Bernard, though he doesn't work explicitly on navigation, it might be rewarding to get in touch with Omar Nasim at the University of Regensburg/Germany hwo has been working on astro-photography and it's translation into celestial maps from the 19th century onward. I'm sure he can provide you not only with his own excellent writings but also a plethora of sources. (And when you're done with the writing I'd love to read it ...) Many greetings Friedrich Quoting Bernard Geoghegan <bernardgeoghegan2010@u.northwestern.edu>:
Dear Colleagues,
Can anyone recommend key works on 18th-20th c. astronomical, nautical, and maritime charts, esp as a pre-history to modern information processing? I’m trying to write a history of how 19th c. visuality was pieced together at sea, from a patchwork of observations, charts, tables, astrolabes, etc, in which a regime of calculations and information processing figure centrally in making visual sense of the surrounding world.
To give a very general idea of where I’m coming from, I’ve found some very useful work in the Campbell-Kelly et al volume on “The History of Mathematical Tables,” and Mindell’s work on naval systems of artillery control has also been an inspiring point of reference.
Thank for your thoughts on further sources!
Warmly, Bernard