Kurslinien

Kurslinien are lines used in navigation and mapmaking to represent a specific course or bearing on a chart. The term combines Kurs, meaning course or bearing, with Linie, meaning line. In practice, a Kurslinie typically denotes a planned or recorded path that a vessel, aircraft, or other moving object is intended to follow or has followed, often drawn as a polyline connecting successive fixes or waypoints.

In maritime charts, a Kurslinie marks the intended track from one waypoint to the next. It is an aid for voyage planning and for tracking actual movement against the planned route. Mariners may annotate Kurslinien with distance, estimated time en route, and information about expected deviations due to wind, currents, or other conditions, using the difference between the actual track and the Kurslinie to assess drift and make corrections.

In aviation, Kurslinien serve a similar function in flight planning and navigation charts, representing the planned magnetic or true course between navigation fixes. On cockpit and electronic navigation displays, Kurslinien may be shown to help pilots maintain the intended route and to ensure timely deviations or course changes when necessary.

In geographic information systems and cartography, the term may also describe lines indicating a constant bearing or direction from a given origin, depending on data conventions. However, the usage can vary, and more common German terms for related concepts include Kursführung or Richtungsachse.

Etymology: Kurslinien derives from Kurs (course, bearing) and Linie (line). See also Konturlinien (contour lines) to avoid confusion with elevation lines.