Coast Survey Biweekly Newsletter

Coast Survey responds to aftermath of Hurricane Lane

Survey data captured in Honolulu Channel following
Hurricane Lane.

As Hurricane Lane approached the Hawaiian Islands last week, Coast Survey prestaged hydrographic survey assets and personnel in Oahu, including Crescent Moegling, northwest and Pacific Islands regional navigation manager, and the MIST, comprised of Mike Annis, Erin Diurba, Michael Bloom, and Lt. j.g. Dylan Kosten. Crescent was embedded within the U.S. Coast Guard Sector Honolulu Marine Transportation System Recovery Unit (MTSRU) to assist with port survey prioritization and provide information on the status of NOAA’s survey assets and their readiness following the storm. The MIST installed a multibeam echo sounder on a vessel from the local Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, and provided high resolution depth information throughout the Honolulu Channel following the storm. For more information contact Crescent.Moegling@noaa.gov.

NOAA Ship Thomas Jefferson continues survey work in Puerto Rico

Current survey progress in Bahia de Guayanilla and Bahia de Tallaboa and NOAA Ship Thomas Jefferson survey crew.

Current survey progress in Bahia de Guayanilla and Bahia de
Tallaboa (top). NOAA Ship Thomas Jefferson survey crew
(bottom).

NOAA Ship Thomas Jefferson was recently awarded the U.S. Department of Commerce Gold Honors Award for their work last year in Puerto Rico after the island was devastated by Hurricane Maria. Their survey work in major ports allowed much needed aid to be delivered to the communities in need. The ship is surveying in Puerto Rico this year as well. They are currently surveying near Ponce, Bahia de Guayanilla, and Bahia de Tallaboa. Throughout the rest of the summer, the Thomas Jefferson plans to survey in areas such as San Juan, Yabucoa, Bahia de Jobos, and Bahia de Tallaboa. For more information contact Kathryn.Pridgen@noaa.gov.

Navigation response team showcases autonomous system and emergency response capabilities at Oceans in Action 2018

Alex Ligon is interviewed by a local television station featuring a
story on NOAA's NRT capabilities.

Josh Bergeron and Alex Ligon, navigation response team (NRT) 1 members based in Stennis, Mississippi, participated in the Oceans in Action 2018 expo at the new University of Mississippi Marine Research Center in Gulfport. Oceans in Action is an annual event organized by the Marine Technology Society to showcase vendors and agencies who work in the fields of oceanography and hydrography. Agencies participating in the event were all based at Stennis Space Center including the Naval Oceanographic Office (NAVO), Navy Fleet Survey Team (FST), Naval Research Lab (NRL), Naval Oceanography Mine Warfare Center (NOMWC), Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command, and of course, NOAA's NRT1. NRT1 demoed the Echoboat ASV and discussed Coast Survey’s emergency response mission and capabilities. NRT1 also demonstrated their rapid response capability by immediately packing up the equipment for shipment to Hawaii to support post Hurricane Lane survey response. This caught the attention of local media and the team was interviewed and featured on the local evening news. For more information contact Joshua.Bergeron@noaa.gov or Alex.C.Ligon@noaa.gov.

Bay Hydro II hosts Korean and United Kingdom hydrographers

Bay Hydro II crew along with respresentatives from the
Korean Hydrographic and Oceanographic Agency and Coast
Survey's Marine Chart Division.

On July 25, Bay Hydro II hosted seven Marine Chart Division (MCD) employees, four of which were new hires, as well as two visitors from the Korean Hydrographic and Oceanographic Agency. The visitors joined Bay Hydro II for a day of underway EchoBoat ASV operations in the Rhode River, south of Annapolis. The group received hands-on experience with the vessel and a demonstration on the capabilities of the shallow-water system. The Bay Hydro II team helped "connect the dots" from the cartographers' perspective of charting to the mariners' perspective of navigation. A few weeks later, Bay Hydro II hosted five additional MCD employees and a representative from the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office for a morning on the Patuxent River. The group enjoyed demonstrations of Bay Hydro II's multibeam echo sounder, as well as an eye-opening connection between charted items and the view from the bridge. For more information contact Sarah.L.Chappel@noaa.gov.

NOAA navigational product suite discussed at Hydrographic Services Review Panel meeting in Juneau

Carl Gouldman, Tim Gallaudett (Navy, ret.), Ed Page, Julie Thomas, and Rear Adm. Shep Smith.

Carl Gouldman, director of the U.S. Integrated Ocean
Observing System; Rear Adm. Tim Gallaudett (Navy, ret.),
assistant secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere;
Ed Page, vice-chair of AOOS and member of HSRP;
Julie Thomas, emeritus director of IOOS RA SCCOOS and
member of HSRP; and Rear Adm. Shep Smith, director of
NOAA’s Office of Coast Survey at the HSRP meeting in
Juneau, Alaska.

The Hydrographic Services Review Panel (HSRP) and the Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS®) Advisory Committee held a joint session to discuss water level partnerships in Alaska during the first day of the HSRP public meeting in Juneau, Alaska. Panelists from the National Weather Service, Alaska Department of Natural Resources, and Alaska Ocean Observing System, provided information about how they use water level information to communicate hazards to communities and how they are partnering within Alaska to provide water level information to stakeholders that doesn't meet National Water Level Observation Network (NWLON) standards. Following the joint session, a special stakeholder session was held with representation from tug and tow operators, commercial fishing, maritime pilots, ports and harbors, civil engineering, and tour boat operators. The stakeholders stressed the importance of NOAA's current product suite from nautical charts, to tides and currents, to accurate weather information. Stakeholders also discussed product limitations as well as the possibility of sharing data with NOAA to improve these products. For more information contact Lynne.Mersfelder@noaa.gov.

NOAA Ships, Navigation Response Teams, and Contractor Operations

Weekly Hydro Ship Activity Report - August 19 - August 25, 2018

NRT 1 - Team is performing vehicle and trailer maintenance and vessel is undergoing repairs.

NRT 2 - Team is processing data from Beaufort and Sand Shoal Inlet as well as final preparations for Fort Lauderdale Remote Sensing Division junction survey.

NRT 3 - Team is processing Columbia River data and performing routine maintenance on vessel.

NRT 4 - Team is moving to a new office in Flower Gardens National Marine Sanctuary and vessel is undergoing repairs.

NRT 5 - Team is processing data from the Hudson River Survey and augmenting with MIST in Hawaii.

Bay Hydro II - Bay Hydro II is processing data from Crisfield and Vicinity, Maryland/Virginia, and Baltimore Inner Harbor surveys. Team is planning for an upcoming Delaware Bay/River project.

Staff Updates

Do you have an Individual Development Plan (IDP) that targets building the skills needed to do your job most effectively? One that reflects your desired career path? Is an IDP more than a list of training? Does the thought of an IDP overwhelm you? Coast Survey employees are invited to a participant-driven IDP training session September 24, 2018, from 9:00 AM - 12:00 p.m. in SSMC3 6836. This opportunity is mandatory for new Coast Survey employees and open to all interested Coast Survey employees in Silver Spring with supervisory approval. (Since this training is interactive, it is not conductive to doing virtually via Google Handouts or Webinar. However, please note that an adapted version of this training will be provided later for OCS employees in the field, so stay tuned for more information to come on that!). Advance registration is required by 9/14/18. Please use the following Google signup sheet and a Google Calendar meeting invite will be sent to you. If you have questions or concerns please contact the training organizer: Meredith.Payne@noaa.gov.

did you know?

Staff members of the Atlantic Hydrographic Branch visited "The Magental Line," Norfolk's first pier mural unveiled by Nauticus. Painted by local artists, this mural commemorates two mile markers along the pier, "Mile 0" of the Intracoastal Waterway and "Mile 0" of the Elizabeth River Trail.

coming up

8/28-30 - Hydrographic Services Review Panel meeting in Juneau, Alaska

9/11-13 - Arctic Regional Hydrographic Commission meeting in Longyearbyen, Svalbard, Norway

9/24 - Individual Development (IDP) training, 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. Advance registration required. Contact Meredith.Payne@noaa.gov.

10/4-14 - Annapolis Boat Shows

gis corner

NEW reporting mechanism for GIS Service/Server outages: If you find issues affecting ArcGIS-based applications and services please submit an OCS Help Desk Ticket with the subject line "URGENT - GIS Server Issue." This will allow the issue to be properly addressed in a timely manner.

Having problems with ArcGIS Software (crashes, errors, etc.)? Don’t forget the NOAA Esri Central Support (NECS) is here to help.

It’s all about the Data! OCS GIS Portal and NOAA Geoplatform.

Curious about ArcGIS Pro? Check out the ArcGIS Pro Introduction Page.

Check out the NOAA GIS Community page for information on GIS projects, software, and geospatial initiatives.

Esri released Desktop 10.6 and Pro 2.1. Click here for Esri installation Files.

blog

NOAA Ship Rainier completes hydrographic surveys in Southeast Alaska

NOAA positions hydrographic survey assets in Hawaii in preparation for Hurricane Lane

Coast Survey spotlight: Meet Lt. Bart Buesseler

Newsletter Archive

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