geospatial information – Office of Coast Survey

May 23, 2023

NOAA represented at the International Hydrographic Organization Assembly in Monaco

In early May, NOAA’s Office of Coast Survey Deputy Hydrographer John Nyberg, Ph.D., was elected as a director of the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) during its Third Assembly. The six-year term begins in September and promises to be a critical time for the evolution of digital navigation infrastructure and capacity worldwide, with the implementation of the S-100 hydrographic model. John was nominated by the secretaries of commerce, defense, and state. His role will be to serve as part of the directing committee which is composed of a Secretary General and two directors to manage the day-to-day operations of the organization in order to advance the goals of the Member States.

February 21, 2023

NOAA Custom Chart version 2.0 now available to the public

A graphic of the NOAA Custom Chart blog banner showing the acronym NOAA in blue and a chart layered behind the words Custom Chart.

On February 14, 2023, NOAA’s Office of Coast Survey released NOAA Custom Chart version 2.0, a dynamic map application, which enables users to create their own paper and PDF nautical charts derived from the official NOAA electronic navigational chart (NOAA ENC®), NOAA’s premier nautical chart product.

February 2, 2023March 8, 2023

3D Nation Study report, website, and StoryMap now available

The 3D Nation Elevation Requirements and Benefits Study focuses on 3D elevation data on land and under water.

A new StoryMap on the 3D Nation Elevation Requirements and Benefits Study, which was published in September 2022, is now available. Sponsored by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), and conducted by Dewberry, the 3D Nation Study documents nationwide requirements and benefits of 3D elevation data both on land and under water. The study also estimates the costs associated with meeting these requirements and evaluates multiple scenarios for enhancing national elevation mapping programs.

December 8, 2022December 14, 2022

Geospatial information in the Southwestern Pacific

An image of the Island of Tarawa, part of the Republic of Kiribati in the Central Pacific.

By Dr. John Nyberg

An image of Dr. John Nyberg — Dr. John Nyberg

NOAA’s Office of Coast Survey Deputy Hydrographer Dr. John Nyberg participated in a State Department Science Fellowship through the U.S. Embassy in Suva, Fiji this past summer. The fellowship’s main goal for the region is to assist in accelerating the use of coastal and marine spatial planning for marine conservation and to deliver a curriculum to support it. Dr. Nyberg was asked to pay particular attention to engaging Kiribati (pronounced Kiribas), home to the Phoenix Islands Protected Area, one of the world’s largest and most important protected areas. The government of Kiribati is in the process of re-evaluating their approach toward managing the area, and one of the primary goals is to encourage the use of marine spatial planning in that process.