Our engine fuses massive planetary datasets to provide hyper-accurate routing, but safety requires understanding our data boundaries.
For razor-sharp boundary detection between land and water, we utilize OpenStreetMap (OSM) vector data. This prevents the routing engine from calculating paths that intersect coastlines, islands, or breakwaters. OSM provides the strict horizontal "binary" (water vs land) safety layer.
To prevent keel groundings, we fuse OSM with the GEBCO 15-arcsec grid (General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans). Supported by the Nippon Foundation-GEBCO Seabed 2030 Project, this global bathymetry dataset provides depth profiles with roughly 450-meter resolution, enabling our engine to understand the vertical dimension of the ocean floor.
Not all depth data is created equal. We leverage the GEBCO TID grid to understand the provenance of every single depth cell. It tells our engine whether a cell's depth was directly measured by multibeam echo sounders or merely interpolated/predicted. This is crucial for calculating the true confidence level of a given path.
As ArgoRoute calculates a path, it evaluates the TID value of every hexagon. If a route crosses an area that lacks direct acoustic sounding, the system flags the path as measuredThroughout = false and identifies the weakestOrigin (e.g., "Interpolated" or "Predicted").
In the UI, the captain is immediately alerted: "Not measured throughout — weakest link: Interpolated. Use your sounder."
While ArgoRoute computes the mathematical optimum, we strictly classify our generated paths with a Confidence Level.
Because GEBCO averages depth across 450m cells, micro-reefs, isolated pinnacles, and sudden depth spikes may not be represented. In very shallow coastal regions or unmapped marinas, the confidence level drops, and the algorithm may warn of "Local Shallows".
Disclaimer: Under admiralty law, the Master of the vessel bears non-delegable responsibility for safety. ArgoRoute is a supplementary planning tool, not an ECDIS replacement.