Nautical charts are some of the most important navigational tools that you can have on your boat. Not only do they provide you with a detailed picture of the shoreline, they also contain information on anchorages, water depth, and the sea floor.
Nautical charts can help you determine an efficient route to your destination, as well as where to anchor overnight and which dangers to avoid. But your charts will only be useful if they’re accurate and up to date.
NOAA plans new charts for Florida’s Coast
To improve the quality of nautical charts off the coast of Florida, NOAA has begun work on a project to chart the waters near Apalachicola, a fishing town on the Florida Panhandle. This part of the Gulf of Mexico hasn’t been charted in over 50 years, so existing charts rely on historical data produced by less accurate methods.
NOAA has contracted with Fugro, a geo-data specialist, which uses both manned and unmanned vessels to scan the seafloor. Their FAS-900 uncrewed surface vessel (USV) uses sonar technology to produce sound waves and analyze them when they bounce back off of the seafloor, producing highly accurate data.
So far, they’ve scanned over 30,000 line miles in the region, and they plan to have the entire data set completed by December 2020. They’ll be covering four sites in the Big Bend Region as part of the Florida Coastal Mapping Program, a larger initiative that’s designed to fill in the gaps in existing data along the state’s entire coast.
How NOAA updates nautical charts
Until recently, nautical charts were made using old survey technologies, including radar and a navigation system known as Loran-C. Not only that, but cartographers compiled charts by hand until NOAA began scanning them in 1994!
Now, the availability of GPS and sonar technologies means that boaters expect more accurate charts—and with the help of Fugro, NOAA is able to produce them.
NOAA can use this technology to re-survey the seafloor and find details that:
- weren’t detected by historical survey technologies
- are the result of wrecks and other human impacts
- appeared due to storms or other natural changes
Currently, federal guidelines require charts to be accurate to within 15 meters on a scale of 1:20,000. The Coast Survey is also introducing a “category zone of confidence” (or CATZOC) label to help boaters determine how accurate their charts are.
When completed, the updated charts of Apalachicola will be invaluable to fishing boats, marine biologists, and recreational boaters alike.
Where to get nautical charts
Although only commercial vessels are required to have nautical charts on board, they’re highly recommended for recreational boaters to ensure a safe journey. Modern boaters can use a combination of paper charts, digital charts, and GPS signals to keep track of their position at all times.
Whether you’re sailing off the coast of Florida or elsewhere in the U.S., you can find the latest up-to-date nautical charts at OceanGrafix. Search by region, map, chart number, or chart type to find the charts you need, and be sure to update them on a regular basis to help you stay safe at sea!
oceangrafixblog.wordpress.com 