Scope of Functions: What Can AvNav Do?

Anyone using navigation software wants, first and foremost, to get safely from A to B. AvNav offers far more than just a simple chart display, combining many functions for which you would traditionally need several separate devices on board.

The foundation of all navigation is the chart material. AvNav is extremely flexible and natively supports a wide variety of raster chart formats. Particularly interesting for many skippers is the seamless integration of up-to-date vector charts. Through the o-charts system, budget-friendly, high-quality charts can be used directly within AvNav. On the chart itself, routes can be planned intuitively via touch control, waypoints can be set, and distances measured. Once planned, trips can be saved, exported, or sent directly to an autopilot connected to the system, which then steers the vessel along the route.

In addition to the chart display, AvNav functions as a fully featured instrument display. If the appropriate sensors on the vessel are connected, data such as wind direction, wind speed, water depth, or boat speed through water can be displayed in clear widgets right next to the chart or on dedicated dashboards. You can customize these displays to your liking, ensuring that you have exactly the values you need for your current situation in view while in the cockpit.

A crucial safety feature is the integration of AIS (Automatic Identification System) data. If your vessel receives signals from other ships, AvNav displays them precisely on the chart. In the background, the software continuously calculates whether you are on a dangerous collision course with another vessel. If critical thresholds for the Closest Point of Approach (CPA) and the Time to Closest Point of Approach (TCPA) are breached, it triggers visual and acoustic warnings.

To ensure all these sensor data flow together seamlessly, AvNav comes with another invisible but powerful function: it acts as a so-called NMEA multiplexer. This means AvNav can collect and process data from various sources (such as a GPS mouse, anemometer, AIS receiver, depth sounder, speed log, etc.) and forward them to other devices or apps. Integration with modern marine networks like Signal K is also easily possible, making AvNav the central data hub on board.