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| NOAA Nautical Charts | |
|---|---|
| Name | NOAA Nautical Charts |
| Caption | Example of a nautical chart produced by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration |
| Jurisdiction | United States |
| Parent agency | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration |
| Formed | 1970 (NOAA formation) |
NOAA Nautical Charts are official maritime cartographic products produced by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to support navigation, safety, and marine operations along the coasts, Great Lakes, and territorial waters of the United States. They integrate hydrographic surveys, shoreline delineation, and navigational aids to inform mariners, researchers, and planners from small craft operators to commercial shipping companies. The charts tie into broader systems such as the United States Coast Guard search-and-rescue framework, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and international charting standards promulgated by the International Hydrographic Organization.
NOAA nautical charts provide geospatial depictions of water depths, hazards, aids to navigation, and shoreline features for areas including the Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, Arctic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, and the Great Lakes, supporting stakeholders from the United States Coast Guard, National Park Service, United States Geological Survey, United States Navy, and the United States Army Corps of Engineers. Each chart is referenced to vertical datums such as the North American Vertical Datum and horizontal datums like the North American Datum of 1983 and integrates tidal information from the National Ocean Service and tidal prediction tools used by the National Weather Service and the Federal Emergency Management Agency for storm surge planning. Charts are part of a suite of products that interact with systems such as Electronic Chart Display and Information System standards from the International Maritime Organization and International Hydrographic Organization.
The lineage of NOAA charts traces through antecedent agencies including the United States Coast Survey and United States Coast and Geodetic Survey, reflecting historical efforts tied to figures like Ferdinand Hassler and Alexander Dallas Bache and events such as coastal surveying for the American Civil War, the Alaska Purchase, and the expansion of the Panama Canal era. Technological shifts from lead-line sounding to wire-drag operations, multibeam sonar, and airborne lidar reflect advances paralleled in institutions such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Administrative reorganizations culminating in the 1970 creation of NOAA brought together programs from the Department of Commerce, Bureau of Navigation, and the Smithsonian Institution to modernize charting workflows alongside standards codified by the International Hydrographic Organization and interoperability work with the International Maritime Organization.
NOAA produces Raster Navigational Charts and Electronic Navigational Charts compatible with ARC, S-57, and S-101 ENC standards used by manufacturers such as Garmin, Raymarine, Furuno, and Navionics, and by vessels regulated under the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea. Specialized products include charts for the Great Lakes, coastal plan view charts, approach and harbor charts, and small-craft charts designed to complement publications like the U.S. Coast Pilot and tide tables from the National Ocean Service. Allied formats and tools include bathymetric datasets from multibeam surveys, digital elevation models used by the United States Geological Survey, and geospatial services consumed through platforms like the Federal Geographic Data Committee clearinghouses and the National Map.
Chart production relies on coordinated surveys, with field data acquisition by NOAA ships, contracted survey vessels, and collaborations with the United States Navy, United States Army Corps of Engineers, and academic research vessels from institutions such as the University of New Hampshire and University of Washington. Processing workflows use geodetic control from the National Geodetic Survey, hydrographic processing software, and quality assurance procedures aligned with International Hydrographic Organization standards, with updates promulgated via Notices to Mariners from the United States Coast Guard and the Notice to Mariners published by allied maritime administrations like the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office and Canadian Hydrographic Service.
Primary data sources include multibeam and single-beam echosounder surveys, side-scan sonar, lidar shoreline mapping often conducted in partnership with state coastal programs and the Federal Emergency Management Agency flood mapping initiatives, and positional control from Global Positioning System networks and Continuously Operating Reference Stations maintained by the National Geodetic Survey. Accuracy assessments reference standards from the International Hydrographic Organization and interoperability testing with systems used by the United States Navy, Port authorities, and commercial shipping companies, while metadata practices follow guidelines by the Federal Geographic Data Committee and the Open Geospatial Consortium.
Mariners such as merchant mariners, recreational boaters, pilots, and search-and-rescue coordinators use NOAA charts for voyage planning, collision avoidance, and port approaches alongside tools from the United States Coast Guard, Maritime Administration, and the American Pilots Association. Shoreline managers, coastal engineers, port authorities, environmental agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency, and scientific researchers from institutions including the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution use chart data for habitat mapping, shoreline change assessment, coastal resilience planning, and hydrographic research. Emergency planners from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and Department of Homeland Security integrate chart-derived bathymetry and tidal datums into flood risk modeling and incident response.
NOAA distributes charts free of charge through digital services and print-on-demand programs managed by the Office of Coast Survey, with datasets accessible via portals aligned with Federal Geographic Data Committee initiatives and data-sharing agreements with organizations like the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office, Canadian Hydrographic Service, and international partners under International Hydrographic Organization frameworks. Licensing terms permit reuse for commercial and research applications while requiring adherence to attribution policies and interoperability specifications embraced by standards organizations such as the Open Geospatial Consortium and International Hydrographic Organization.
Category:Nautical charts Category:National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration