First release of WaypointsAlongTransect

In marine research, measurements are often taken along a transect during an expedition; e.g. from 20° N; 22°W to 15° S; 22° W. Along this route, the research vessel stops at regular intervals to lower different types of probes into the depths. The app "WayPointsAlongTransect" calculates the positions (latitude and longitude) of these stops. The user only has to specify the latitude and longitude from the beginning and end of the transect. Then he can calculate the total length (in nautical miles) to estimate the number stops according to the planned regular intervals. The total length is displayed for a distance calculated with a constant course (rhombus line) and in comparison along a great circle. The water depth profile is shown to the user, first using the default rhombus line for the distance on the X-axis. The user can save the high-resolution depth profile to a TXT file and use it for any other purpose. In the next step, the user selects the regular distance between stops/stations (Spacing Value), this value is set to "Nautical Miles" by default. Now the latitude and longitude, the positions, of the stops/stations can be calculated with button "Compute Waypoints". The waypoints are then placed as vertical red lines over the high-resolution depth profile. Above this, the depth profile is plotted in red in the resolution resulting from the selected station distance. To the left of this, the positions are plotted in a map. If the user is satisfied with the result, he can insert a station manually. To do this, he clicks on the button "Insert Profile" and moves the mouse, the mouse pointer is now a small cross, into the depth profile at the position (water depth/distance) where the profile should be inserted. A click on the left mouse button, shows the inserted profile in green. This process can be repeated several times. Finally, the positions of all waypoints are saved to a text file with button "Save Waypoints". Users who have created a cruise plan using the "Perplex7" app (see Mathworks File Exchange) can insert this text file/section using the “Import” menu. Instead of using a distance in "Nautical Miles", the user can also specify "Minutes" instead of “Nautical Miles”. Default is “latitude”. E.g. “Spacing Value = 30 “, then means that stations along 22°W are calculated at 22°N; 21° 30' N; 21° N; 20° 30' N and so on. If the transect is essentially meridional, the check mark ("LAT") is set. However, if this runs more zonally, the check mark can be deleted so that, for example, waypoints are placed at 22° 00.0' W; 22° 30.0' W; 23° 00.0' W etc. and corresponding latitude. Detailed instructions can be found in the PDF file in addition to the source codes of the app.