Download Coastal Explorer Reference

To access a graphical weather forecast, open the Conditions Browser clicking on the browser tab, then click on
the Graphical Forecast page tab at the left side of the Conditions Browser.
Using the Graphical Weather Forecast Browser
The Graphical page of the Weather Browser lets you select from several built-in weather maps, or create a
custom map that better suites your needs. These weather maps are overlaid on your chart and may be animated
through time to let you see how the weather might affect your journey.
The first thing you will need to do is get a weather forecast to your computer and Rose Point ECS provides two
ways to do this. If you have Internet access on your computer, the easiest way to get weather is by pressing the
Download button on the toolbar for the Graphical Weather Forecast Browser. This option leads to a window
that lets you select the type of information you want and the area you want it for. After you've made your
selections, the weather forecast data is downloaded from the coastalexplorer.net servers and will be displayed
on your chart.
Rose Point ECS can use the weather data from coastalexplorer.net or from files known as "GRIB Files" which are
an International standard for gridded weather forecast data. These files are available from NOAA and other
locations on the Internet. To open a GRIB File, use the File > Open command or the Open button on the
Graphical Weather Forecast Browser toolbar.
Controlling What You See
The left side of the Graphical page of the Weather Browser provides you with a list of Weather Map options to
choose from. Select one of these weather maps or choose Custom to make your own. To the right of the
weather map options is a list of the layers (weather elements) used in the selected weather map. A legend is
shown for each layer as well as the range of dates the loaded forecast data is valid for. As you move the mouse
cursor over the chart, values for each layer at the mouse cursor will appear to the right of the legends.
Underneath each value is a time offset which indicates how far into the forecast that value is for. Obviously,
values further into a forecast should be trusted less than values closer to the beginning.
When you make a custom weather map, you can select the layers that appear in your map and how each layer is
presented. Use the check boxes to turn individual layers on and off. To change the way a layer is presented on
the screen, double-click on the legend and use the window that appears to select the style and colors for that
layer.
The built-in weather maps are always presented the same way and are not affected by the options you select for
your custom weather map.
The Transparency button on the toolbar lets you control how much of your chart shows through the filled-in
parts of the weather forecast overlay. When you press this button, a slider will appear. Moving the slider all the
way up will make the layers with the "gradient" style completely transparent, and moving the slider all the way
down will make them completely opaque.
Rose Point ECS Reference
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