What is LIR?
LIR is a maritime AI assistant that gives captains real-time passage planning, bridge clearances, tidal predictions, USCG hazard notices, depth data, and engine troubleshooting specific to their vessel — built on live federal data, not general internet knowledge.
01 Who built LIR?
LIR was built by Captain Jonathon Snedeker, a USCG Licensed Master (1600 Tons, Oceans, Master of Towing, Western Rivers) who operates commercial vessels on US inland and coastal waterways. He built LIR because the navigation tools he needed as a working captain didn't exist.
The credentials matter. Bridge clearance calculations, tidal window planning, COLREGS interpretation, and engine troubleshooting in LIR reflect real operational experience — not general internet knowledge assembled by a software team that has never operated a vessel.
"Our silicon is salty — not built in a valley."
LIR is developed by XeroHuman AI LLC. Captain Jonathon holds an active USCG Master 1600 Ton Oceans, Master of Towing (Oceans, Near Coastal, and Inland), and Western Rivers endorsement.
02 What does LIR do?
LIR operates in three modes:
A conversational AI that answers navigation questions using your vessel's profile and live federal data. Bridge clearances, COLREGS, engine fault codes, USCG notices, tidal windows.
Generates a complete passage brief for any ICW or offshore route: bridge list with tidal clearances, active USCG hazard notices matched to your route, tidal windows, fuel range against your tank capacity, and an AI-synthesized situation narrative.
A live situational awareness feed for your current position: active LNM notices within your chosen radius, nearby bridge clearances, current tides and water levels, AIS traffic, and restricted areas.
Every calculation uses your Vessel Brain — a detailed profile including your draft, air draft, engine make and model, engine hours, fuel capacity, generator specs, and thruster configuration. LIR's answers are specific to your boat, not generic.
03 What data sources does LIR use?
LIR pulls live data directly from US federal agency APIs and pairs it with a curated maritime knowledge base. No third-party aggregators. No cached web results.
04 Who is LIR for?
LIR is built for captains making real operational decisions — not recreational curiosity browsing.
- Great Loop cruisers planning multi-day passages through the ICW, Gulf Coast, western rivers, and Great Lakes approaches — where bridge clearances, lock schedules, and tidal windows determine the route.
- Offshore passage makers running the Atlantic coast, Gulf of Mexico, Pacific coast, or heading to Alaska and Hawaii — who need shoal avoidance, Gulf Stream awareness, and tidal inlet timing.
- Commercial mariners and towing operators who need COLREGS references, CFR lookups, and routing decisions that hold up operationally.
- Liveaboards and coastal cruisers moving frequently through ICW anchorages, bridges, and inlets where local conditions matter.
- Boat owners who want help troubleshooting engine, generator, and systems problems — add your vessel's engine make, generator specs, and systems to Vessel Brain and LIR answers everything specific to your boat.
LIR is not a chart plotter and does not replace one. It is an intelligence layer — the contextual reasoning and live data briefing that a chart plotter cannot provide.
05 How is LIR different from ChatGPT or other AI?
| Capability | ChatGPT / General AI | LIR |
|---|---|---|
| Live tidal data | No. Knowledge cutoff, no API access. | Yes. Live NOAA predictions for any station. |
| Bridge clearances | Generic or outdated. No tidal correction. | Live tidal correction at every bridge. Air-gap sensors at major crossings. |
| USCG LNM hazards | No access to current notices. | Ingests all 6 USCG districts. Matched to your route or position in real time. |
| Vessel-specific answers | Generic. No vessel profile. | Uses your draft, air draft, engine, fuel capacity for every calculation. |
| Engine troubleshooting | General knowledge. May hallucinate specs. | Curated engine and systems knowledge base. Fault codes from actual service data. |
| Depth queries | No chart data access. | 127,851 NOAA ENC depth polygons. Compared to your draft. Live tidal adjustment. |
| Built by a mariner | No. | USCG 1600-Ton Master, Oceans, Master of Towing. |
ChatGPT will attempt to answer navigation questions but has no access to current tides, active hazard notices, live bridge sensor data, or ENC chart polygons. LIR scored 29 out of 30 on a professional navigation rules examination and answers COLREGS questions with rule citations and jurisdiction flags.
06 Honest about what's next
What we have. What's coming.
- Ask LIR — conversational maritime AI
- Voyage Planning — pre-departure briefings
- Local Mode — situational awareness anywhere on US waters
- Vessel brain — 7-step vessel profile
- Live USCG, NOAA, USACE, and NWS data
- 94,328-record maritime knowledge base
- Captain notes — crowd-sourced local knowledge and depth reports
- NMEA integration — live vessel telemetry
- Chart view and full navigation interface
- Expanded offshore routing
- More engine and systems manuals
- International waterway coverage
07 What does LIR cost?
LIR uses AI models and live data sources to answer every query. New users can try all three modes before subscribing — no credit card required. Paid plans give you enough for a full season of passages.
Full access to all three modes.
- Ask LIR, Voyage Plan, Local Mode
- Vessel Brain setup
- Live NOAA, USCG, USACE, USGS data
- All features included
- Priority response
Everything in Captain plus higher daily limits and priority response.
- Everything in Captain
- Higher daily limits
- Priority response
- Priority access included
08 Questions captains ask
Is LIR a navigation app?+
Not yet. LIR today is an AI crewmate that answers questions, briefs passages, and gives you situational awareness anywhere on US waters. The chart view and full navigation features are on the roadmap.
Why is LIR more expensive than nav apps?+
LIR isn't a nav app. It's something nav apps don't do — a real AI assistant trained on actual maritime knowledge with a captain's judgment. The price reflects what it actually replaces (asking a senior pilot a question), not what charts cost.
Who built LIR?+
Captain Jonathon Snedeker — USCG Licensed Master (Oceans, Towing, Western Rivers). An active commercial captain who built LIR because the planning tools he needed in the wheelhouse didn't exist. Built by XeroHuman AI LLC.
What waterways does LIR cover?+
Strong coverage on the Atlantic ICW (Maine to Key West), Gulf ICW (Florida to Texas), the 12 major Western Rivers (Mississippi, Ohio, Tennessee, Cumberland, Illinois, Tenn-Tom, Allegheny, Monongahela, Arkansas, Red, Ouachita, Black Warrior), Chesapeake Bay, Great Lakes connecting channels, and full US offshore coverage.
Will my vessel data stay private?+
Yes. Vessel brain data is yours alone and never shared with other users or used to train models.
Can I cancel anytime?+
Yes. No long-term contracts. Cancel anytime from your account settings.
What does LIR cost to run — why credits?+
Each Ask LIR query runs through multiple AI models and pulls from up to 14 live data sources. The free tier gives you enough to run real queries and see what the system can do — no credit card required. Paid plans give you a much larger included use for a full season of passages.
Try it yourself.
The front door is the product. Type a real question and see a real answer.
Ask it something →