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NavNet TZtouch2 & ActiveCaptain Let You Share Your
Boating Experience With Others Around The World

Delivers access to a database of user-generated information about marinas, anchorages, marine hazards, fuel lists, and local knowledge around the world.

Camas, WA, February 11, 2016 – We live in the social media information age, and at times it might seem like we are on information overload. However, you’d be hard pressed to find someone willing to give up their smart phone or tablet. It used to be when you visited a new city, you would ask a local where the best places are to eat or stay. Today you pull up a browser on your phone and go to Yelp or some other community review site to view other’s experiences with all types of services. This same “experience sharing” is hitting the water with Furuno’s NavNet TZtouch2. It is the world’s first Multi Function Display (MFD) to incorporate ActiveCaptain functionality into its chart database.

ActiveCaptain is a community-based database of user-generated information about marinas, anchorages, marine hazards, fuel lists, and local knowledge around the world. Your NavNet TZtouch2 MFD allows you view all of these Points of Interest (POIs) and share your experiences through live ratings and updates. The latest database can be downloaded into the MFD whenever you have an Internet connection. Information you will see for Marinas includes contact info, navigation details, dock info, fuel lists and services, as well as community reviews. Anchorage data includes a description, info on the approach, dinghy access and services along with ratings and reviews. Local knowledge markers show position and notes. Hazard markers show position, description and comments. You can even find information on big-box grocery and warehouse stores, which tend to be popular with cruisers.

When you become a registered user with ActiveCaptain, you can use your NavNet TZtouch2 to create new markers, add information, and even write your own reviews of services. Then you can submit your information to ActiveCaptain for inclusion in their database, when you have an Internet connection to the MFD.

This software update is just the start of Furuno’s plans for TZtouch2’s crowd-sourcing capabilities. Down the road, Furuno is planning to implement Community Charts, where users can update and modify the chart information through MapMedia. Users will be able to report changes such as chart depths, position of chart symbols, temporary obstructions, sunken ships, etc., which will be reviewed by MapMedia and shared among all NavNet TZtouch2 users.

Furuno is also looking to establish their “My TimeZero Cloud Data Service” that will allow you to back up your data and synchronize it among all your TimeZero devices. Just connect your TZtouch2 to the internet, create a TimeZero account and your points, routes, tracks and settings are automatically backed up to a remote server. You won’t have to worry about losing your data ever again! You will even be able to plan your routes on your iPad at home and transfer them to your NavNet TZtouch2 instantly through cloud services. If you’re meeting friends at a certain location, you can share your waypoints with them to make sure you’re on the same page.

Furuno has proven over the years that their marine electronics provide you with amazing navigation features that get you to and from your destinations safely. They’ve now taken it a step further to make sure that when you get there, you know the best places to get the services you need, through ActiveCaptain. Join the crowd and help the “information superhighway” extend to the waterways!

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