RFE: KAP Automating Save/View images with coordinates as Kap files

[rgleason]

PLEASE NOTE: Weatherfax can already manually export files as KAP with georeferencing data (long/lat coordinates).
See Weatherfax_pi File export as Kap

This Issue is about automating the use of Kap files in Weatherfax.

1. Augment Weatherfax so that it can read KAP files that it creates.
2. Provide an option for Image Wizard to convert all files to KAP after saving the image.
3. Provide an option to read only KAP files or to read both.
4. Other ideas/details

Use a different format to save images, which includes GIS coordinates, so the images can be reopened without having to run the Image Wizard.

See Sean's repository Possibility to read write Kap

See Post 101 https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/f134/photolayer-plugin-satellite-geotiffs-with-transparency-194922.html#post3615526

See GordotheGrey #97 Post https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/f134/photolayer-plugin-satellite-geotiffs-with-transparency-194922.html#post3614944

[rgleason]

Follow David Burch's How to load Noaa Weather maps into Opencpn - the hard way
He shows step by step how to convert an image + coordinates into a Kap file using the program imgkap.exe
Also Converting Weather Maps to BSB echarts using MapCal_2
SVSarana How to make Google Earth Images into Charts shows the steps necessary which can also be applied to weatherfaxes.

Note that VFkap_pi (Opencpn Plugin) and VentureFurther Website but the conversion requires an internet connection and is done by the server, so this is not a good solution for weatherfaxes at sea.

VFKap_pi does something similar to GE2KAP (now SAT2Chart - old plugin manual) http://gdayii.ca/Downloads.php,

Available here for Win and Mac http://www.dacust.com/inlandwaters/imgkap/
Also for more information see our Supplemental Software "Imgkap and Kap File" page

Weatherfax currently uses downloaded weatherfax image files with coordinate files which are previously defined using the Weatherfax Image Wizard and is able to display the image as an overlay on Opencpn Charts. If you close OpenCPN and reopen the program, all the links to the coordinate files are lost, so the file must be downloaded again so that the coordinates are applied and the image file can be overlaid.

We would like to improve this process by having

1. Weatherfax Image Wizard should have the option to convert to KAP files at the finish.
2. Weatherfax should be enabled to read those KAP files optionally.
3. Then the coordinate data will be stored along with the weatherfax image files and opening them will automatically overlay them in the coordinates entered.
4. Note that OpenCPN supports Kap.
5. Here is Pavel's [Nohal] github imgkap repository with description.

We do not know at this point if there is an imgkap.exe for linux at this point,
LATER: Actually there is a way for Linux too, please refer to
How to convert your chart images to a format that OpenCPN will read using Linux

We are looking for a programmer will and capable of completing this work for Windows, Mac and Linux under the Opencpn opensource terms. It will be a notable improvement in Weatherfax_pi