Charting a Course into the Digital Era

Guidance for NOAA's Nautical Charting Mission

Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 9780309051392
eISBN Pdf: 9780309587310
Place of publication: United States
Year of digital publication: 1994
Month: January
Pages: 152
Language: English

Caption

A number of trends and forces are converging to require change in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) nautical charting mission. The most salient among these are changes in customer requirements, with a growing demand for customized and digital nautical information products; a changing customer base that encompasses uses of nautical charts in conjunction with coastal management, regulation, and development activities; and advances in technologies both for acquiring survey data and for structuring, displaying, analyzing, and disseminating nautical information.

This volume assesses the needs of users of nautical information; reviews existing and emerging technologies; and examines major issues associated with information acquisition, chart preparation, and dissemination. The book addresses user requirements for improved nautical chart products, as well as technical and programmatic issues relating to the need for and provision of nautical information.

Charting a Course Into the Digital Era
Copyright
PREFACE
- BACKGROUND
- COMMITTEE COMPOSITION AND SCOPE OF THE STUDY
- HOW THE STUDY WAS CONDUCTED
- ORGANIZATION OF THE REPORT
- ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
- REFERENCE
Contents
CHARTING A COURSE INTO THE DIGITAL ERA
- GUIDANCE FOR NOAA'S NAUTICAL CHARTING MISSION
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
1 OVERVIEW OF THE NAUTICAL INFORMATION SYSTEM
- THE INTERNATIONAL CONTEXT
- NOAA'S NAUTICAL CHARTING MISSION
  - Federal Data Activities
- FORCES OF CHANGE
  - Changes in User Needs for Information
  - The Impact of Technology
- PROBLEMS AND CONSTRAINTS LIMITING CHANGE
  - Limited Resources
    - Concerns About Liability and Copyright
- SUMMARY
- REFERENCES
2 USER NEEDS FOR NAUTICAL INFORMATION
- A SURVEY OF USER NEEDS
- SUMMARY OF THE SURVEY
  - Questionnaire Findings
- WORKSHOP ON USER NEEDS
- WORKSHOP FINDINGS
  - Repeated Themes
  - Common Needs
  - Needs of Specific Users
- FUTURE NEEDS
- SUMMARY
- REFERENCES
3 FILLING THE DATA BASE: DATA COLLECTION
- CURRENT DATA COLLECTION ACTIVITIES
  - Requests for New Charts
  - Requests for New Surveys
- DATA COLLECTION NEEDS AND VALUES
  - Setting Priorities
- SOLUTIONS TO THE SURVEY REQUEST BACKLOG
  - Private Contract Surveys to Supplement NOAA Capabilities
  - Interagency Collaborative Efforts
    - NOAA Use of Corps of Engineers Survey Resources
    - NOAA Use of Corps of Engineers Contract Forces
    - NOAA Use of Department of Defense Survey Forces
    - U.S. Geological Survey
  - Retaining a Federal Hydrographic Survey Capability
- SUMMARY
- REFERENCES
4 THE DIGITAL NAUTICAL DATA BASE: FROM PAPER CHARTS TO ELECTRONIC CHARTS AND BEYOND
- STEWARDSHIP OF THE NATIONAL NAUTICAL INFORMATION DATA BASE
- OVERVIEW OF ANCS II
- PLANS FOR LOADING THE ANCS II DATA BASE
- SETTING A NEW COURSE
- SUMMARY
- REFERENCES
5 NAUTICAL INFORMATION AS A COMPONENT OF A MARINE GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEM
- INFORMATION FOR COASTAL MANAGEMENT
- EXAMPLES OF GIS APPLICATIONS TO COASTAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
- MEETING USER REQUIREMENTS
- BEYOND THE DIGITAL NAUTICAL DATA BASE
- SUMMARY
- REFERENCES
6 NAUTICAL INFORMATION PRODUCTS AND THEIR DISSEMINATION: TOWARD A NEW WAY OF DOING BUSINESS
- THE PRESENT SYSTEM OF PRODUCTION AND DISSEMINATION
  - NOAA Products
  - Commercial Products
  - Distribution of Products
- SHORTCOMINGS OF THE PRESENT SYSTEM
- A STRATEGY FOR IMPROVEMENT
- SUGGESTIONS FOR IMPLEMENTING THE STRATEGY
  - Institutional Arrangements
  - Product Lines
    - Small-Craft Chart Products
    - Commercial Vessel Chart Products
    - Digital Nautical Chart and Information Products
    - Navy Products
    - Products for Other Users
  - Legal Issues
- SUMMARY
- REFERENCES
7 RESOURCE CONSTRAINTS: REMOVING THE BARRIERS
- RESOURCE CONSTRAINTS
  - Surveying and Data Acquisition
  - Data Processing and Data-Base Maintenance
  - Production and Dissemination
- ALTERNATIVES FOR RESOLUTION OF RESOURCE CONSTRAINTS
  - Revenue Retention/Improved Incentives Through Product Partnerships
    - NOAA Copyright on Nautical Charts
    - Noncopyright Revenue Retention
    - Cooperative Research and Development Agreements
    - License Fees and Private Copyright
    - Other Considerations
  - Contract Surveys
  - Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund
- SUMMARY
- REFERENCES
8 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
- CHANGING NEEDS FOR NAUTICAL INFORMATION PRODUCTS
  - Conclusions
  - Recommendations
- SURVEY ACTIVITIES
  - Conclusions
  - Recommendations
- DATA-BASE DEVELOPMENT AND MANAGEMENT
  - Conclusions
  - Recommendations
- CHART PRODUCTION AND DISTRIBUTION
  - Conclusions
  - Recommendations
- RESOURCES FOR NOAA'S NAUTICAL INFORMATION PROGRAMS
  - Conclusions
  - Recommendations
- IMPLEMENTING CHANGE
APPENDIXES
- APPENDIX A BIOGRAPHIES OF COMMITTEE MEMBERS
- APPENDIX B OTHER AGENCIES, ACTIVITIES, ROLES, INTERESTS
  - The Defense Mapping Agency
  - The U.S. Navy
  - The Defense Hydrographic Initiative
  - Army Corps of Engineers
  - The U.S. Coast Guard
  - The Maritime Administration
  - The U.S. Geological Survey
- APPENDIX C-1 NAUTICAL CHART AND INFORMATION SURVEY
  - Nautical Chart and Information Survey
- APPENDIX C-2 RESPONSES TO SURVEY
- APPENDIX D WORKSHOP ON THE FUTURE NEEDS OF USERS FOR NAUTICAL INFORMATION
  - LIST OF PARTICIPANTS
    - Committee Members
    - Liaisons
    - Invited Guests
    - Staff
- APPENDIX E PRINCIPLES OF BENEFIT-COST ANALYSIS APPLIED TO SURVEYS
  - Evaluating a Single Survey
  - Prioritizing Among Multiple Surveys
  - Suggestions for Implementation
  - REFERENCES
- APPENDIX F U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS' EXPERIENCE
  - Brooks Act (P.L. 92-582) Contracting
  - Standards for Data Collection in Contract Surveys
  - Cost Comparison Between Government and Commercial Hydrographic Surveys
  - REFERENCES
- APPENDIX G EXAMPLES OF USES OF DATA BY STATE ENVIRONMENTAL AGENCIES
  - GIS APPLICATIONS IN FLORIDA'S COASTAL ZONE
    - Site Selection for Testing of Explosives
    - Marine Mammal Research
    - Boat and Diver Use Patterns in the Florida Keys
    - Fisheries Management
    - Oil Spill Planning and Response
  - GIS APPLICATIONS IN ALASKA'S COASTAL ZONE
  - GIS APPLICATION TO COASTAL CHANGE STUDIES IN LOUISIANA
  - REFERENCES
- APPENDIX H A NATIONAL COASTAL ZONE (SHORELINE) DATA BASE