A Chartplotter is a device used in marine
navigation that integrates GPS data with an
electronic navigational chart (ENC). The chartplotter displays the ENC along with the position, heading and speed of the ship, and may display additional information from
radar,
automatic information systems (AIS) or other sensors. As appropriate to particular marine applications, chartplotters may also display data from other sensors, such as
fishfinders and
sonar.
Electronic chartplotters always require a computer, or sometimes multiple computers. It is a feature of the implementation, and sometimes of regulatory requirements, whether the computer is a general-purpose one that can run other applications, or must be dedicated to the chartplotter application. Especially when the chartplotter generates three-dimensional displays, as used for fishing, considerable processing power and video memory can be needed
