Navionics charts, C-Map charts, BlueChart, MapMedia… You will admit that we have difficulty finding our way in all these brands of electronic cartography. Who belongs to whom ? What works with what ?
To help you see things more clearly, I took a little time to locate the main actors who, au final, provide us these wonderful charts that avoid storing pounds of paper. place free, and ecological in addition ! Once again, follow the leader…
The following companies and brands they own are listed in random order. Electronic card brands are in red.
Northport Systems Inc. – Toronto, Canada (*)
- FUGAWI Software
- FUGAWI Touratel
- FUGAWI X-Traverse
Installed since 1995 in Toronto, Canada, Northport Systems Inc. company. publishes charting navigation software, provides nautical charts and online services in over 130 country under the label Fugawi. Northport is known as a leader in GPS navigation software for outdoor activities., hiking, recreational boating and military market.
A travers son site x-traverse.com, Fugawi provides a chart downloading platform and related services for data transfers to individuals : marine and topographical maps (Navionics charts, CHS, Hilton, NV Verlag, etc,…).
Site web principal
Navionics Spa – Massarosa, Italia
Brand : NAVIONICS
Navionics headquarters is located in Massarosa, Italy and serves Europe, Africa, Asia and Oceania. Navionics headquarters in the USA, based in Wareham, Massachusetts, serves the American continent. For more than 25 years Navionics designing electronic navigation charts and systems for the Navy, inland bodies of water and rivers, for outdoor use and, more recently, smartphone applications. The cards are distributed in different media, depending on whether they are to be used with software (CD/Download) or directly in reader-plotters (CF-card/SD Card).
These two companies, Northport and Navionics, have developed in recent years a close partnership for the integration and charting software. The latest fruit of this partnership, announced on 15 th 2010, is the realization of the software NavPlanner2.
Jeppesen – Englewood, Colorado USA (*)
Brand : C-MAP (purchased in 2007) 
Subsidiary of the Boeing aeronautical group, Jeppesen is traditionally a provider of integrated solutions for aviation and marine, and more particularly designer of aeronautical cartography. The purchase of the Italian C-Map, now part of Jeppesen's Marine Division, allows it to increase its position in the maritime market. The C-Map are also distributed in different electronic media (CD, memory cards) depending on their destination.
Furuno Electric Co.- Hyogo, Japan
Marques :
- MAXSEA (SigNet S.A.)
- MAPMEDIA (SigNet S.A.)
- Nobeltec (acquired from Jeppesen by SignNet S.A. fin 2009)
Furuno has since owned 2005 49% of the capital of the French holding company SigNet S.A. who owns both MaxSea and MapMedia, and acquired more recently Nobeltec.
Despite the takeover by Furuno-Signet of navigation instruments manufacturer Nobeltec to Jeppesen, that now Furuno holds MaxSea/MapMedia and that Jeppesen has acquired C-Map – Ok, you attend ? – the two companies, competitors in the maritime market, however, remain partners :
Furuno has introduced support of Jeppesen C-Map charting portfolio in its new instruments NavNet 3D, more raster and vector NOAA charts, MapMedia raster charts (mm3d) and vector “Datacore” from Navionics, in order to make it one of the most versatile devices on the market. The display of all these maps can be in 2D or 3D thanks to the use of “ Time Zero » by MaxSea.
Nobeltec instruments remain compatible with Jeppesen C-Map mapping, while gradually adopting the technologies developed by MaxSea.
Edgewater Marine Industries Llc – New Bedford, Massachusetts USA
(Richardsons’ Publishing / Richardsons’ Maptech)
Marques :
- MAPTECH
- MYTOPO
Publisher shipping software and electronic raster charts, Maptech is the only company authorized to deliver NOAA charting (Buy) for the World outside the USA. Maptech also owns the company MyTopo, located in Montana and specialist in hiking and outdoor topographical mapping. Maptech charts can be purchased online only on CD, on their own website for the U.S.A.. and at certain resellers in France (ScanNav, Nauticom).
The nautical charts and publications division Maptech Navigation Inc. has been owned from 2008 by Richardsons’ Publishing, a division of Edgewater Marine Industries.
Garmin International Inc. – Olathe, Kansas USA
We can not speak charting without quoting Garmin, the world leader in mobile GPS. The company still belongs to its two founding members. The American manufacturer of GPS and navigation instruments distinguishes itself from its competitors by the exclusive use of its own maritime cartography BLUECHART.
That's the essentials. You can see in passing that there have recently been “small arrangements between friends” : MaxSea at the Japanese Furuno, C-MAP with Jeppesen in the U.S.A., left Europe financially. Only Navionics left, still European, but for how long ?
That said, as long as these business movements are accompanied by real improvements for the end user, and hopefully, more affordable prices, why complain about it ?
Sometimes I dream, not you ?
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(*) See update 2016
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