Promote Safe Navigation
Total Request $86,174,000
Strategic Plan Chart | Strategic Plan Table
Activity-Based Chart | Activity-Based
Table
Performance Measures
Vision
By 2005, merchant ships, fishing vessels and recreational boats will
safely ply our coastal waters, electronically guided by space-based navigation
and advanced information technologies. NOAA will revolutionize U.S. marine
navigation, mapping and surveying and assist commercial shipping in moving
increased cargoes safely and efficiently. NOAA will provide a precise satellite
derived reference system as the basis for the nation's geographical positioning
needs.
Challenge
Ships have doubled in length, width and draft in the last 50 years and
seagoing commerce has tripled, leading to increased risk in the nation's
ports. Between 1993 and 1996, tankers alone were involved in 174 groundings,
14 collisions, and 12 deaths. Navigation tools must be modernized, as 60%
of NOAA's nautical charting data were obtained before 1940 with obsolete
methods. Two-thirds of the data used for tidal predictions are more than
40 years old. The existing coordinate reference system must be renovated
to provide the higher accuracy and accessibility available from the Global
Positioning System (GPS).
Implementation Strategy
The objectives of this goal are to:
Build, maintain and deliver a digital nautical charting database to underpin
new electronic navigational systems which integrate satellite positioning,
tidal heights and currents, radars and sonars, and navigational aids.
Update nautical surveys of the Nation's coastlines and coastal oceans
using full-bottom coverage technologies.
Provide mariners with predictions of water levels, tides and currents,
and weather conditions in ports.
Transform the obsolete geodetic reference frame into a Global Positioning
System-based system of monumented marks and continuously-operating reference
stations (CORS) to support the digital revolution in mapping, charting and
surveying.
Benefits
New technology including full-bottom nautical surveys, digital charting,
and satellite positioning (Global Positioning System) promise to reduce
maritime transportation risks, enhance environmental protections, and heighten
the competitiveness of the U.S. shipping industry. Electronic charts can
prevent one third of all commercial vessel groundings, collisions and rammings,
and be very cost effective by comparison to other safety measures such as
double hulls.
FY 1997 Accomplishments
During FY 1997, NOAA:
Dramatically increased the production of new nautical chart editions
from 235 to 338.
Entered into a cooperative agreement with a private partner to research,
develop, and implement a commercially viable national PORTS.
Tested GPS technology designed to measure real-time under-vessel clearance
for ships.
Evaluated new technology to improve the efficiency of shoreline mapping
for nautical charts and other coastal geographic needs.
Set the stage for private sector partnerships to update nautical surveys.
Witnessed the success of its cooperative agreement with a private partner
to develop and provide electronic charts, which resulted in sales of 1 million
nautical charts.
Installed 132 horizontal Federal Base Network (FBN) stations and 62 vertical
FBN stations, and 28 Continuously Operating Reference Stations.
Key FY 1999 Activities
Conduct hydrographic surveys to continue making progress toward the reduction
of the backlog of critical areas to be surveyed, and use these data to produce
up-to-date nautical charts that are critical to promoting the safety and
efficiency of maritime transportation.
Complete the addition of vector data to the digital nautical chart database
in order to provide mariners with the accurate, up-to-date, electronic chart
data needed to safely and efficiently navigate waterways using today's computer
and positioning technology.
Continue to improve the ability to measure heights using GPS, resulting
in more accurate tide measurements and enabling larger ships to pass safely
into our Nation's ports.
Continue to improve access to the National Spatial Reference System by
adding reference points to the system and increasing the availability of
quality-controlled GPS reference data by bringing more Continuously Operating
Reference Stations on line, resulting in significant safety and economic
benefits to a broad range of industries, academia, local, state and federal
governments, and other entities.
Provide quality assurance of real-time information supplied directly
to the user, including PORTS data used to facilitate critical life and property
decisions, by ensuring that all sensors/instruments are operating correctly,
are continuing to provide accurate data, and have the need for corrective
maintenance identified in an efficient manner. |