[EXPIRED] NOAA Seeks Comments on Ending Paper Chart Publication
| Contact: Kristen Crossett, 301-325-2113 |
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| NOAA invites public comment on ending production of
traditional paper nautical charts |
NOAA is initiating a five-year process to end all traditional paper nautical chart production and is seeking the public’s feedback via a Federal Register Notice published on November 15, 2019. Chart users, companies that provide products and services based on NOAA raster and electronic navigational chart ( NOAA ENC®) products, and other stakeholders can help shape the manner and timing in which the product sunsetting process will proceed. Comments may be submitted through NOAA’s online ASSIST feedback tool and are due on February 1, 2020. Over the next five years, NOAA will work to ease the transition to ENC-based products while continuing to support safe navigation. NOAA will focus on improving data consistency and providing larger scale coverage of NOAA ENC, as well as providing access to paper chart products based on ENC data, either through the NOAA Custom Chart prototype or third-party commercial data providers. Further details can be found in the announcement posted on the NOAA Office of Coast Survey website. | | |
NOAA Office of Coast Survey is the nation’s nautical chartmaker. Originally formed by President Thomas Jefferson in 1807, Coast Survey updates charts, surveys the coastal seafloor, responds to maritime emergencies, and searches for underwater obstructions that pose a danger to navigation. # # # |
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NOAA Plans to Stop Producing Traditional Paper Charts
Maritime Executive
Comments from Cruisers (4)
Taking the printing of charts away from where they are printed now is a mistake. Printed charts are crucial to the safety of mariners everywhere, whether they are weekend boaters or professional mariners plying the seven seas. Electronics don't like water, especially salt water and they tend to fry out at the most inconvenient times. Why do they think the US Navy is going back to teaching celestial navigation in lieu of depending solely upon satelite/GPS? Because those tools tend to go out at the most inconvenient times, those time when lives are at stake. Mariners lives matter too, so keep making those paper charts.
Fortunately there are private printers of charts and in most cases these are more appropriate for smaller vessels. The private charts are also generally waterproof and tailored to small craft. The down side is that when NOAA drops the format for the raster chart these smaller companies will probably have to shut down. The GPS chartplotter is nice and does good work most of the time, however they can and do fail generally at very inopportune times. Having good paper handy can save the trip and perhaps prevent injury or damage.
I also see it as a function of a responsible government, preforming mapping of its territory and providing good map products at reasonable costs.
I have paper charts for everywhere I sail. What will you do when someone hacks the GPS satellites or lightning fries your system? Every 3 hours mark your position on paper chart when cruising in open water.
…did you just say… HACKS the GPS sattellites? Do you have any idea what that would take?