Office of Coast Survey

Office of Coast Survey
Agency name	Office of Coast Survey
Formed	1807
Jurisdiction	United States Department of Commerce
Headquarters	Silver Spring, Maryland
Website	www.noaa.gov

Office of Coast Survey The Office of Coast Survey provides nautical navigation products and hydrographic science for the United States, supporting United States Navy, United States Coast Guard, Port of New York and New Jersey, Port of Los Angeles, and commercial maritime activities like Panama Canal transits. Tracing roots to the early Republic and figures such as President Thomas Jefferson and President James Madison, the Office integrates cartography, geodesy, and oceanography in collaboration with institutions including National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, United States Department of Commerce, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Smithsonian Institution, and United States Geological Survey.

History

The Office emerged from the 1807 authorization by United States Congress that led to the appointment of President Thomas Jefferson's surveyors and the first superintendent, reflecting needs highlighted after the Quasi-War with France. Early operations involved nautical publishing for ports like Boston Harbor, New York Harbor, and Chesapeake Bay and engaged cartographers influenced by works such as Noah Webster's atlases and the maps of Matthew Fontaine Maury. During the American Civil War, surveys supported Union Navy blockades and operations in regions like Mississippi River and Charleston Harbor. In the 20th century the Office collaborated with World War I and World War II naval planning, modernized chart production with photogrammetry from Wright brothers-era aviation advances, and integrated with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration upon its formation, aligning with standards from International Maritime Organization and regulatory frameworks tied to laws like the Merchant Marine Act of 1920.

Mission and Responsibilities

The Office’s core mission aligns with maritime safety priorities of International Hydrographic Organization conventions, providing nautical charts, bathymetry, and maritime geodetic control used by United States Navy, United States Merchant Marine Academy, Federal Emergency Management Agency, and port authorities at Port of Seattle and Port of Miami. Responsibilities include charting approaches to strategic waterways such as the Strait of Juan de Fuca, maintaining tidal datum tied to National Tide and Sea Level Observing System, and enforcing standards referenced by treaties like the Convention on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea. It supports commerce through services to entities including American Bureau of Shipping, Maersk Line, and Carnival Cruise Line.

Organizational Structure

The Office is a component office within National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reporting to the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere. Leadership includes a superintendent and divisions that parallel functions in agencies such as United States Hydrographic Office historic units, with branches for nautical charting, hydrographic surveys, navigation services, and geospatial data akin to laboratories at Scripps Institution of Oceanography and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Field operations deploy survey vessels managed in coordination with United States Coast Guard district commands and with academic partnerships at University of New Hampshire and University of Rhode Island.

Nautical Charting and Hydrographic Services

Charting activities produce and update ENCs and paper charts used by pilots in places like San Francisco Bay, Long Island Sound, and Gulf of Mexico approaches. Hydrographic surveys employ multibeam echosounders, side-scan sonar, and sub-bottom profilers developed with suppliers including Kongsberg Maritime and Fugro. Products feed into navigation aids such as electronic chart display systems used on USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78)-class carriers and merchant vessels operated by Matson, Inc. and Hapag-Lloyd. Historic chart archives contain engravings and charts by surveyors who worked with figures such as Matthew Fontaine Maury and contributed to maritime knowledge used in explorations like the Lewis and Clark Expedition logistics.

Technology and Research

Research programs collaborate with National Aeronautics and Space Administration missions for satellite altimetry and with United States Geological Survey for seafloor mapping and sediment studies in regions like the Continental Shelf and Bering Sea. Innovations include autonomous surface vehicles developed with Massachusetts Institute of Technology and unmanned underwater vehicles tested alongside Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and University of Washington. Geodetic work ties to National Spatial Reference System and leverages global navigation satellite systems such as Global Positioning System and international systems like Galileo (satellite navigation) for precise positioning.

Emergency Response and Maritime Safety

The Office provides critical response during incidents such as oil spills and maritime accidents, coordinating with United States Coast Guard District Commanders, Environmental Protection Agency, and Federal Emergency Management Agency in events like responses to storms including Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Sandy. It issues Notice to Mariners and precision surveys to support salvage operations like those involving the SS El Faro investigation and works with salvage companies and investigators from National Transportation Safety Board when maritime incidents require bathymetric evidence.

International Cooperation and Standards

The Office engages with the International Hydrographic Organization and regional bodies including Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission working groups, contributing to global standards such as S-57 and S-100 data models and interoperable services used by national hydrographic offices like United Kingdom Hydrographic Office, Canadian Hydrographic Service, Australian Hydrographic Office, and Japan Hydrographic and Oceanographic Department. Bilateral and multilateral agreements cover joint surveys in areas near Caribbean Sea routes, Arctic collaborations with Norway and Russia research institutes, and participation in initiatives linked to United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

Category:National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Category:Hydrography