Latest NOAA News and Updates for Marine Navigation

Vessel pilots transition to new chart format

August 28, 2023; Office of Coast Survey

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. The electronic navigational chart (NOAA® ENC), although accurate, typically does not provide the detail that pilots prefer. The ENC has a few standard contours and widely spaced soundings.

Coast Survey to shut down the Raster Navigational Chart Tile Service and other related services

May 7, 2021; Office of Coast Survey

NOAA will shut down its Raster Navigational Chart (RNC) Tile Service and the online RNC Viewer on October 1, 2021. The NOAA Seamless Raster Navigational Chart Services will be shut down on January 1, 2022. This is part of a larger NOAA program to end production and maintenance of all NOAA traditional paper and raster nautical charts that was announced in the Federal Register in November 2019.

NOAA’s Precision Marine Navigation data service receives first major update

April 28, 2021; Office of Coast Survey

The Precision Marine Navigation (PMN) program has completed the first update of its prototype navigation data service – the PMN data processing and dissemination system and PMN Data Gateway viewer. The data processing and dissemination system provides surface current forecast guidance from NOAA’s forecast systems, in a prototype marine navigation data format. The viewer allows users to visualize the predictions and discover where they are. Both the system and the viewer were updated to include data from the recently upgraded Northern Gulf of Mexico Operational Forecast System (NGOFS2).

NOAA Custom Chart version 1.0 released to the public

April 15, 2021; Office of Coast Survey

On April 1, 2021, NOAA’s Office of Coast Survey released NOAA Custom Chart version 1.0, a dynamic map tool which enables users to create their own paper and PDF nautical charts derived from the official NOAA electronic navigational chart (NOAA ENC®), NOAA’s premier nautical chart product.

New Coastal Models Will Aid Mariner Safety on West Coast, Gulf of Mexico

March 31, 2021; Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services

NOAA has launched two new OFS models along the West Coast and Northern Gulf of Mexico that will provide continuous quality-controlled data on water levels, currents, water temperature and salinity out to 72 hours. These models will cover the entire west coast from Baja Mexico to British Columbia and the entire Northern Gulf including the mouth of the Mississippi River, Lake Pontchartrain, and the Texas border.

NOAA upgrades flagship U.S. global weather model

March 22, 2021; National Weather Service

NOAA is upgrading its Global Forecast System (GFS) weather model to boost weather forecasting capabilities across the U.S. These advancements will improve hurricane genesis forecasting, modeling for snowfall location, heavy rainfall forecasts, and overall model performance. For the first time, the GFS will be coupled with a global wave model called WaveWatchIII which will extend current wave forecasts from 10 days out to 16 days and improve the prediction of ocean waves forced by the atmosphere.

NWS Advances Major Changes to Hazard Messaging Headlines

March 4, 2021; National Weather Service

NWS will replace its “Advisory” and “Special Weather Statement” headlines with plain language headlines that more clearly describe weather or water hazards. This change will take effect no earlier than 2024 to allow the time needed for public outreach, partner preparation, and policy and software development. NWS “Watch” and “Warning” headlines will remain unchanged. Additional information, including the planned changes for Small Craft Advisories, can be found here.

NOAA Upgrades Nearshore Wave Prediction System

January 29, 2021; National Weather Service

NOAA’s Nearshore Wave Prediction System (NWPS), which provides on-demand, high-resolution nearshore wave model guidance to U.S. coastal Weather Forecast Offices (WFOs), is undergoing significant upgrades. The upgrade includes an enhanced wave system identification method, an improved view of wave guidance along high-impact tracks, and a new modeling approach for 12 coastal WFO domains to allow better representation of coastal geography and nearshore wave growth and propagation.

NOAA releases new visualization resources: Precision Navigation Data Gateway and Data Dashboard

January 13, 2021; Office of Coast Survey

NOAA’s Precision Marine Navigation (PMN) program released two new visualization resources. The first is a beta version Precision Marine Navigation Data Gateway map viewer allowing users to explore NOAA’s S-100 data services. Currently, the Data Gateway presents prototype surface current forecast guidance, but new layers will be added as they are developed. NOAA welcomes feedback on the beta version of the Data Gateway.

NOAA Tide and Tidal Current Predictions Available Online — Access Them Anytime

January 6, 2021; National Ocean Service

All NOAA tide and tidal current predictions for locations around the nation are available in electronic form online. NOAA eliminated paper publications of the annual Tide Tables and Tidal Current Tables in 2020. The change from print to online tables allows us to modernize this long-standing product by bringing it into the digital age. Online predictions are more accurate and up-to-date than what is provided in the annual printed tables. NOAA tide predictions are used by both commercial and recreational mariners for safe navigation.

NOAA releases prototype surface current forecast data for industry testing

August 11, 2020; Office of Coast Survey

Prototype data for surface current forecasts in the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) S-111 format is now available for testing through the NOAA Big Data Program. In June, NOAA announced that we were preparing surface current forecast data for dissemination trials. Now that these data are available, industry can integrate these prototype data into different types of navigation software systems such as portable pilot units and under keel clearance systems. By making these data more accessible, more machine-to-machine readable, and more integrated, NOAA aims to amplify the power of our navigation data for users across the maritime industry.