America’s Great Loop Cruisers’ AssociationLooper Locator Manual v2.4

Disclaimer: Looper Locator charts are not replacements for official nautical charts and should not be used

as a primary means of navigation. No warranty of data accuracy or completeness is

expressed or implied. User assumes all risk of use.

EarthNC Contact Information Telephone (toll free): (877) 846-0986, M-F, 9-5 Eastern Web Support: http://www.greatloop.orgE-mail: support@EarthNC.com

Table of Contents 1. Quick Start Guide 2. Installation 3. Loading Charts 4. Using Charts 5. Updating Charts 7. GPS Support Appendix A. EarthNC Software License

Quick Start Guide: 1. Install the latest version of Google Earth

- Download it from http://earth.google.com and doubleclick on the resulting file. Looper Locator works will all versions of Google Earth , including the Free Version. In referring to Google Earth interactions throughout this documentation, please refer to the illustrated guide below:

A. ‘Places’ Menu – Double click on Folder Icons to Expand. Use Checkboxes to

set visibility

B. Map Window

C. View Controls – you can also use the mouse

D. Range Mark Icon – Hover to see chart names, click to load chart in ‘Single

Chart’ mode

B

A

C

D

2. Chart Basics

- Looper Locator charts present the same layers found in NOAA vector chart products.

The number of layers in view is determined by the zoom level. Zoom in to load increasing detail down to point depth soundings. - Chart elements (buoys, lights, etc.) present additional data when you hover the mouse over an icon or left click on an icon. If multiple elements exist in the same location (such as a light on top of a buoy), clicking on either element will expand the icons in a star pattern to allow for clicking on an individual icon.

Figure – Exploring Chart Elements

- Left click on the combined light and daymark icons to ungroup - Left click over the desired chart element to reveal detailed information

- You can obtain the latitude and longitude of the mouse pointer in the lower left portion of the map window. To obtain the exact coordinates of a map element, right click over its icon on the screen and select ‘Properties’ on Windows or “Get Info”. - In “Single Chart” mode, we recommend that you unload charts not in use by right clicking over the chart name in the ‘places’ menu and selecting ‘Delete’. This does not remove the file from your computer – it only removes it from display in Google Earth. You may reload it any time via the EarthNC Chart Index. This is done automatically while in “Seamless” mode.

Using EarthNC Charts 1. Chart Catalog

The EarthNC version 1.0 chart catalog includes 668 NOAA ENC® charts updated as of 15 March 2008. It also includes 89 Army Corps of Engineers Inland ENC charts as of the same date. EarthNC charts are updated once monthly to reflect published ENC and IENC revisions. Instructions for updating your EarthNC Plus chart set are found in the next section of this manual. 2. Chart Organization

NOAA ENC® charts are published in 5 major categories based on the overall chart scale and usage intent. The categories are Overview (Level 1), General (Level 2), Coastal (Level 3), Approach (Level 4), and Harbor (Level 5) – this categorization is used in the EarthNC Chart Index. IENC charts are listed as a separate category. In general, Harbor and Approach charts contain the most detail – especially of inshore areas such as the inter-coastal waterways of the Gulf and Atlantic coasts. 3. Managing Displayed Charts

EarthNC charts are accessed via the EarthNC “Seamless” and “Single Chart” Index files. The index files display the locations and coverage areas of each chart in the catalog as well as links to additional online and offline point-of-interest and weather content. Once the desired shortcut is selected via the Start – Programs – EarthNC Plus or Applications – EarthNC Plus shortcuts, Google Earth will load and display the outlines of available charts. The charts are organized by chart type with Approach, Harbor, and IENC charts visible by default. In Seamless mode, charts will load automatically based on zoom level. You can switch between chart types by unchecking the Harbor, Approach, Inland Chart Folder in the Places Menu and checking one of the other levels (Coast, General, Overview).

In Single Chart mode, click on the range mark icon ( ) associated with the chart area of interest. When you hover the mouse over a range mark icon, the covered chart area will ‘fill’ for easy recognition. After clicking on an icon, load the chart by clicking on the ‘View Chart’ link found under the chart name in the resulting pop-up information window. Multiple charts may be loaded at the same time in Single Chart mode, but this may cause Google Earth to run slowly depending on chart sizes and your system configuration. We recommend that charts not in use be unloaded by right clicking in the Places menu over the chart name and selecting ‘Delete’ (this will not remove the chart from the hard drive). You may also highlight the chart with a left click and press the ‘Delete’ button on your keyboard. This is handled automatically in “Seamless” mode.

If you prefer to have certain charts loaded automatically each time Google Earth starts, load the chart via the Single Chart index, left click on the desired chart folder in the Places menu and drag it into the ‘My Places’ folder. Loading charts automatically on Google Earth start may delay the startup time significantly. You may remove charts from the My Places folder at any time via Right-click - ‘Delete’ 4. Chart Layers

The Electronic Navigation Chart standard, from which EarthNC charts are derived, supports over 185 unique layer types. The total number of layers in each chart varies based on the geographic region and chart category. These layers are divided into 7 folders within each EarthNC chart – Minimum Zoo, Mid Zoom, Close Zoom, Depth Soundings, Deep Depths, Depth Areas, Rivers/Lakes/Inshore Shallows, and Land Features. Key Layer contents:

Minimum Zoom Layers: Fairways, Safe Water Buoys, Fog Signals, Lights, Obstructions, Wrecks, Unsurveyed Areas, Wrecks, … Mid Zoom Layers: Later and Special Purpose Marks and Buoys, Anchorages, Landmarks, Restricted Areas, Caution Areas, Track Lines, Spoil Grounds, Shallow Depth Contours (15’ and less)… Close Zoom Layers: Bridges, Cables, Pipelines, Piles, Named Sea Areas, Rocks, Docks, Marinas and Ramps, … Depth Soundings: Shallow depth soundings 15’ and less Deep Depths: Depth soundings and contours deeper than 15’ Depth Areas: Filled depth contours colored by depth. Older computers may not display depth areas properly. Rivers, Lakes, and Inshore Shallows: Inshore areas within a charted area, but generally with little detail and often unnavigable except for shallow draft vessels. Land Areas: Buildings, Coastlines, Cranes, Tanks, Airports, … often of limited navigational value, especially in light of Google Earth satellite imagery Managing Layer Visibility: In the Seamless mode, visibility for each of the 7 principle layer sets can be managed within each chart level (Harbor, Coastal, …) folder. By default, Depth Area, Rivers/Lakes/Inshore, and Land Area layers are off when the index is first loaded. When switching between chart levels, all layers will be enabled by default. In Single Chart mode, layers are set by expanding the chart folder for a given chart and checking/unchecking layers. Default visibility mirrors the seamless mode. In the single

chart mode, you may further expand individual layer folders and toggle visibility for each unique layer at a per-chart level. 5. Understanding and Interacting with Chart Content

EarthNC charts are designed to present critical information in a ‘coarse to fine’ manner, meaning the most important information is always visible, with additional information loaded via ‘hover’ and ‘left click’.

Always visible information includes:

- Buoy/Marker numbers - Light colors and flash periods - Depth values - Wreck clearance depths

Hover data includes:

- Object name if given - Object type or sub-type if not named

Left Click data includes:

- Full charted data about a given object - Links to a chart note reference if given (common for caution and restricted areas) - Link to a photograph (in the case of many Bridges in the Army IENC charts) - Link to submit additional first-hand information to EarthNC for use in the

EarthNC User Layer Light, Fairway, and Depth Color Schemes: Light icons (teardrops) and text labels are colored based on their principle color Depth Colors are based on the following for Soundings, Wreck Clearance, Contours, and Depth Area Shading

- Depth 3’ or less = Red - Depth 3’ to 6’ = Yellow - Depth 6’ to 9’ = Light Blue - Depth greater than 9’ = Dark Blue

Fairways and Dredged Areas are shaded dark green. Depth values for fairways are normally found by click on the ‘i’ icon associated with the given channel. Examples:

Figure - Left-Hand Lateral Mark with Light - Green light icon and 2.5s label indicates a green light with 2.5 second signal period - White #1 is the Mark identifying number

To hover over an element, simply pass the mouse pointer over the element’s icon. Special purpose beacons and buoys as well as most POI layers will display the element name via a hover.

Figure - Hover Labels - Marina name is revealed on mouse-over

6. Point of Interest and Weather Extensions

Below the Chart Level folders in each Chart Index are links to additional point-of-interest and weather layers provided by EarthNC. These are divided into ‘Online’ and ‘Offline’ layers. To use either, simply expand the Marine Data Index folder and select those layers of interest via the visibility checkbox. Offline layers are installed locally as part of EarthNC Plus and during updates and do not require an internet connection. Currently, TowBoatUS location and West Marine stores are included in the offline points-of-interest. Many more layers will be added in the future via updates. Online layers include an extensive set of weather, tide, and point-of-interest layers featured at EarthNC.com. The Online layer index is updated automatically during monthly updates to reflect the full set of available EarthNC data. These layers also include special America’s Great Loop Cruisers’ Association layers in their own special folder. 7. Contributing Chart Content

The info window for each EarthNC chart element includes a link to submit additional information. The link will open an external web browser and take you to the EarthNC Content Submission form. Identifying information for the clicked object will automatically be populated and you can then add additional information, including photos, as desired. If you publish nautical content of interest or know of other nautical data you’d like available as an EarthNC layer, please contact us at poi@earthnc.com with details.

5. TRANSFER OF LICENSE. User may not transfer the license of the Products to a third party. 6. LIMITATIONS on Using, Copying, and Modifying the Products. Except to the extent expressly permitted by this Agreement or by the laws of the jurisdiction where user acquired the Products, user may not use, copy or modify the Products. Nor may user sub-license any rights under this Agreement. 7. INDEMNIFICATION. User hereby indemnifies, holds harmless and will defend EarthNC from and against any and all claims or lawsuits, including attorney's fees and costs that arise, result from or are connected with the use or distribution of the Products in violation of this Agreement. Navigators must always remember that the Products

are accurate to the best of EarthNC's knowledge, and any inconsistencies found are

generally due to undetectable limitations in underlying publicly available data,

EarthNC Plus Charts are NOT considered legal replacements for official

navigational charts and should not be used as a primary aid to navigation. Users

should always practice prudent navigation habits and never rely on a single source

of navigation data. 8. TERM/TERMINATION. This Agreement is effective upon purchase and/or use and shall remain in force for until terminated. In the event the user violates this agreement, the agreement will effectively terminate. All protections afforded EarthNC in this agreement that pertain to indemnification, confidentiality and non-distribution terms will survive such termination. General This Agreement is binding on you as well as your employees, employers, contractors and agents, and on any successors and assignees. Neither the Products nor any information derived therefrom may be exported except in accordance with the laws of the U.S. or other applicable provisions. This Agreement supersedes any other understandings or agreements, including, but not limited to, advertising, with respect to the Products.