Labels on our Charts

It is quite difficult to get the labelling right on maps. Each label takes up some space and sometimes even obscures some information underneath, but obviously the maps must have labels to give important data, such as radio frequencies or upper and lower limits to an airspace. In general, we at the OFM would like to apply a consistent approach to labels on our maps in all countries, and this means that we frequently have discussions about what should be included in the label and even if a label is appropriate.

Better preplaced labels for the maps

This project focuses on an intelligent algorithm to place labels in automatic manner, to ensure a complete and unique interpretation.

Abstract

In the field of air navigation, many modern electronic aids are available such as the system of multilateration or global navigation satellite systems. The basic information databases of any navigation method are the aeronautical charts and as such they are still essential for a navigators daily job. In this consensus, it is important for the charts to be updated and modified in regular intervals in order to provide the pilots with real-time information concerning runway constellation, navigation aid position, airspace dimensions and other important information.

Considerable Interest at the show It seems appropriate to review the presence of OFM at the AERO 2016, now that a week has gone by. This was the first time that the OFM was present at the show, and it seems that the concept was received with considerable interest. A surprisingly large number of people made their way to the stand we were invited to share by Kanardia, to meet us and hear first hand what the project is all about.

Feedback from Users We got positive feedback from our users and contributors on the AERO tradefare, thank you very much. Nevertheless we were requested to improve the quality of the products. A list of improvements Base map rendering Better appearance of channels and waterways on the 1:500k Charts Display of Riverbanks Distinguish small singe railways from bigger parallel tracks Aeronautical rendering Changes in Germany: TMA Labels will get less wide and fonts will be set slightly bigger Map setup ED1 to ED8 Some users noticed, that small invisible areas are completely hidden due the overlapping situation – basically due to briefingstrips on the charts.

Delay of Denmark Dear Users and Contributors, We are still working on translations and improvments on the dataset of Denmark - we delay the launch to May 26th. Contributors are welcome!

Dear pilots, dear subscribers! It’s a pleasure for us to invite you to visit us at the Exhibition AERO in Friedrichshafen which will be held from the 20th to the 23rd of April 2016. Free paper charts for Germany Beside our newest innovations we will spread the freshest (AIRAC cycle 31st of March) aeronautical navigation charts scaled 1:500.000 (VFR) for the whole german air space – as long we have stock – to all registered subscribers of this mailinglist, free of charge.

Vor kurzem gab es in einigen Foren einiges an Diskussion über die Anwendbarkeit von OFM Sichtflugkarten, besonders, da jede Karte einen Haftungsausschluss enthält. Dieser Haftungsausschluss muss allerdings veröffentlicht werden, da die Daten in der Datenbank nicht für Navigationszwecke zertifiziert werden. Einige Kommentare argumentieren „Welchen Zweck hat eine Karte, die man nicht für Navigation benutzen kann?“. Die korrekte Antwort auf diese Frage ist, dass der Haftungsausschluss die Verwendung als primäres Navigationsmittel untersagt.

A new service concept After many years, the first Enroute Chart in scale 1:500k is being issued by the austrian aeroclub - in cooperation with OFMA. The chart will be provided on paper, to all flight instructors in Austria and will be distributed through the aeroclubs infrastructure. Thanks to all contributors, that made this product possible. We look forward to similar projects within the current OFM support area, Oliver Vorderegger

Recently there has been some discussion in the forums about the usefulness of the OFM VFR charts, since every chart carries a disclaimer. The disclaimer must be published since the data in the database has not been certified for navigation purposes. The comments are along the lines of “What use is a chart that cannot be used for navigation?” The answer is that the disclaimer says that the chart should not be used as the primary source of navigation. The basic concept of VFR is that the pilot must be able to see where he is going. So in this sense the OFM chart is useful as a backup. A helpful analogy is to make the comparison with a car: in VFR the pilot is like a driver following the road signs, but who might have a GPS device to assist him. It was suggested that a certified VFR chart was useful for avoiding legal problems, for instance in the case that a pilot inadvertently flies into a restricted zone. But it is not advisable to adopt this attitude, because to continue with the previous analogy, an inaccurate GPS device will not be taken as an acceptable excuse for a driver that does not stop at a red traffic light. In this regard it is relevant to point out that almost all of the VFR charts commercially available include the same disclaimer, albeit in very small letters.

Our new Website goes online, including Regions Austria, Hungary (operational), Germany and Switzerland (as work in Progress). A new range of Products such as ARINC 424 Industry Standard openair (in its main distributions) CUP (Points, Airports, Navaids in easy to use text format)

Concerning the increasing interest in cost-efficient and high quality VFR paper charts gave to OFM the impulse to support requests for this matters. The first chart distributors for VFR paper charts are from Romania and we got an amazing feedback concerning quality. In the meantime aviation organisations from Switzerland and Austria requested for VFR paper charts. This should be an appeal especially to all airport operators to become paper charts distributors.

We are not advertising driven The open flightmaps association is a “not for profit” organization that relies on the work of a large number of unpaid voluntary contributors to source the data in the database. These people contribute their time on an altruistic basis and might be offended if they perceive that their work is being used to provide an economic benefit to a commercial company. Particularly if the commercial company in question is not part of the OFM project.