# Olex > Olex, real-time 2D/3D navigation and bathymetry software, distributed in France by MIS: fishing, hydrography, research and polar vessels. Olex is navigation software that builds a map of the seabed in real time from the vessel's GPS and echo sounder. It is developed by Olex AS, an independent company founded in 1997 and based in Trondheim, Norway. Magic Instinct Software (MIS) has been its official distributor in France since 2000 and sells it directly to its users. [image : 3D view of the seabed relief built by Olex from the vessel's soundings] ## A complete electronic chart system Olex is first of all an ECS (Electronic Chart System). It works with vector charts: official ENCs in S-57 format, encrypted charts in S-63 format and, over the years, C-Map CM93/2, Navionics Chartworld and charts from the Norwegian Hydrographic Service (NSKV). Users choose which information they want on screen, which keeps the display clear. Chart formats are detailed on the [Charts](https://www.justmagic.com/en/olex/cartographie/) page. Charts are displayed seamlessly over the whole planet. For speed, Olex stores them in an internal geographic database split into rectangular cells at several zoom levels: the level of detail follows the chosen scale. ## Built-in real-time bathymetry Olex continuously records the position from the GPS and the depth from the echo sounder. From these it computes a seabed map by interpolation (gridding), then combines it with the vector chart to produce a three-dimensional chart. The computation is fully automatic and needs no user action. [[image : Bathymetric map created by Olex from the vessel's soundings]](https://www.justmagic.com/images/Bathy_Olex.png) The principle relies on the vessel's tracks: the more it sails over an area, the finer the seabed map becomes, up to a level of detail greater than that of official paper charts. The software must therefore keep running whenever the vessel is under way. The measurements (date, position, depth) feed a database covering the whole planet, as a grid of bathymetric cells of 5 m by 5 m by default, a size that matches the usual GPS accuracy (about 5 m). It can be set down to sub-metre cells for hydrography. Each cell holds a depth that is measured, computed or unknown. Repeated measurements on the same cell improve the sounding, and each new point triggers a recomputation of the neighbouring cells within a set radius. The quality of the result depends on the sensors. For commercial fishing, the vessel's GPS and echo sounder are enough. For hydrography, a sub-metre DGPS, a narrow-beam hydrographic echo sounder and suitable Olex settings are needed. ## Main functions - 2D and 3D bathymetry display and analysis: depth contours, seabed profiles, slope shading (see [Features](https://www.justmagic.com/en/olex/caracteristiques/) and [3D view](https://www.justmagic.com/en/olex/3d/)). - Soundings corrected for the tide computed with [XTide](https://flaterco.com/xtide/). - Multilingual interface: the language (French, English, Spanish) can be changed while running, for crews of several nationalities. - ARPA radar targets and autopilot displayed in 2D and 3D. - Runs on Linux. - Options: [seabed hardness](https://www.justmagic.com/en/olex/durete-du-fond/), [multibeam echo sounders](https://www.justmagic.com/en/olex/multifaisceaux/), [AIS](https://www.justmagic.com/en/olex/ais/), [tidal currents](https://www.justmagic.com/en/olex/courants/), [towed gear tracking](https://www.justmagic.com/en/olex/iti/), and [Dataview](https://www.justmagic.com/en/olex/dataview/), a data acquisition module developed by MIS. ## Who uses Olex Olex suits all types of vessels: fishing, merchant navy, passenger transport, oceanographic vessels. - **Fishing**: bathymetry built up trip after trip, [seabed hardness](https://www.justmagic.com/en/olex/durete-du-fond/), [trawl tracking](https://www.justmagic.com/en/olex/iti/), and bathymetry shared over AIS between [pair trawlers](https://www.justmagic.com/en/olex/ais/). - **Hydrography**: in 2005, Cegelec selected MIS, together with Thales Navigation, to equip the vessels of the Régie des Voies Maritimes (RVM) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In 2006, Olex ran there with Tide RTK, a module developed by MIS that automatically reduced soundings to chart datum using kinematic GPS. - **Research**: in 2002, Ifremer chose Olex for its coastal vessels *Gwen Drez*, *Thalia* and *Europe*. In 2015, SHOM presented at the 10th GEBCO meeting a study based on bathymetric data from French Olex users, aggregated by MIS. - **Polar vessels**: in October 2022, MIS equipped the *Commandant Charcot* (Ponant), with an Olex solution for a multibeam survey zodiac, and the German research vessel *Polarstern*. ## What MIS does MIS advises on equipment, installs Olex on board, trains users and provides follow-up support. It also develops modules and tools around Olex: see [Services](https://www.justmagic.com/en/olex/prestations/), [Prices and references](https://www.justmagic.com/en/olex/tarifs-references/) and, for any specific question, the [Contact](https://www.justmagic.com/en/contact/) page. ## Screenshots [[image : Port of Lorient displayed in Olex with all chart details]](https://www.justmagic.com/images/Olex_Lorient.gif) *Port of Lorient, with details* [[image : Port of Lorient displayed in Olex without chart details]](https://www.justmagic.com/images/Olex_Lorient_nu.gif) *Port of Lorient, without details* [[image : ARPA radar targets and autopilot displayed in 2D in Olex]](https://www.justmagic.com/images/Olex_ARPA_2D.gif) *ARPA radar targets and autopilot in 2D* [[image : ARPA radar targets and autopilot displayed in 3D in Olex]](https://www.justmagic.com/images/Olex_ARPA_3D.gif) *ARPA radar targets and autopilot in 3D* [[image : Zoom at 1:200 showing Olex bathymetric cells]](https://www.justmagic.com/images/Olex_cell_bathy.gif) *Zoom at 1:200 and bathymetric cells* [image : Tide curve for Trondheim computed by XTide in Olex] *Tide computed with XTide* Animations: [layer management of the vector chart (port of Boulogne-sur-Mer)](https://www.justmagic.com/images/Boulogne.gif), [chart oriented north-up, then course-up](https://www.justmagic.com/images/Visu_route.gif).