October 14, 2005 — The use of marine navigation tools is necessary to ensure safe and efficient marine transportation and commerce, offshore engineering projects, naval operations and recreational activities. The NOAA Office of Coast Survey, which is part of the NOAA Oceans and Coasts Service, is responsible for providing many of these tools, such as nautical charts and hydrographic surveys. These NOAA products must be kept accurate and up to date at all times.

Additional navigation services are provided by the NOAA Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services, which collects and distributes observations and predictions of water levels and currents and manages a national network of Physical Oceanographic Real-Time Systems (also known as PORTS) in major U.S. harbors. The NOAA National Geodetic Survey plans and acquires aerial photography and compiles shoreline data, primarily for application to the nautical charts.

Authorizing Mandate
The mandate to create nautical charts of the nation's coasts dates back to 1807, when President Thomas Jefferson ordered a survey of the young nation's coast. The Organic Act of 1807 authorized the newly formed coastal survey agency (then known as the Survey of the Coast) to construct and maintain the nation's nautical charts. The successor agency, the NOAA Office of Coast Survey, is the oldest federal government scientific organization in the United States. It has been a part of the NOAA National Ocean Service since 1970, when NOAA was created.

The mandate to create and maintain nautical charts and related hydrographic information is intended to ensure the safe navigation of maritime commerce within the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone — an area of 3.4 million square nautical miles offshore from the coastline.

“The NOAA Office of Coast Survey supports one of NOAA’s primary mission goals — to support the nation's commerce with information for safe, efficient, and environmentally sound transportation,” said retired Navy Vice Adm. Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Ph.D., undersecretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator. "The mapping and charting products produced by this NOAA office will also serve as one component in the emerging global observing system," he added.

Coast Survey's Activities
The NOAA Office of Coast Survey oversees a number of critical activities:

• Nautical Charts: The NOAA Office of Coast Survey remains the primary agency responsible for constructing and maintaining the nation's nautical charts. Nautical charts contain information about the nature and form of the coast, the depths of the water and general character and configuration of the sea bottom, locations of dangers to navigation, locations of navigation aids and characteristics of the Earth's magnetism. Nautical charts are available in paper format, in a raster format (georeferenced digital pictures of paper nautical charts) and in a vector format (i.e., NOAA Electronic Navigational Charts). NOAA also offers a Print-on-Demand service that provides the most up-to-date paper nautical charts.
• Hydrographic Data and Coast Pilots: In addition to providing nautical charts, the NOAA Office of Coast Survey collects hydrographic data to construct and maintain more than 1,000 nautical charts and nine Coast Pilots, a series of books that provide a variety of information important to navigators. Hydrographic surveys contain water depth data that emphasize elements affecting safe navigation. These surveys identify sea floor materials, dredging areas, cables, pipelines, wrecks, piles and fish habitats using multibeam mapping systems and side-scan sonars. Coast Pilot topics include channel descriptions, anchorages, bridge and cable clearances, currents, tide and water levels, prominent features, pilotage, towage, traffic separation schemes, small-craft facilities and federal regulations that are applicable to navigation. Coast Pilots are available from NOAA chart agents or can be downloaded from the Coast Survey web site.
  • Ongoing research and development efforts aim to improve NOAA's marine navigation products and services.
  • NOAA Navigation Response Teams are highly mobile survey teams that conduct "hazardous obstructions" surveys, Coast Pilot updates and chart verifications. The six regionally-based teams use dive operations, electronic navigation data collection and mapping support capabilities to promote safe navigation and are available to respond on short notice to emergency situations requiring hydrographic survey support (e.g., vessel groundings, hurricane damage to ports and waterways, etc.) 365 days a year throughout U.S. waters. NOAA’s hydrographic survey vessels and Navigation Response Teams have used side scan and multibeam sonar to perform highly accurate surveys as part of NOAA's homeland security support to the U.S. Navy and the Coast Gaurd.
    
• NowCOAST — An Internet Mapping Portal: The NOAA NowCOAST is an Internet mapping portal that provides spatially-referenced links to real-time information from meteorological, oceanographic and river-observing networks, as well as NOAA's weather and marine forecasts and forecast guidance for major estuaries and seaports, the Great Lakes and coastal regions. Within a mouse click, users can access thousands of real-time observing stations and forecast locations in support of safe and efficient marine transportation.
• Historical Maps and Charts Collection: The NOAA National Ocean Service makes available more than 20,000 maps and charts dating back to the late 1700's. The collection includes the nation's earliest nautical charts, hydrographic surveys, topographic surveys, geodetic surveys, city plans and Civil War battle maps. Historical maps and charts are scanned and made available via the Internet.

Relevant Web Sites
NOAA Office of Coast Survey: What's New

NOAA Office of Coast Survey: Nautical Charts and Related Publications

NOAA Office of Coast Survey: Chart Updates

NOAA Office of Coast Survey: Automated Wreck and Obstruction Information System (AWOIS)

NOAA Office of Coastal Survey: Hydrography and Hydrographic Surveys

NOAA Office of Coastal Survey: Geographic Information Products and Services

Results of OCS Emergency Hydrographic Surveys Hurricane Season 2005

Promote Safe Navigation

Media Contact:
Ben Sherman, NOAA Ocean Service, (301) 713-3066 ext. 178 or Glenda Powell, NOAA Office of Response and Restoration, (301)713-2989