Live AIS & NMEA view
Connect over Wi-Fi to a pilot plug, AIS receiver, NMEA TCP server or smart pilot plug device and view key movement values clearly.
Live navigation data viewer for Android
Pilot Plug
A clean professional viewer for AIS, NMEA and docking data - made for maritime pilots, captains and bridge officers who need live vessel movement information where it matters.
Pilot plug / AIS / NMEA TCP
KA motion prediction
Docking movement display
Bridge wing visibility
Why Pilot Plug
Navigation data, readable where full bridge systems are not always visible.
Pilot Plug helps show live vessel movement on a mobile Android device - on the bridge, on the bridge wing, during tests, training, monitoring and operational awareness.
COG, SOG, heading & ROT
Course over ground, speed over ground, heading and rate of turn - laid out with large values for quick interpretation under load.
Docking Mode display
Ship-silhouette view using standard maritime color coding - red port, green starboard - with bow, midship and aft movement information when available.
KA motion prediction
Docking Mode B (long press) uses a KA motion model to project heading and motion trends ahead - the same approach used by klaipedatraffic.lt for vessel forecasting.
Independent AIS / NMEA sources
Choose AIS and NMEA sources independently for position and heading - useful when one feed is more reliable than the other for a given value.
Automatic ship detection
Ship dimensions populate automatically from AIS Type 5 static reports as vessels appear in the stream - less manual setup before pilotage.
NMEA FREEZE for logbook
Freeze the live NMEA position values with one tap to capture a precise position entry for logbook or report use - without losing the live feed.
Clean dark interface
High-contrast dark UI with blue accents, large numbers and minimal distraction - designed to read well in real bridge lighting conditions.
Connection presets
Presets for common TCP data sources, or enter your own host and port for onboard testing and professional setups.
AIS Map Mode
Live external AIS targets on an offline map.
AIS Map Mode displays external AIS targets on an offline map, helping pilots and bridge officers understand nearby vessel movement without relying on a continuous internet connection.
✓Vessel outlines, names, movement vectors and vessel-type colours.
✓Available ship dimensions and AIS antenna positions when received from the AIS source.
✓Built-in World Maritime Overview for basic offline coverage.
✓Compatible regional map packs can be downloaded separately when available, adding new areas without replacing the app.
AIS Map Mode is for situational awareness only. Target visibility and accuracy depend on the connected AIS source, received messages, data age and connection quality.
Docking Mode
Built for slow-speed vessel movement awareness.
Docking Mode focuses on the information that matters during close-quarters movement: how the ship is moving now, how the bow and stern are behaving, and how the trend may develop shortly ahead.
✓Ship silhouette with red / green port and starboard coding for instant orientation.
✓Bow, midship and aft motion indications when ship setup data is available.
✓Docking Mode B overlays a KA-based heading and motion prediction for projecting the next 15–90 seconds.
✓Large readable values sized for bridge and bridge wing use.
Onboard Field Validation
Tested during a real low-speed harbor maneuver.
Pilot Plug maneuvering prediction was compared onboard against the vessel’s installed professional bridge navigation equipment during a dynamic low-speed maneuver. The vessel was moving at approximately 1-2 kn, with rate of turn reaching approximately 30°/min, substantial transverse movement, and rapidly changing heading and course over ground.
The important result was not simply agreement of individual numbers.
Both independently generated displays showed closely corresponding whole-vessel motion: bow sweep, stern sweep, angular progression, transverse displacement and, most significantly, a similar effective pivot region as the maneuver developed.
Both independently generated displays showed closely corresponding whole-vessel motion: bow sweep, stern sweep, angular progression, transverse displacement and, most significantly, a similar effective pivot region as the maneuver developed.
Why this matters
During close-quarters maneuvering, the bow and stern can have very different velocities. Pilot Plug does not simply rotate the vessel around its geometric centre. Translation and rotation are combined to represent how different parts of the hull are moving and how the effective rotational geometry develops during the maneuver.
The three observations provide practical field evidence that the maneuvering model behaved consistently through a changing turn rather than matching only a single static moment.
Engineering field observation - not a certification test. Pilot Plug is an assistive situational-awareness tool and does not replace approved shipboard navigation equipment.
Data Sources
Connect to the navigation data you already have.
Pilot Plug is designed for practical onboard setups where NMEA or AIS data is available over a Wi-Fi TCP connection.
Pilot PlugUse data from a vessel pilot plug connection through a compatible adapter or server.
AISView live AIS-derived movement values when available in the connected stream.
NMEA TCPConnect to a TCP host and port over onboard Wi-Fi or a local device network.
Smart devicesWorks well with smart pilot plug bridges and test systems that output NMEA data.
Before you connect
A few setup notes worth knowing.
Most onboard NMEA / AIS Wi-Fi networks do not provide internet access. A few small Android behaviours are worth knowing before your first connection so the live feed stays stable.
01
Stay on the onboard Wi-Fi
When you join a Wi-Fi network without internet, Android may show a warning or try to switch back to mobile data. Choose Always connect or Keep using this network when prompted so the data stream is not interrupted.
Android notice02
Use the host and port for your source
Select a preset for common pilot plug bridges and AIS / NMEA TCP servers, or enter the host and port manually. Pilot Plug remembers recent connections for fast re-use during pilotage.
03
Confirm your ship setup once
For ships not auto-detected from AIS Type 5, confirm length, beam and antenna offsets once in Ship Setup. The bow / midship / aft display in Docking Mode uses these values.
Free PC Tool
Create Your Own Offline Reference Map
Pilot Plug Reference Map Creator v1.0.0 is a simple Windows tool for creating offline geographic background/reference maps for Pilot Plug. Define a rectangular area and the Creator automatically selects an appropriate Geofabrik/OpenStreetMap source, builds and validates the map, and packages it as a .ppmap ready for MAPS → IMPORT.
✓No QGIS and no Python required.
✓Automatic Geofabrik source selection and detailed reference rendering up to zoom 14.
✓Java 21 and Planetiler setup is downloaded and verified automatically.
✓Beginner workflow: open PowerShell inside the extracted Creator folder first and run setup. On a fresh folder, wait for PASS. If an existing Reference Map Creator runtime configuration is reported, that is normal—do not use -Force; continue to CREATE_REFERENCE_MAP.ps1.
✓The finished .ppmap works offline in Pilot Plug after import.
Reference maps are for situational awareness and general geographic reference only. They are not official nautical charts and do not replace ECDIS, approved navigation equipment, bridge procedures, visual lookout, or professional judgement.
Video Tutorial
How to Create an Offline Reference Map for Pilot Plug
Watch the Reference Map Creator tutorial for a visual walkthrough of creating your own geographic offline reference map on a Windows PC and importing the finished .ppmap into Pilot Plug.
✓Set up the free Reference Map Creator PC tool.
✓Choose your geographic bounds and let the tool select the map source automatically.
✓Build the offline .ppmap and import it with MAPS → IMPORT.
Create Your Own Offline Map
Pilot Plug User Map Authoring Kit
Advanced users can create their own offline regional or port maps on a Windows PC using QGIS and the Pilot Plug User Map Authoring Kit. In v1.0.2, you define the map bounds and the basemap generator automatically selects the smallest official Geofabrik extract that covers them. Add your own points, buoys, depths, labels, lines and operational areas, build a validated .ppmap package, and import it into Pilot Plug.
✓Windows 10 / 11, 64-bit workflow with QGIS 3.44 LTR recommended.
✓Automatic Geofabrik source selection from your configured map bounds — no area name required for the normal workflow.
✓Generate a cropped offline basemap and author Pilot Plug semantic objects in QGIS.
✓Final .ppmap packages render offline in Pilot Plug after import.
✓Quick Start instructions plus a complete detailed guide are available online.
User-created maps are reference maps only. They are not official electronic navigational charts and do not replace approved charts, navigation equipment, local notices, or professional navigational judgement.
Video Tutorial
How to Create a Custom Offline Map for Pilot Plug
Watch the QGIS User Map Tutorial for a visual walkthrough of creating your own offline map and bringing it into Pilot Plug.
✓Configure the User Map area and boundary.
✓Create Pilot Plug points, lines and areas in QGIS.
✓Build the offline .ppmap package and import it into Pilot Plug.
Important safety notice
Pilot Plug is for testing, monitoring, training and situational awareness only. It is not approved as a primary navigation system. Do not use it as the sole source for navigation, collision avoidance, docking, pilotage or any safety-critical decision. Always use official ship instruments, approved navigational equipment, radar, ECDIS, visual lookout, bridge team procedures and professional judgement.
Available for Android
Bring live pilot plug and docking data to your Android device.
Install Pilot Plug, connect to your onboard NMEA TCP source, and view live movement data in a clean professional interface.