Nautical Charts and GPS Course
This course gives you the essential skills to navigate safely and accurately with paper charts and GPS. You will learn the types and scales of chart, the Mercator projection and how to keep charts up to date, read soundings, depth contours, hazards, lights and abbreviations, plot coordinates, courses, distances and fixes, and understand how GPS works, its errors, the chart datum, waypoints, routes and alarms, finishing with a route planned on both the chart and the GPS.
Prior knowledge check
These are the skills this program gives you. Tick the ones you already master and we will tell you which part of the syllabus is for you.
You are starting from scratch in this subject. The program is designed precisely for that.
What is the Nautical Charts and GPS Course?
This short course is designed for recreational and professional sailors who want to combine traditional and modern navigation, nautical students and sea enthusiasts looking for a solid foundation, skippers of recreational and fishing boats who want to get the most from their equipment, maritime professionals who need a complete understanding of navigation tools, and travelers planning passages in areas where GPS coverage may be unreliable. You will study chart types, scales and projections, chart symbols and reading, chartwork with bearings and dead reckoning, the fundamentals of GPS and how to integrate both methods.
What sets this course apart: it treats the chart and the GPS as partners rather than alternatives, so you learn to check one against the other, spot discrepancies caused by datum errors, leeway or current, and know which to trust; it gives practical weight to chartwork with real plotting tools as well as mobile navigation apps; and it prepares you for a GPS failure, ending with a final project in which you plan a complete route on the chart and in the GPS.
Program highlights
- Charts explained: chart types and scales, the Mercator projection, hydrographic offices, margin information and corrections.
- Reading the chart: soundings, depth contours, the nature of the seabed, hazards, buoys, lights and abbreviations.
- Chartwork: coordinates, courses and distances, fixes by bearings and dead reckoning with plotting tools.
- How GPS works: the satellite system, accuracy and errors, and matching the chart datum with the GPS datum.
- Using the GPS: waypoints, routes and alarms set up for safe navigation.
- Bringing it together: checking GPS positions on the chart, navigating after a GPS failure and mobile apps.
Syllabus of the Nautical Charts and GPS Course
5 modules. Select a module to see its content.
Introduction to nautical charts
- 1.1. Types of chart and scales
- 1.2. The Mercator projection
- 1.3. Hydrographic offices
- 1.4. Margin information
- 1.5. Keeping charts up to date
Chart symbols and reading
- 2.1. Soundings and depth contours
- 2.2. Nature of the seabed
- 2.3. Hazards to navigation
- 2.4. Buoys, beacons and lights
- 2.5. Abbreviations
Chartwork
- 3.1. Coordinates
- 3.2. Courses and distances
- 3.3. Position fixing by bearings
- 3.4. Dead-reckoning position
- 3.5. Plotting tools
GPS fundamentals
- 4.1. How the system works
- 4.2. Accuracy and errors
- 4.3. Chart datum and GPS datum
- 4.4. Waypoints and routes
- 4.5. Alarms
Integration and practice
- 5.1. Checking the GPS position against the chart
- 5.2. Navigating after a GPS failure
- 5.3. Mobile apps
- 5.4. Practical exercises
- 5.5. Final project: planning a route on the chart and in the GPS
Duration and format of the Nautical Charts and GPS Course
It is 300 hours. Tell us how many you can study each week and we will tell you when you will really finish.
This is the pace at which most students finish. It fits well with the installment plan.
Academic leadership and faculty
The Navalis teaching team: working professionals who teach and supervise the programs.
Dr. Marina AlcoverAcademic Director and Head of Quality Assurance
Eng. Diego CifuentesSenior Lecturer in Naval Welding and Non-Destructive Testing; Head of QA/QC for Welded Joints
Capt. Javier Abaroa (MCA)Senior Lecturer in Ship Handling, Electronic Navigation (ECDIS/Radar/ARPA) and GMDSS; STCW Compliance and Bridge Resource Management Coordinator
Dr. Pau FerrerSenior Lecturer in Naval Architecture and Simulation; Director of the Hydrodynamics and CFD Laboratory
Dr. Nuria LlobregatSenior Lecturer in Marine Meteorology, SAR and Operational Safety; Navigation Risk Management Coordinator
Eng. Javier BañulsSenior Lecturer in Electrical Engineering, Automation and ETO Engineering; Electronic Integration and Engine Alarms Coordinator
Eng. Sofía MarquinaSenior Lecturer in Materials, Composites and Corrosion Protection; Coordinator of the Advanced Paints and Coatings Line
Eng. Tomás RieraSenior Lecturer in Propulsion, Alternative Energy and Hybrid Systems; Energy Performance and Vibration CoordinatorObjectives of the Nautical Charts and GPS Course
Career opportunities after the Nautical Charts and GPS Course
Questions about the Nautical Charts and GPS Course
A nautical chart is a graphic representation of a sea area, with depths, hazards and aids to navigation. A GPS is a satellite system that gives your position and other navigation data in real time. You need both to know where you are and what is around you.
The chart. A GPS gives your position, but the depths come from the charted soundings and contours, which is why the course teaches you to read the chart alongside the GPS.
If the GPS is set to a different datum from the chart, the plotted position can be offset from your true position. The course explains how to check and match datums to avoid this error.
Fall back on chartwork: your last known position, dead reckoning, bearings on charted landmarks and depth soundings. The course practises navigating without GPS for exactly this situation.
A protractor or plotter, dividers, a pencil and an eraser are enough for the chartwork; a parallel rule is optional. A nautical calculator can help with some calculations.
Fully online, through a virtual campus available 24/7, with concise video lessons, downloadable material, practical exercises and tutorials with the teaching staff.
The course comprises 300 hours of study across 5 modules of 60 hours each. You can progress at your own pace within the schedule set when you enroll.
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Admission process
No waiting for a call back. If your documents are in order, you can enroll in the same session.
- Profile: aimed at recreational and professional sailors, nautical students, skippers of recreational and fishing boats and maritime professionals; familiarity with latitude, longitude, courses and distances helps, as does some practical experience on board.
- Language: sufficient command of English to follow the classes and the technical documentation.
- Technical resources: a computer, tablet or smartphone with a stable internet connection and an up-to-date browser; a protractor or plotter, parallel rule (optional), dividers, pencil and eraser for the chartwork exercises.
- Admission: online application, review of your profile and a short interview with the academic team.
- 01ApplicationYour details, background and documents.
- 02Instant reviewWe check that everything is complete and in order.
- 03EnrollmentChoose full payment or instalments and reserve your place.
Admission is provisional until the committee validates the documents provided. If you do not meet the requirements, the full amount is refunded.
Ask us before you enroll
Leave your details and admissions will write to you to answer any questions. If you are already sure, you can apply and pay in the same session.