Category: electronic navigational chart

Posted on

Office of Coast Survey: 2025 Year in Review

Since 1807, Coast Survey has endured to keep mariners safe and maritime commerce flowing, under the leadership of now 32 superintendents and directors. 2025 was Coast Survey’s last under Rear Admiral (lower half) Benjamin K. Evans, who was relieved as Director in early 2026 by Rear Admiral (lower half) Christiaan van Westendorp.

Coast Survey is excited for what’s to come under RDML van Westendorp’s leadership–the continued evolution of the National Bathymetric Source program, two new hydrographic ships built from the keel-up to incorporate uncrewed systems, more S-100 rollouts, and more–but wanted to first look back on everything the office accomplished in 2025 to build a strong foundation for a safer, more efficient marine economy.

Continue reading “Office of Coast Survey: 2025 Year in Review”
Posted on

Charting the Yukon River as it freezes and thaws

NOAA’s Office of Coast Survey just released major updates to the official navigational charts of the Yukon River—a vital waterway serving many interior communities of Alaska. The Yukon is frozen more than half the year, limiting the window for barges to deliver the fuel, building materials, heavy equipment, and other supplies that cannot be transported by air. NOAA has developed a new process for updating the Yukon charts with the most current shoreline information, which is expected to improve safety and efficiency of navigation on the river and make delivery of vital supplies more reliable. 

Continue reading “Charting the Yukon River as it freezes and thaws”
Posted on

Office of Coast Survey 2024 Year in Review

A group of images showing various activities undertaken by the Office of Coast Survey throughout the course of 2024.

As we look ahead to continued progress in 2025, NOAA’s Office of Coast Survey is proud to share some highlights of the past year with you. We mounted successful emergency responses to reopen ports quickly and safely after hurricanes and a bridge collapse; completed a five-year process to transition to fully electronic navigational chart production; provided hands-on learning experiences for students aboard NOAA Ship Nancy Foster; and much more, all in service of delivering authoritative ocean and lakebed mapping information as the nation’s chartmaker.

Continue reading “Office of Coast Survey 2024 Year in Review”
Posted on

NOAA updates bridge clearances crossing one of the most important waterways in the United States

An image showing the Crescent City Connection Bridges taken from the left ascending bank of the Mississippi River with the city of New Orleans in the background.

The Port of New Orleans, is one of the largest ports in the United States. It spans both sides of the Mississippi River in the state of Louisiana, with its lower limit situated approximately 80 miles above the confluence of three major passes used to access the river from the Gulf of Mexico. The city of New Orleans serves as the primary commercial hub within the port’s limits. As one of the largest cities along the Gulf Coast, it is a natural gateway for trade, connecting the vast central and southern regions of the nation, particularly the entire Mississippi River Valley, via numerous inland water routes.

Continue reading “NOAA updates bridge clearances crossing one of the most important waterways in the United States”
Posted on

Data dissemination web interface supports navigation

Waves on the sea beach on a cloudy rainy day

Imagine navigating a vessel along the coast and planning the approach to your destination, whether that be a local marina or large vessel berth in a harbor. What factors affecting the movement of the vessel should you be aware of once underway and in transit through the entrance and into the port? These may include observations on the present and forecasted weather, water current speed and direction, water depths and tidal direction, and any anomalies or warnings that may exist. Knowing what these factors are will assist you in preparing your vessel for safe passage to the destination.

Continue reading “Data dissemination web interface supports navigation”

Posted on

The Office of Coast Survey’s ongoing response to the Francis Scott Key Bridge disaster

An image of the largest outbound vessel in the Fort McHenry Channel since the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse.

On Tuesday, March 26, 2024, the 984-foot M/V DALI allided with the Francis Scott Key Bridge near Baltimore, Maryland, sending the bridge tumbling into the Patapsco River, resulting in the tragic loss of six construction workers, and triggering a local, state, and federal response. Large sections of the bridge’s structure lay across the main shipping channel into the Port of Baltimore closing the deepest shipping lane into and out of the port, and resulting in an estimated loss of $15 million in daily economic activity for the area. All shipping traffic was diverted from the area, enabling first responders to conduct high-priority rescue and recovery operations and allowing highly trained salvage crews to begin the arduous task of removing bridge wreckage. Due to the amount of debris in the water, it was evident that salvage operations would take some time, and the priority at the time was to open the port for at least some vessel traffic.

Continue reading “The Office of Coast Survey’s ongoing response to the Francis Scott Key Bridge disaster”
Posted on

A look back at 2023 and the Office of Coast Survey’s significant activities throughout the year

An image of a rocky coastline and low clouds with the title Coast Survey Year in Review, superimposed over it.

NOAA’s Office of Coast Survey is reflecting on a successful and remarkable 2023! We completed many significant activities with meaningful impacts. As we look ahead to more progress in 2024, we are proud to share some highlights of the past year in our Coast Survey Year in Review ArcGIS StoryMap.

Continue reading “A look back at 2023 and the Office of Coast Survey’s significant activities throughout the year”
Posted on

Bringing nautical charts of the Erie Canal into the digital era

The construction of the Erie Canal was one of 19th Century America’s most significant feats of engineering. Built between 1817 and 1825, the canal provided a water route from Albany to Buffalo, New York, nearly 363 miles to the west. The Canal connected the Hudson River with the Great Lakes via parts of the Mohawk River, through various land cuts and natural lakes. The New York State Public Works Department and the US War Department’s Corps of Engineers began geographically documenting the canal’s route with maps and nautical charts beginning in 1917. The Department of Commerce’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration took ownership of the charts in the early 1970’s and has maintained and updated them for over 50 years. Currently, these charts are undergoing changes to usher them into the digital era of electronic navigational charts.

Check out our digitizing the Erie Canal ArcGIS StoryMap linked here or click the image below!

An image showing the Erie Canal at Waterford, New York during a festival.
An image showing the Erie Canal at Waterford, New York during a festival. Credit: Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor/Halldor K. Sigurdsson.
Posted on

Vessel pilots transition to new chart format

NOAA’s Precision Marine Navigation (PMN) program aims to seamlessly integrate high-resolution bathymetry and high accuracy positioning and shoreline data with the forecast data of water levels, currents, waves, and weather forecasts. This information can be easily accessed and integrated into maritime electronic charting systems and other decision support tools so mariners can plan their transits and make decisions while at sea and coming to and from port. A key component of this program is providing vessel pilots with detailed depth information to ensure safety of vessel transits and that critical under keel clearance safety margins are maintained. Electronic navigational charts, although accurate, typically do not provide the detail that pilots prefer.

Continue reading “Vessel pilots transition to new chart format”