Plot (radar)

{{Short description|Graphic display that shows all collated data from a ship's on-board sensors}}

{{about|the graphic display of sensor information|the graphical method of displaying multivariate data|Radar chart}}

File:HMS Cardiff (D108) Operations Room.jpg era British warship]]

In naval terminology, a plot is a graphic display that shows all collated data from a ship's on-board sensors, i.e. radar, sonar and EW systems. They also displayed information from external sources - for example, other vessel or aircraft reports. There are four different types of plot, each with varying capabilities, i.e. range, depending on their role;{{cite book |author=Friedman, Norman |title=Naval Institute Guide to World Naval Weapon Systems (Naval Institute Guide to World Naval Weapons Systems) |url =https://books.google.com/books?id=4S3h8j_NEmkC&dq=%22surface+plot%22+navy&pg=PA85|publisher=US Naval Institute Press |year=2006 |pages=85 |isbn=1-55750-262-5 |access-date=2008-12-11}}

• Air plot: Used for tracking air contacts, i.e. planes and EW information.
• Surface plot: Used for tracking contacts on the surface of the water, i.e. other ships.{{cite web|url=http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/navy/docs/swos/stu2/STU01.html|title=INFORMATION SHEET|publisher=www.fas.org|author=Federation of American Scientists|author-link=Federation of American Scientists|access-date=2008-12-11}}{{cite web|url=http://www.eugeneleeslover.com/USNAVY/CHAPTER-16-G.html|title=CHAPTER-16-G|publisher=www.eugeneleeslover.com|author=NAVAL ORDNANCE AND GUNNERY VOLUME 2, FIRE CONTROL (1958)|access-date=2008-12-11}}{{cite web|url=http://www.history.navy.mil/library/online/cicmanual.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060712024325/http://www.history.navy.mil/library/online/cicmanual.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 12, 2006|title=Radar Bulletin No. 6, (RADSIX), CIC Manual|publisher=www.history.navy.mil|author=United States Navy|author-link=United States Navy|access-date=2008-12-11}} It can also perform a variety of roles such as:
• Providing a trace of a ship's own course and speed over time.
• Plotting the position of a man overboard.
• Can be used in naval gunfire support missions to plot unidentified contacts and keep track of friendly forces.
• It also plays an important part in anti-submarine warfare operations and using torpedoes.
• Sub-surface plot: Used for tracking contacts below the surface of the water, i.e. submarines.
• General operations plot: Used for tracking shipping on a large-scale chart. Was also used to display exercise boundaries, airplanes and other significant features of maritime interest. In the Royal Australian Navy, the scale used was generally {{convert|5|or|10|mi}} per {{convert|1|in}}.