More Than (Time) Zero

It’s the details that make this

navigational software system shine.

By Bill Ando

When Nobeltec introduced TimeZero Trident, its latest PC-based navigational software offering, at the 2011 Miami International Boat Show in February, the system had been in development for a year. A Nobeltec product, based on the TimeZero code base, actually had been widely anticipated by the marine electronics industry ever since Signet S.A. bought the software developer in October 2009. TimeZero itself has been around for awhile (the popular MaxSea TimeZero software and Furuno NavNet 3D chart plotters are based on it), but the Nobeltec Trident system is well worth the wait.
The single caveat is that the software will be compatible only with Furuno’s NavNet 3D chart plotters, including Furuno DRS and FAR2xx7 series radars. That’s because Signet S.A. owns Nobeltec and Furuno is a significant shareholder in Signet S.A. The attraction of this new software systems lies in the attention paid to details. To say the redraw is fast and seamless is an understatement. It’s virtually undetectable. Trident also operates in a true 3-D environment at all times—­no limited 3-D mode exists. Select a conventional 2-D top-down view of the navigation chart that replicates the traditional chart plotting presentation, or choose to pan and zoom the chart to any angle at any range scale, instantly. The redraw function really shows its stuff here.
TimeZero Trident’s PhotoFusion feature permits navigation over raster or vector charts while viewing high-resolution photography. As the depth increases, the satellite photo of the shallows gains transparency, allowing a visual of where shallow water ends and deeper water begins. This visual aid will be invaluable in identifying shallow water hazards.
The Trident system will use only Signet S.A.’s MapMedia MM3D charts. However, MM3D have a wide range of options within their offering. “It’s the most flexible software in the world, as it offers the most integration with chart companies, says Bill Washburn, Nobeltec marketing manager. “Raster or vector charts, it doesn’t matter. As long as they are MM3D charts, it will read them all.”
The weather component requires onboard internet capability, but boats that lack it can download the weather program from a home computer to a thumb drive, plug that into the boat’s computer and operate the system from there (forecasts are up to 16 days out). Trident accesses the same weather services as MaxSea, so it can use data from NOAA, Meteo France and other providers.
TimeZero Trident will be available starting in late spring 2011. Look for this system to be responsible for more than a few Furuno hardware sales.  MSRP is $1,250 (the limited-time intro price is $1,000). nobeltec.com