Monday 22 August 2011

Announcing iNavCalc Google map interface

We are pleased to announce a significant new enhancement to iNavCalc functionality: the ability to create and edit routes and waypoints using the convenience of Google maps. To get started right away, click here for layout optimised for desktops, and here for layout optimised for tablets (iPADs). No registration is required for access to the basic functionality. Registration required for access to full suite of features. Registration is FREE.


Key features of iNavCalc map interface:

  • Built upon Google maps with all the functionality that they offer such as global coverage, satellite photo overlays, etc.
  • Optional display of airfields, navaids, and user waypoints from the FlyLogical database. Selectable on a country-by-country basis to avoid clutter and to minimise browser load time.
  • Powerful search widget for searching the FlyLogical waypoints database as well as the global Google database. If no match found in the FlyLogical database, automatically performs a global Google GeoSearch. With this combination, you can find virtually any location in the world and use it as a waypoint in your route.
  • "Add to Route" button for adding any waypoint to the route with a single click.
  • Clickable map,  enabling any point to be selected via the mouse cursor (or touchscreen on tablet) by simply clicking on the map.
  • Latitude and longitude coordinate editors in a variety of commonly-used formats, enabling the map cursor to be precisely located (and a "move to" function enabling any waypoint to be "nudged" to the location of the cursor.
  • New waypoint can be added to the end of the current route, or can be inserted in any position along the route.
  • "Rubber banding" functionality enabling any waypoint to be clicked-and-dragged to any position (or precisely re-positioned via the lat/long input editors)
  • Toggle zoom function (convenient for quickly visualizing an airfield, then zooming back out)
  • Magnetic variation and sunrise/sunset times automatically computed for any point selected on the map.
  • "Quick plan" (assuming zero wind) calculations (distance, time, fuel) automatically computed and displayed in a banner at the top of the page whenever the route is modified. Parameters for the "Quick plan" (speed, fuel consumption, start fuel) are fully-editable (units are set via the iNavCalc Culture parameter, requires registration which is FREE)
  • "Traffic light" feature which automatically changes the colour of the quick plan banner depending on fuel consumed on route (green for less than 80% available consumed, amber for between 80% and 90% available consumed, and red for greater than 90% consumed). Provides an at-a-glance view of the fuel-plan for the route.
  • "Radials" feature for determining and specifying locations on the map based on radials from a specified centre-point position. Any number of radials emanating from any number of centre-points can be included on the route map. Radials can be specified as either "Magnetic" or "True". If "Magnetic", the magnetic variation of the given centre-point is automatically determined when computing the radial. For convenience, all radials are saved along with the route, for later re-use (note: route-saving functionality requires registration which is FREE).
  • Full integration with iNavCalc's comprehensive flight navigation planning functionality including AutoMETic. Simply click on "Get PLOG by email" to generate a comprehensive flight navigation plan (PLOG) including automatic computation of wind and temperature effects based on automated global weather reports and forecasts.  This provides a more detailed and accurate plan compared with the at-a-glance "Quick plan".  
  • Full integration with iNavCalc's Route and Waypoints Managers for saving routes and waypoints to the FlyLogical database for later re-use (requires registration which is FREE).