Fast chart update of navigation danger protects Georgia boaters
Location of the wreck in the waters of St. Simons Sound,
Georgia.
At the request of the U.S. Coast Guard, NRT 2,
James Kirkpatrick and
Kyle Ward (Southeast regional navigation manager who augmented on the project), found a sunken fishing vessel in the waters of St. Simons Sound, Georgia. Because the wreck was very shoal and recreational boaters transit frequently in the area, Coast Survey issued an official Danger to Navigation Report and quickly added it to the paper, raster, and electronic charts of the area. This all occurred in a matter of two weeks. Thank you to NRT2 and to Marine Chart Division's
Ken Forster and cartographers
Tangdi Yang and
Mike Gaeta. Read the
full story on our blog.
Coast Survey's topographic sandbox a big hit at the Pacific Marine Expo
Adam Argento engages visitors to the NOAA booth at the
Pacific Marine Expo.
Pacific Hydrographic Branch employees shared a booth with NMFS and NWS to represent NOAA at the
Pacific Marine Expo from November 17 to 19 in Seattle, Washington. This annual trade show is targeted to the commercial fishing and light commercial shipping communities. New this year was the branch's augmented reality topographic sandbox, which attracted high interest from expo attendees. The sandbox was not only a great tool to engage the interest of passers by, but more importantly enabled immediate visual comprehension of relief on the seafloor and the impact of bathymetric changes on surface navigation. With assistance from our employees, users transitioned from the sandbox to touring NOAA's online navigation products and full resolution hydrographic survey data in their particular areas of interest. Users also showed interest in NOAA's pdf charts, booklet charts, and geoimages.
Coast Survey priorities presented to the the 2016 AIWA Annual Meeting
Last week,
RDML Smith traveled to Norfolk, Virginia, to attend the
Atlantic Intracoastal Waterways Association (AIWA) annual meeting. AIWA represents the interests of commercial and recreational users of the intracoastal waterway that extends 1,200 miles from Norfolk, Virginia, to Key West, Florida. While there, RDML Smith presented Coast Survey priorities and how we will improve our products and services for the nation’s maritime information infrastructure. He highlighted both the need to optimize ENCs and the National Charting Plan. RDML Smith intends to deliver this presentation to recreational boaters at similar venues throughout the upcoming year.
Chilean Hydrographer visits Coast Survey's Pacific Hydrographic Branch
Seal of the Chilean Navy Hydrographic and
Oceanographic Service.
The Pacific Hydrographic Branch hosted Rear Admiral Patricio Carrasco, director of the Chilean Navy’s Hydrographic and Oceanographic Service, during his visit to NOAA’s Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory in Seattle, Washington. Although the purpose of his visit to NOAA was to learn about tsunami warnings and observations, the branch present Coast Survey’s hydrography, charting efforts, and some future-facing initiatives.
Grant Froelich and
CDR Ben Evans presented not only Coast Survey's mission but also highlighted Hydrographic Surveys Division's plans to transition to survey-scale databases to ingest and manage data of a range of sources and qualities. Grant and Ben communicated the successes of the LA/LB database and precision navigation concept, providing a live demo of the LA/LB bathymetric inland ENCs as well as Coast Survey Development Lab's tide-aware chart demonstration website. Thank you to all in the Pacific Hydrographic Branch that supported this quick turn around request to host an international leader in the field.
NOAA Ships, Contractors, and NRTs
NOAA ships Fairweather, Rainier, Thomas Jefferson, and Ferdinand Hassler are in port for the winter.
Leidos, E-Trac, Ocean Surveys, Inc., Fugro, and David Evans and Associates - No report.
NRT 2
With assistance from Southeast navigation manager Kyle Ward, NRT 2 responded to a U.S. Coast Guard request to locate a sunken fishing boat in St. Simons Sound, Georgia. See blog post for details.
NRT 3
Submitted a DTON report for an 18 foot obstruction found near Cottonwood Anchorage on the Columbia River where M/V Ancash Queen grounded. Laura Pagano is augmenting with NRT 3 to support that team's efforts to get fully survey ready.
NRT 4
Savannah Norvell is augmenting on Thomas Jefferson to help alleviate vacancies in the survey department.
NRT 5
LT Andrew Clos augmented on Ferdinand Hassler from Nov 13 to 19 to prevent a no-sail situation and enable them to transit from Charleston, South Carolina, back to Norfolk, Virginia.
Staff updates
Farewell and thank you to Russell Proctor who served as chief of the Navigation Services Division for just over two years. During his time here, Russ took on the challenge of re-building of the navigation response teams which will benefit Coast Survey – and the ports and harbors we serve. He played a key role in securing funding to recapitalize the fleet of small navigation response boats, secured billets to fill badly needed positions in the division, and envisioned a new way to run the NRTs. His improvements saved money, increased professionalism, and resulted in better hydrographic data. Most recently, Russ seamlessly coordinated the Coast Survey response to Hurricane Matthew.
Matt Kroll, deputy of Navigation Services Division, will serve as acting director. The opportunity to fill the role of deputy acting director will be announced soon.
CAPT Jim Crocker will be joining us as the permanent Navigation Services Division chief once he transitions out of his current assignment as executive director to the Deputy Undersecretary Ben Friedman. CAPT Crocker has been a NOAA Corps officer for 22 years and is familiar to Coast Survey, having served as chief of operations at the Hydrographic Surveys Division, staff at Atlantic Hydrographic Branch, and on NOAA ships Heck, Rainier, and Thomas Jefferson. CAPT Crocker holds a Master of Business Administration degree in General Management from the College of William & Mary and Bachelors of Science degrees in Physical Oceanography and Ocean Engineering from the Florida Institute of Technology.
The Pacific Hydrographic Branch welcomed physical scientist Jessica (Ramsay) Murphy aboard on November 14. Jess is already familiar to many in Coast Survey, as she had been an on-site contractor at the branch since 2013. Her academic background is in marine biology and environmental science, and she worked as a fisheries observer and lidar data processor prior to her contract position at the branch. Jess is the first of four new physical scientists expected to join the branch over the next few months.
Congratulations to Rachel Medley, acting deputy hydrographer, for earning her executive level Leadership Education and Development (LEAD) certificate. The LEAD certificate program focuses on leadership effectiveness and success of federal project leaders, supervisors, managers, and SES-level executives.
Awards
Micah Wengren (IOOS), John Kelley, Colby Harmon,
Marc Higgins, Mark Griffin. (Terence Lynch not pictured)
Congratulations to the Coast Survey employees who received the NOAA Administrator's Award at the ceremony held on November 15. Marine Chart Division's
Mark Griffin,
Mark Higgins, and
Colby Harmon received the award for developing and implementing the Chart Tile capability that has improved existing maritime navigation services for the public. Coast Survey Development Lab's
John Kelley received the award for developing and implementing nowCOAST into an operational environment, supporting Department of Commerce goals to build a Weather-Ready Nation.
Terence Lynch, who is currently in the Leadership Competencies Develpment Program, received the NOAA Administrator's Award for challenging the status quo and driving agency priorities on diversity and inclusion.
Congratulations to
Kyle Ward, Navigation Services Division's Southeast regional navigation manager, who was named NOAA's employee of the month for December. Kyle is being recognized for coordinating NOAA asset deployment with federal partners, regional stakeholders, and NOAA headquarters, as the maritime transportation system attempted a swift comeback following Hurricane Matthew. His clear and concise coordination of rapid response hydrographic surveys—NOAA vessels searching for underwater dangers to navigation—ensured the safety of navigational waterways and sped the resumption of commercial shipping in the Southeast.
CFC cornhole tournament
What: Coast Survey CFC cornhole tournament
When: Wed., 11/30, 11am-2pm
Where: SSMC3 Rm 4527
Why: Raise money for CFC!
How you can help: Sign up to play—24 two-person teams, $5/person (contact
Kristen.Crossett@noaa.gov)
Come and eat—Food and beverages will be for sale
Donate—Contact your keyworker to donate a food item
Your CFC Keyworkers are: Matt Kroll (team captain), Mary Louise Kurchock (CSDL), Megan Greenaway (HSD), Rolland Gant and Brian Hensel (MCD), Laura Jeffery (NSD), and Kristen Crossett (staff). Further details will be emailed soon.
We have our winner!
LaTonya Wilson was the first person to name all of the veterans in our last newsletter and won a $10 Starbucks gift card. Here is the list of the veterans pictured from top to bottom: Dawn Forsyth, Lawrence Jefferson, Tom Loeper, Andres Garrido, Lance Roddy, Mark Griffin, and Colby Harmon.
Show off your work
Submit your map to the Esri FedGIS Map Gallery. This year, the theme of galleries is how GIS is used to solve problems throughout all levels of government and across the world. Submitted maps will also be considered for the next edition of Esri’s book series Mapping the Nation: Solving Challenges—from Local to Global—with GIS. The deadline for submissions is Friday, December 16, 2016.
Submit an abstract to present at the 2017 NOAA Environmental Data Management Workshop, which will take place January 9 to 10 in North Bethesda, Maryland. The workshop Theme is "Making NOAA's Data Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable for Societal Benefit." Deadline for submissions is November 30, 2016.
Have you saved time with automation? Built something incredible with data integration? Discovered tips and tricks to make your work easier? Submit an abstract to present at one of the FME World Tour events.
Upcoming events
The World-Wide Human Geography Data Working Group (WWHGD) Geospatial Platform Workshop will be held December 7 to 8, 2016, in Washington, DC. The purpose of this workshop is to present the implementation of the Geospatial Platform and share the GeoPlatform.gov functional capabilities. Registration is free and available at the WWHGD community. The Workshop will be broadcast as a webinar for those who cannot attend in person.
Esri home use program (HUP)
NOAA employees are eligible to purchase ArcGIS software for their personal use. Each Esri Home Use Program license costs only $50, and includes the 12-month term single use ArcGIS Desktop license, any or all eligible extensions, and a subscription to ArcGIS Online. More information on the HUP can be found on the NOAA GIS Community website.
