Proceedings Of The Marine

SUM 2015

Proceedings magazine is a communication tool for the Coast Guard's Marine Safety & Security Council. Each quarterly magazine focuses on a specific theme of interest to the marine industry.

Issue link: https://uscgproceedings.epubxp.com/i/528099

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Navigation

Page 14 of 70

12 Proceedings Summer 2015 www.uscg.mil/proceedings and information systems, and this will provide a fertile ground for innovation. Portable pilot units are not currently regulated, since they are considered supplementary to the required onboard ECDIS or paper-based primary navigation system. Many smaller vessels use very effective electronic navigation systems that are not subject to type approval. Also, most portable pilot units and most new navigation systems for light commercial and recreational use can con- nect to networks. Therefore, NOAA is working with private industry — espe- cially the portable pilot unit providers — to integrate our data sets and data streams into their systems, to better enable precision navigation in ports. We have also engaged with naval architects to integrate the response of ships to various wave and swell conditions, and we are working with data visualization experts who are developing ways to integrate and display complementary information. Through this integration, we aspire to give mariners the actionable intelligence necessary to make the best decisions. More Frequently Updated Charts In early 2014, NOAA discontinued its paper chart operation, transitioning the paper chart market to a privately operated print-on-demand system. At the same time and less conspic- uously, NOAA also changed the policy that held most chart changes until the next new edition. Since April 2014, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration charts released each week contain notice to mariners changes as well as less urgent changes, such as new hydrographic sur- veys and shoreline updates. A system that updates charts more frequently also opens up the opportunity for us to improve chart areas that change more rapidly than the older print cycle could accommo- date. In many U.S. East Coast inlets, such as Hatteras Inlet, for example, the NOAA charts do not show any detail of depths or navigational aids in the most changeable and criti- cal areas. Next-Generation Raster Chart First-generation raster navigational charts (NOAA RNC ® ) are geo-referenced versions of paper charts. 1 They are broadly used, and many users like the familiar, clear cartog- raphy. In recent years, more navigation systems have started to use a tiled version of these RNCs. (Raster navigational charts are typically very large fles. Organizing them into millions of tiles, rather than one large fle, enables faster, easier uploads.) An intermediary service takes the suite of raster charts, determines the order and appropriate charts for each zoom level, and re-samples the charts into a pre-rendered set of tiles, similar to the tiles that Google maps uses for street are still required to carry paper charts and publications. Electronic chart display and information systems (ECDIS) are approved at the time of installation, but software or hardware updates are not required. Most have no network connection and, even if they did, there are few approved compatible data formats for such perishable data. In 2025, many of today's ECDIS systems will still be in use, and hydrographic offces will still need to provide them with compatible data. However, there are far more unregulated navigation sys- tems in use than the type-approved electronic chart display Automated Identifcation System track lines show well-established traffc patterns over the charted land in coastal Louisiana. The coastline is rapidly receding in this area. High-resolution seafoor model derived from a NOAA multibeam survey near New London, Connecticut. The smallest features are lobster pots. Unless otherwise noted, all images are courtesy of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

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