Chart plotting goes back as far as the original explorers and cartographers. As soon as man was able to travel he needed a map and he also needed to keep track of where he was on the map. Not all that long ago, for some of us, electronic chartplotters were large commercial machines that allowed the user to “plot” by entering his position on an electronic map.

 

The first truly automatic electronic chartplotter used Loran C to enter the vessel’s position on a map that was usually oriented North up. The electronics revolution has had no greater impact in the marine industry than on the Chartplotter. The advent of the GPS receiver, fast processor, cheap memory, and color screen has created a machine that is truly a marvel.

 

Today when a customer says GPS, he almost always means GPS Chartplotter with mapping capability and he doesn’t think twice about all the features that it includes.