FarSounder has announced an exciting enhancement to its 3D forward-looking sonar (FLS) technology for unmanned surface vessels (USVs), now incorporating official electronic navigational chart (ENC) data from NAVTOR within its core software package.
NAVTOR specializes in creating electronic navigation solutions that prioritize safety, simplicity, and efficiency, making them a perfect complement to FarSounder’s Argos 3D Forward Looking Sonar. This technology enhances navigational safety by identifying various underwater obstacles through an intuitive user interface. The collaboration marks a meaningful software upgrade for Argos technology.
Bjørn Kristian Sæstad, Chief Business Growth Officer of OEM/SDK at NAVTOR, stated: “Integrating the NAVTOR ECDIS Kernel into the FarSounder platform allows us to provide official ENC displays to FarSounder users, enhancing safety, situational awareness, and operational versatility. A key advantage of this collaboration is the seamless integration with NAVTOR’s reliable e-Navigation ecosystem. Our cloud-based data distribution ensures that vessels receive the most current charts and publications effortlessly. For vessels equipped with an ECDIS, users can now synchronize map displays between their ECDIS and the FarSounder radar system.”
Cheryl M. Zimmerman, CEO of FarSounder, emphasized: “With this update, users will gain access to NAVTOR ENC chart data, along with the ability to view Automatic Identification System (AIS) targets and Automatic Radar Plotting Aid (ARPA) targets directly in the Chart Viewer. We have also introduced support for new NMEA message types related to AIS and ARPA targets, which can be easily visualized on the FarSounder stand-alone system. This added functionality provides our customers with a complete view of their environment on a single screen.”
