The Interagency Working Group on Ocean and Coastal Mapping (IWG-OCM) released the second annual report on the progress made in mapping U.S. ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes waters. The depth, shape, and composition of the seafloor are foundational data elements that we need to understand in order to explore, sustainably develop, conserve, and manage our coastal and offshore ocean resources. The 2020 National Strategy for Mapping, Exploring, and Characterizing the United States Exclusive Economic Zone and the global Seabed 2030 initiative make comprehensive ocean mapping a priority for the coming decade. The Unmapped U.S. Waters report tracks progress toward these important goals.
Continue reading “The Interagency Working Group on Ocean and Coastal Mapping announces progress report on mapping U.S. ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes waters”NOAA Coast Survey’s new strategy supports charting mandates and broader seafloor mapping
This week, NOAA’s Office of Coast Survey released the Mapping U.S. Marine and Great Lakes Waters: Office of Coast Survey Contributions to a National Ocean Mapping Strategy. This report is part of NOAA’s ongoing commitment to meet core surveying and nautical charting mandates while supporting broader needs to fill gaps in seafloor mapping and environmental sciences.
Continue reading “NOAA Coast Survey’s new strategy supports charting mandates and broader seafloor mapping”Coast Survey Spotlight: Meet Fernando Ortiz
Ever wonder what it’s like to be a member of the NOAA Coast Survey team? We use the Coast Survey spotlight blog series as a way to periodically share the experiences of Coast Survey employees as they discuss their work, background, and advice.
Fernando Ortiz, Physical Scientist
Continue reading “Coast Survey Spotlight: Meet Fernando Ortiz”“It’s rewarding to be able to utilize new scientific technologies and processes to collect this necessary data.”
Coast Survey Spotlight: Meet Martha Herzog
Ever wonder what it’s like to be a member of the NOAA Coast Survey team? We use the Coast Survey spotlight blog series as a way to periodically share the experiences of Coast Survey employees as they discuss their work, background, and advice.
Martha Herzog, Physical Scientist
Continue reading “Coast Survey Spotlight: Meet Martha Herzog”“…collecting the most accurate and up-to-date seafloor data to create nautical charting products is essential for ensuring public safety, commerce, and preventing human and environmental catastrophes.”
NOAA modernizes ENC Direct to GIS viewer to download GIS data
By Scott Sherman
NOAA updated its NOAA ENC Direct to GIS website with a more modern viewer and the latest Esri GIS tools, removing the requirement for older software. The viewer retains the familiar, easy-to-use interface and tools, now with a modern user interface.
Continue reading “NOAA modernizes ENC Direct to GIS viewer to download GIS data”NOAA announces new progress report on mapping U.S. ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes waters
NOAA released the first annual report on the progress made in mapping U.S. ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes waters. The depth, shape, and composition of the seafloor are foundational data elements that we need to understand in order to explore, sustainably develop, conserve, and manage our coastal and offshore ocean resources. The 2019 Presidential Memorandum on Ocean Mapping of the United States Exclusive Economic Zone and the Shoreline and Nearshore of Alaska and the global Seabed 2030 initiative make comprehensive ocean mapping a priority for the coming decade. The Unmapped U.S. Waters report tracks progress toward these important goals.
Continue reading “NOAA announces new progress report on mapping U.S. ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes waters”Coast Survey spotlight: Meet Steve Soherr
Ever wonder what it’s like to be a member of the NOAA Coast Survey team? We use the Coast Survey spotlight blog series as a way to periodically share the experiences of Coast Survey employees as they discuss their work, background, and advice.
Steve Soherr, customer affairs specialist
“I think there’s really an art to presenting spatial information in a way that allows users to quickly glean far more information than would be possible by using text alone. I’m part of a team that is working to accurately and efficiently portray information that is always changing.”
Continue reading “Coast Survey spotlight: Meet Steve Soherr”
NOAA welcomes local and international attendees at 2018 Nautical Cartography Open House
Last week NOAA Coast Survey welcomed approximately 170 attendees representing 17 countries to the 2018 Nautical Cartography Open House. Industry partners, members of the public, and other government agencies attended, including the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Naval Hydrographic and Oceanic Service (SHOM) from France, Canadian Hydrographic Service, Dalian Naval Academy, National Taiwan Ocean University, and the Joint Hydrographic Center/Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping (JHC/CCOM).
Continue reading “NOAA welcomes local and international attendees at 2018 Nautical Cartography Open House”
NOAA hosts 2018 Chart Adequacy Workshop
On July 23, NOAA Coast Survey hosted a three-day Chart Adequacy Workshop that included participants from 13 countries. This is the fourth Chart Adequacy Workshop held at NOAA’s Silver Spring, Maryland campus.
The main goal of the workshop is to provide training for professional cartographers and hydrographers on techniques for assessing nautical chart adequacy using publicly-available information, such as satellite images and maritime automatic identification system (AIS) data. The participants received an overview on Coast Survey datasets, processes, and requirements for nautical charts. They also learned about preprocessing hydrographic data, such as loading charts, uploading imagery, and applying electronic navigation charts (ENCs) and AIS point data. Through a series of lab units, the attendees practiced performing the concepts they learned. Continue reading “NOAA hosts 2018 Chart Adequacy Workshop”
Poster symposium marks milestone for inaugural class of the NOAA certification program in nautical cartography
Students of NOAA’s certification program in nautical cartography completed their final projects and presented them along with other Master of Professional Studies in GIS students during a poster symposium at the University of Maryland’s Department of Geographical Sciences. At the event, NOAA students explained their capstone projects and described how their research benefits nautical charting at NOAA. Project topics included:
- Improving Shoreline Application to NOAA Electronic Navigational Charts, Megan Bartlet
- An Automated Approach to Generate Nautical Vector Features from Raster Bathymetric Attributed Grid Data, Noel Dyer
- Developing a Rasterization Procedure for Vector Chart Data, Christie Ence
- NOAA Chart Discrepancies: A Temporal and Spatial Analysis for Navigation Response Teams, Lt. Cmdr. Matt Forney
- Airborne Lidar Bathymetry’s Impact on NOAA Charts, Andres Garrido
- Validating and Refining the Proposed Rescheming of NOAA Electronic Navigational Charts, Colby Harmon
- High Resolution Bathymetry as an Alternative to Charting Controlling Depths in U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Channels, Craig Winn
- Satellite Derived Bathymetry: An Alternative Analysis to Nautical Chart Updates, Aleah Worthem