Northport System Signs Exclusive Distribution Agreement with Avia Sail
Leading Mapping Software Manufacturer Becomes Sole Distributor of Avia Graphical Instrument Software
TORONTO, Canada - Software manufacturer Northport Systems Inc., announced today it has entered an exclusive agreement with Avia Design Group Inc. to distribute its Avia Sail and Avia Motor line of software instrumentation products for NMEA 0183 and NMEA 2000® networks. Effective October 1, 2010, the manufacturer of popular Fugawi desktop and mobile software, as well as the online chart subscription service X-Traverse.com, will be the sole distributor of Avia innovative software. The North Vancouver-based Avia Design Group develops affordable and versatile software that brings sophisticated sailing instrumentation functionality to the
everyday sailor.
Avia's PC software applications receive data from onboard sensors via the industry standard NMEA 0183 and NMEA 2000 protocols, and present the data as crisp and crystal-clear analog or digital instruments on the PC screen, with a look and feel familiar to all boaters. All Avia products support common instruments such as speed, COG, heading and much more. Avia Sail supports additional instrumentation for sailors such as apparent and true wind speed, wind/polar plots, heel angle and more, while Avia Motor supports additional instrumentation geared towards the power boater, such as twin tachometers, speed, engine and
tank instruments.
Both Avia Sail and Avia Motor are available in 'Lite' versions, with a simplified dashboard and quick configuration utility. 'Pro' version software includes over 20 instruments, customizable dashboard layouts, and network connectivity to multiple displays as well as instrumentation overlay with third-party navigation software products such as Fugawi Marine ENC, Coastal Explorer or Nobletec for PC. The Pro version also outputs NMEA 0183 data via WiFi for connectivity with the compatible iNavX marine navigation application for Apple(TM) iPhone(TM) or iPad(TM), placing data and instrumentation in the palm of boaters' hands.
"We are proud to be sole distributor of Avia Sail's pioneering sailing instrument software," said Robin Martel, president of Northport Systems. "A set of physical marine instruments with similar capabilities could cost thousands of dollars. We believe this simple-to-use, affordable and versatile marine software is the future of marine electronics; and with easy updates, boaters are assured they have the latest enhancements."
"We are pleased to work with Northport Systems," said Grahame Shannon, president of Avia Design Group, "Their extensive distribution network and superior customer service will elevate the Avia brand, expand Avia Sail and Motor market share, and complement Fugawi's existing and growing customer base."
Avia Pro instrumentation can be viewed and accessed even when other applications are displayed "full screen". The software has the ability to pass NMEA 0183 sensor data out to a variety of navigational software programs, including Fugawi Marine ENC via a virtual serial port emulator. When using an emulator such as Eterlogic, Avia presents crisp, easy-to-read instruments and gauges as an overlay on marine navigation software.
"The capabilities are virtually limitless," added Martel. "With support for up to three NMEA 0183 inputs and an NMEA 2000 input, instrumentation displayed on a customizable dashboard or as floating windows on top of third-party navigation software, and output to 2 com ports or via TCP/IP; Avia provides a powerful and innovative, yet easy-to-use enhancement to the data network on any boat."
Avia Sail will be available to purchase starting October 1, 2010 from Northport Systems and leading marine electronics dealers worldwide. Avia Motor will be available before the end of the year. Avia Sail Lite and Avia Motor Lite are priced at $99.00; the advanced Avia Sail Pro and Avia Motor Pro sell for $299.00. For more information on Avia software or to learn more about Northport Systems and its entire product line, please call (416) 920-9300 or visit http://www.fugawi.com/avia.
About Northport Systems Inc.:
Established in 1995 in Toronto, Canada, Northport Systems Inc. (www.fugawi.com) now supplies desktop and mobile navigation and mapping software products and online services to over 130 countries under the Fugawi brand. Northport enjoys a worldwide reputation as a leader in GPS mapping software and innovative GPS applications for the outdoor recreation and marine markets. Fugawi Software and Fugawi X-Traverse are properties of Northport Systems.
Andrew Golden
Rushton Gregory Communications
617-413-6521
agolden@rushtongregory.com
Robin Martel
Northport Systems, Inc.
robin@fugawi.com
