A retro-styled nautical reference for every lighthouse around the coasts of Britain and Ireland. DatumLight renders its data through the warm glow of a vintage phosphor terminal, presenting lighthouse positions, characteristics, and flash patterns in authentic Admiralty chart style.
CHART
An interactive nautical chart plots every lighthouse as a six-pointed star marker, colour-coded by authority — Commissioners of Irish Lights, Trinity House, Northern Lighthouse Board, and Harbour Authorities. Pan and zoom across the full coastline from Muckle Flugga to the Lizard. Graticule grid lines, animated cartographic wave marks, and sea area labels complete the chart aesthetic. Tap any marker to see its callout with characteristic notation and flash animation.
LIGHTS
Browse the complete database sorted and filtered by name, authority, county, or range. Each entry shows the lighthouse silhouette with its actual flash pattern playing in real time — phosphor decay and all. Tap through to the full detail view with position in DM/DMS format, sector diagram, range, and signal timing breakdown.
IDENTIFY
Count the flashes. Note the colour. Estimate the period. The identification system lets you filter by characteristic type, light colour, flash count, and period to narrow down which light you're observing from shore or sea. Results show live flash animations matched to your filter criteria.
KEY
A comprehensive legend explains every symbol, colour, abbreviation, and notation convention used throughout the app — from characteristic type codes to authority colour assignments and standard Admiralty notation examples.
FEATURES
- Complete lighthouse database for Ireland, England, Wales, Scotland, Channel Islands, and Isle of Man
- Live flash pattern animations with phosphor decay simulation
- Interactive chart with coastline, graticule, sea fill, and animated wave marks
- Authority colour-coding: CIL, Trinity House, NLB, Harbour Authority
- Light colour display: White, Red, Green sectors
- Full characteristic decoding with signal timing diagrams
- Sector diagrams showing light coverage arcs
- Position display in Degrees/Minutes and Degrees/Minutes/Seconds
- CRT scanline overlay and phosphor glow effects throughout
- Green and Amber display themes
- No internet connection required — all data is bundled
SUPPORT
Need help with DatumLight? Whether you have a question about how the app works, want to request a feature, or need to report a problem, you can reach us through the following channels:
- Ask a question — get help with using DatumLight
- Report a bug — let us know if something isn't working
- Request a feature — suggest improvements or new functionality
You can also browse existing issues to see if your question has already been answered.