NotamView

It has taken somewhat longer than planned but I have finally modified Notamview to use the EAD Basic database instead of the now defunct contingency data. The advantage of this is that the program now fetches data that is always up-to-date. In fact, this is the same database that feeds the AIS website. The downside is that you will have to get an EAD Basic login however this is entirely free. See http://www.ead.eurocontrol.int/eadcms/eadsite/index.php.html for all the details. The turnpoints list has been updated to 2008 (just before the season ends - if it ever started...) and you can now change the colour of most map objects from the options dialogue. Finally, the mouse scroll wheel will now zoom in and out if you have one. As usual, I hope you find this program useful and any feedback will be welcome.
I have been forced to move with the times and update my Java implementation so if you are still running on 1.4 you will get an error when you run the program and will have to upgrade to 1.5 or better. Java upgrades are available from http://java.sun.com

It has come to my attention that the 'so called' contingency data that Notamview uses to build its reports is not updating. The last valid update was on the 29th May and follows an earlier update to the AIS website. The new presentation makes no mention of the contingency data. While this may only be a temporary issue, I am taking steps to ensure that Notamview can obtain the data directly from the database. As soon as I have a solution I shall post an update. In the mean time be sure to check the validity information at the top of the Notamview window before relying on the data.

This is a bugfix release correcting two specific problems.
The first bug is associated with the validity display filter. Previous versions of the program get confused about the time if a user-specified duration is selected. This bug would prevent anything from displaying once 'today' was selected again. The fix ensures that the filter now works correctly and displays all notams that are completely or partially contained within a period of interest. Note that the times are expressed in GMT so shift by an hour in summertime.
A new feature has been added to display the selected validity time at the bottom of the map so that there is no doubt as to what is being displayed.
Another bug that is fixed is the update checker. This now only informs the user if a newer version exists rather than a different version.
All users are recommended to apply this update.
To update the program, get the notamview.jar file from the download page and replace the existing copy in your notamview directory. If you are installing from scratch, install 0.9.0 then install the 0.9.2 notamview.jar file as above. Updates are cumulative so only the latest need be applied.

In my enthusiasm to get this fix out it seems I build the jar file under the wrong version of java. I have replaced the file and all should now be well.

This is a bugfix release correcting two specific problems.
If you are a Mac user with a single button mouse, the code has been changed to accept ctrl click as a substitute for right click. This will make it possible to re-centre the map correctly. If you use NotamView on a small screen (less than 1024/768) the program will now scale the display down to the size of your screen automatically. If neither of these cases affects you then you may safely ignore this update.
To update the program, get the notamview.jar file from the download page and replace the existing copy in your notamview directory. If you are installing from scratch, install 0.9.0 then install the 0.9.1 notamview.jar file as above.

It's been a while coming but version 0.9.0 is now ready. I'm afraid that the new features are few but they are in response to requests so I hope they are useful. Firstly, you can now create either a normal task or an AAT task. The turn sectors are drawn on the map so that any nearby notams can be checked. Secondly, a new class of turnpoint has been added - VORs. This is intended to help the GA pilots among you. It is now possible to use any combination of BGA, ICAO, VOR or User turnpoints for your task and to select which are displayed. They are colour coded so that you can tell which is which. I hope the colours aren't too bad... In addition to adding some new features, the files have been brought up to date. The airspace file includes the recent changes around some major airports such as Luton and Cardiff/Bristol, and the BGA tp file has been updated to the 2007 list. The Help file has not been updated yet - this will follow soon. As ever, let me know if you have problems with the program and I welcome suggestions for improvement.

This is a bugfix release correcting a problem with the number of coordinates in the current notam set. In particular, this fix allows the restrictions imposed by the Queen's 80th bithday flypast to be displayed and stops them from preventing the display of other notams.
To cut the download time you simply need to get the updated notamview.jar file and replace the existing copy in your notamview directory. If you are installing from scratch, install 0.8 then install the 0.8.2 notamview.jar file as above. It is not necessary to install the 0.8.1 update as they are cumulative.

This is a bugfix release correcting a number of problems. In particular, this fix prevents the annoying behaviour caused by recent NOTAMs being over 4100 lines long. It also allows the default download selection (London and/or Scottish) to be saved and corrects bugs in the out and return distance calculation and the 'circle of influence' display choices on options. The recommended setting for 'circle of influence' is changed from 'selected' to 'can't be drawn'
To cut the download time you simply need to get the updated notamview.jar file and replace the existing copy in your notamview directory. If you are installing from scratch, install 0.8 then install the 0.8.1 notamview.jar file as above.

NATS have recently updated their website and changed the URL of the data files that NotamView uses. There is however a quick and easy fix to tell NotamView to use the new files. Look HERE to find out how.

Notamview version 0.8.0 has now been released. This version includes a new feature which interprets the Q-Line data which now features in all NOTAMS. The addition of this feature allows all notams to be displayed on the map in some form, even if this is not a true representation of the actual area of influence. To make best use of this new capability, new preferences and menus allow the user to select when circles of influence are shown and for which type of NOTAM class.
Other changes include the ability to perform text searches on the raw notam data to find specific text and the ordering of the tree view to make finding a NOTAM entry in the tree simpler.
This version of NotamView is now supplied as an installation program for Windows users and a zip file for non-windows users. After upgrading, and after copying across any modified turnpoint files, you can simply delete the old notamview directory and all its contents.

NATS have decided to make the Q-Line available in NOTAMs in the near future. Support for the Q-Line has been added to the next release and this will be made available shortly after they go active with this additional information and once I have been able to test the code thoroughly. Until then, assuming they format the data as they indicate, current versions of Notamview should continue to operate correctly.
Watch this space.

This release is designed to enable the aerodrome/VFR PIB to be used instead of the VFR PIB. This should help to prevent any NOTAMs entered as aerodrome only being missed. Following events the other weekend where the Red Arrows display was not listed in the en-route NOTAMS, this seems prudent. You can of course continue to use the VFR en-route NOTAM if you choose however the update changes the default filenames in the option dialogue so you will have to change these back if you don't want the full picture. This release also adds an update check facility. If enabled in the options dialogue, the program will check for a newer version once per run and will indicate if one exists. You will need to have installed version 0.7 before applying this patch. You simply need to get the updated notamview.jar file and replace the existing copy in your notamview directory.

This is a bugfix release correcting an issue with anti clockwise arcs in areas. In particular it allows the RIAT airspace at Fairford to be correctly drawn on the map. You will need to have installed version 0.7 before applying this patch. You simply need to get the updated notamview.jar file and replace the existing copy in your notamview directory.

There is a minor bug in the latest version of Notamview which causes the program to crash if it can't find the turnpoint list. It won't affect users that are upgrading but will affect new installs. I will correct the bug shortly, but until then there is a simple fix. If you have installed the program for the first time and get an exception indicating that the file can't be found, simply rename the file bga_04.tpt to bga_05.tpt. This should fix the problem.

This release adds a user waypoint function. This allows the user to add arbitrary waypoints to whichever standard set (ICAO or BGA) is being used. This version also has an improved parsing engine which should ensure more Notams get drawn on the map correctly. This includes areas with curves and areas and circles in the same Notam. The Help menu reflects the current functionality.
This release also updates the airspace file and the BGA turnpoints to the 2005 set.
This release is supplied as a zip file which creates a notamview directory and places all the files in it. If you are upgrading, you can delete the previous directory as this version will use preferences stored in the Java registry.

After somewhat of a long gap, I have restarted development on NotamView. A bugfix will be released shortly for the 25km / 0.25km issue and I hope to have a better decode of areas with curves too. Any suggestions for future enhancements will be welcome. Thanks for your continued interest.

This is a bugfix release correcting two problems. In particular, this fix is needed whilst the current notam for Farnborough is active. To cut the download time you simply need to get the updated notamview.jar file and replace the existing copy in your notamview directory.

This is a bugfix release correcting a number of problems with proxy servers, printing and ICAO turnpoints. To cut the download time you simply need to get the updated notamview.jar file and replace the existing copy in your notamview directory.

This release adds a configurable printing function. By default, this allows the user to print the visible map, a description of all the notam entries visible on that section of map and a description of any active NAVigation Warnings that cannot be drawn. The print may be configured to list more or less information as the user wishes.
This release also updates the airspace file to include all UK Danger areas. This allows Notamview to highlight any danger areas mentioned as active or inactive in the Notam.
This release is supplied as a zip file which creates a notamview directory and places all the files in it. If you are upgrading, simply overwrite or delete the previous directory.

This is a bugfix release correcting a problem with the use of a proxy server. Additionally, the method used to determine areas has been improved to better differentaite multiple areas in one notam entry. To cut the download time you simply need to get the updated notamview.jar file and replace the existing copy in your notamview directory.

This release incorporates several improvements including a better map, displayable airspace, easy selection of turnpoints from a list and a new tree-based organisation of the notam data.

This release of NotamView introduces a Help system (hence the increase in size). It also allows tasks to be described using either BGA turnpoints or ICAO airfield identifiers.

The third test release of NotamView is now available. This adds one major new feature insofar as the program will now work through a proxy, with or without password authentication. Configuration is through the options menu.
Other improvements include the ability to work from the last downloaded data without connecting to the Internet, a marker to show the location of the home site and the ability to recentre the map to a point by left clicking the mouse. Other minor improvements and bug fixes are included. For full details please read the release notes.

The second test release of NotamView is now available. It has an improved ability to decode coordinates including multiple circles and areas in the same notam entry. Furthermore, all entries on the map can now be selected. Other minor improvements and bug fixes.

First Release

The first test release of NotamView is now available.