way to transfer files back and forth
between your laptop and your iPad. Once you have your charts in
appropriate Zip files, follow these instructions to transfer them to
your iPad:
- Run Apple iTunes.
- Attach your iPad/iPhone to your computer.
- Select your iPad/iPhone on the upper right of the iTunes window.
Be sure to not press the eject portion of the button.
- Select the Apps item in the upper bar.
- Scroll to the bottom of the window until you see the File
Sharing section. In iTunes on MacOS, the apps
listed under Sync Apps scroll separately from the window
frame they are in. This can sometimes be confusing. If only the
list of apps is scrolling, then you may need to click on the area
outside the apps list.
- Select SEAiq in the Apps section
underneath File Sharing.
- Press the Add... button
- Find the Zip file you want to install on this iPad/iPhone.
- Press the Open button.
- The small activity window at the top of the screen should show
the file being copied. Be sure to wait until the copy is
complete before proceeding.
- You should now see your file listed in the SEAiq
or SEAiq Pilot Documents.
- The charts should now be on your iPad/iPhone.
Press Files on the bottom of this screen to see your
charts. All the Zip files you transferred should appear in the
list.
FAQ and Troubleshooting
-
I don't see the File Sharing section on the Apps
window. The frame scrolls separately from the apps
list. You may need to click outside the Apps list.
-
I don't see SEAiq listed in the File
Sharing section. Check that you
installed SEAiq or SEAiq Pilot on this
device.
-
After installing charts, SEAiq shows the zip
file and says "Zip file appears to be corrupt." This
means the file you transferred did not appear to be a valid Zip
file.
- Did you wait until the transfer completed? Check that iTunes
shows the transfer is complete, then press the Navigate tab, and
then the Chart tab again.
- Try transferring the Zip file again.
- Try transferring the Zip file back to your computer using the
Save To... button below File Sharing. Then unzip
the file on your computer to see if the contents are the same as
what you started with. If not, then something was corrupted along
the way.
- Try creating the Zip file again and transferring to the
device.
-
After installing charts, SEAiq shows the zip file and
says "Zip file does not contain ENC_ROOT/ folder". This
means SEAiq was able to open the Zip file but it did not appear
to contain a folder named ENC_ROOT. Try unzipping the
file on your computer. Everything should unzip into a folder
named ENC_ROOT.
-
After installing charts, SEAiq shows the zip file and
says "Invalid S-57 zip file". This means SEAiq was
able to open the Zip file and found the ENC_ROOT folder,
but did not find the file named CATALOG.031 in
the ENC_ROOT folder. Try unzipping the file on your
computer. There should be an ENC_ROOT folder
containing CATALOG.031 and further file and folders
containing charts. We recommend that you not
modify ENC_ROOT folders before Zipping them because the
catalog file specifies exactly where the files should be; if you
move them SEAiq may not be able to find them. If you are
having problems, you can test out the S-57 charts distributed for
the US waters by NOAA, using the link above. Any of the Zip
files NOAA distributes should work with SEAiq and
SEAiq Pilot as-is.
-
I installed the charts and everything seems fine. Now
what? Click on the Navigate tab to return to the chart
display. There should be light magenta outlines for the charts
you installed. You can pan and zoom using normal gestures. If
you only installed a few charts or they are for very small areas,
then you may have a hard time seeing the charts for the large
scale view. Zoom into where the charts are and you should see
the outline. Keep zooming and eventually SEAiq will open the
chart, process the contents, and then display it.