Inventory your equipment
Identify GPS, AIS, depth and wind sensors, along with their outputs and versions. Devices do not all provide the same data or use the same interface.
Gateway and data network
A compatible gateway can convert or distribute data for an application to display together. In Open Marine, Signal K provides the data bus between sources and the interface.
Verify on board
Compare readings with the original instruments, check units and duplicate sources, and document the installation. Unreliable data must not be the sole basis for a decision.
Turn the inventory into a diagram
Draw each device, output and current destination: for example, GPS to USB, AIS to a serial interface and depth to its display. Mark power supplies and known adapters. This reveals an occupied connection, duplicate source or signal that has not yet reached the network.
Integrate one source at a time
Connect and verify own position first, then AIS and other measurements. Compare values, units and update rates with original equipment. Record the source selected on each screen and test what happens when it is disconnected in port. Do not treat a frozen last value as current data.
Before sailing
Test startup, access from each screen, local availability and backup resources. Integration makes information easier to consult but does not automatically improve sensor accuracy or ensure that every vessel appears on AIS.