GL: Major ActiveCaptain update...

[Jeffrey Siegel]

> Can a chunk of ActiveCaptain be downloaded to the
> computer?  I'm thinking this would be good for 
> cruisers with limited internet access. 

There isn't a way to do that today.  I have thought about it a lot.  Right
now, I'd rather spend time adding to the capabilities and experiences of
users who are connected to the internet.  When you're connected, you can get
access to everything.  You can add reviews, update information, and help
make the system better for everyone.  When you're offline, you're only using
the data (not that there's anything wrong with that!).  There could be
offline reviews with synchronization but that just seems more complex than
what is needed.

As we've talked about, we're coming out with ActiveCaptain software for
mobile phones next.  For that, the nautical charts are all on the phone's
memory card so the charts are displayed instantly (quicker than your
chartplotter or PC - wait 'till you see!).  Internet access is required if
you want to display the markers, getting the very latest details and
reviews.  If you point to a marker, a menu pops up allowing you to call a
marina, etc.  Since a handful of marker's data is small, it only takes a
second or two to grab the data and show it on the charts.  Real screen shots
of this are on www.activemap.com.

I think that is the best balance - chart data is local for quick display
with markers coming in live over the internet.  Using the web site, 98% of
the data transferred is the map display and really requires a DSL/cable/high
speed connection.  Markers are small and quick - perfect for a lower speed
connection like cellular phones.

We've cruised between Maine and Florida and the Bahamas a few times.  Each
time we've made the trip, internet access was more and more consistent on
our boat.  Last year we had continuous access except for 25 miles along the
Pungo-Alligator Canal.  This includes overnight passages offshore by as much
as 20 nm.

I'd bet that internet access along the major loop rivers isn't as good as
our experience along the coast.  But if I had to bet, I'd bet that will
change.


> How big a file would, say, the SE US be
> (just for comparison)?

The databases are a few hundred megabytes right now (it's growing every
day).  The SE US is probably about 15% of that.

I'm just putting together the news updates for the web site right now.  The
really interesting thing is that we issued a press release on November 29,
2007 announcing that we had just crossed 100,000 updates from users.  It
took 10 months to get to 100,000.  Today, we have more than 150,000 updates.
That's 50,000 more in less than 2 months (almost 1,000 per day).  These
updates are great and include data that cruisers will want when they're out.
As more people make more updates (like fuel prices) I can start adding some
very interesting analysis capabilities that we all need.  Those are the
enhancements I really want to get to.

This has been a long-winded way of saying, yes, we might have offline
markers someday.  Right now, I'd rather spend the time adding online
capabilities and showing everyone how easy it is to get internet access on
your boat.


==================================
Jeffrey Siegel
M/V aCappella
DeFever 53PH
W1ACA/WDB4350
Castine, Maine

www.activecaptain.com
Content, Communications, Community

 
 
 
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