Introducing the new ChartFox
It’s been a while since our last post about the future of ChartFox — just over two years in fact. Lots has changed in the time, and if you and reading this, then so has ChartFox!
We are delighted to reveal the brand new version of ChartFox, which is now live over at https://chartfox.org. This new version represents a complete rebuild of the previous version from the ground up. Keeping the same simple ChartFox experience that you have come to know and love, the new version brings a host of new features, opportunities and solid foundation for future improvements.
New Integrated Chart Viewer
One of the key problems with the old version was that we were limited to showing charts using “iFrame” technology. This means that the browser decided how to render and show the chart. With the new version of ChartFox, select airports/chart providers or users who install our ChartFox Browser Extension (available for Chrome/Edge and Firefox) are able to take advantage of our brand-new integrated chart viewer.
This viewer allows us to render and display PDFs with full control, allowing us to implement pan-zoom functionality (mobile compatible!), as well as unlocking other features discussed later. Once you try it, you will never want to go back!
We’d highly recommend installing the browser extension — it has no impact on you or your browser, but it allows ChartFox have more access to the charts which are loaded from our suppliers. If you are technically minded, full source code is available here.
Discord
ChartFox now has a community Discord! This is a place for fellow flight simmers and ChartFox users to interact and socialise, and also a place for support if you need any help. We plan to use this for group flights and other events in the near future — stay tuned for more on that!
You can join the discord over at https://chartfox.org/discord
Modern Interface with full mobile support
Whilst our old interface was functional, it was a bit jumbled and inconsistent. The new ChartFox features redesigned components and UI that helps you understand and find things quicker. In addition, we now fully support mobile and tablet devices, so you can browse charts on the go.
Global Airport Search
From anywhere within ChartFox you can now summon the Global Airport Search bar, either by pressing the / key or the aircraft icon in the navigation bar. This replaces the previous ICAO search box, and lets you search by ICAO/IATA code or name to find an airport. On a device with a keyboard, helpful keyboard shortcuts allow you to navigate and select without taking your hands off the keyboard.
Georeferencing
You read that right — ChartFox now supports georeferencing! If you are not familiar, this is often called “moving maps”, and allows your aircraft’s position to be plotted live on-top of a chart. Currently, if you are connected to the VATSIM network and viewing a geo-referenced chart through our integrated viewer, a magenta plane icon will appear at the corresponding location on the chart, updated every 15 seconds or so.
Important Note: This georeference data is crowd sourced from other ChartFox users (like you!). This means that at the start, most charts won’t have it, but the good news is that it takes under 2 minutes to georeference a chart using our built-in editor!
To view, change or add geo reference data for a chart, simply click the “edit” button in the chart toolbar. This only works if you have the extension / the chart can be viewed with our integrated viewer — sorry!
New Sources
Aside from all the new features, we’ve also bolstered our sources and Charts database, with over 20 new sources being included from the old version. We now have increased coverage in Africa, the Middle East and Asia in particular!
For the developers
For those who make applications and programs that could make use of ChartFox’s data, we are pleased to announce our new public API! In the previous version, we offered access to our APIs on an invite-only basis. We’re now happy to announce that you can apply for API access from your ChartFox account — find it within your account settings page!
Worth the wait? We hope so! We’d like to thank our development team, as well as our focus group who helped test this new version.
Thanks to the generosity of those who have donated to ChartFox, we’re pleased to be able to continue to provide ChartFox free of charge, independently, with no privacy-invading advertisements. If you find the new version of ChartFox useful, please consider donating to help cover our costs over at https://chartfox.org/donate (you’ll also find a new section detailing our financial progress in real time here!).
Once again, thanks for your continuing support of ChartFox! We wish you many a happy flights as we enter the new year!
