MyNOAACharts, a mobile app beta test for Android tablets, can easily integrate the user's location, the nautical chart, and all the navigational information from the U.S. Coast Pilot.
Download here (Credit: NOAA)
As recreational boaters gear up for a summer of fun on coastal waters and the Great Lakes, N.O.A.A. is testing MyNOAACharts, a new mobile application that allows users to download N.O.A.A. nautical charts and editions of the U.S. Coast Pilot. The app, which is only designed for Android tablets for the testing period, will be released on May 20.
MyNOAACharts, which can be used on land and on the water, has GPS built-in capabilities that allow users find their positions on a N.O.A.A. nautical chart. They can zoom in any specific location with a touch of the finger, or zoom out for the big picture to project their day of sailing. The Coast Pilot has "geotagged" some of the major locations -- embedding geographical information, such as latitude and longitude, directly into the chart so it is readable in the app -- and provides links to appropriate federal regulations. The app can be downloaded from the Google Play™ app store.
"Easy and workable access to nautical charts is important for boating safety," said Rear Admiral Gerd Glang, director of N.O.A.A. Office of Coast Survey. "I've seen a popular t-shirt that has a 'definition' of a nautical chart splayed across the front: 'chärt, n: a nautical map that shows you what you just hit.' As creative as that is, a boating accident can kill. Keeping a nautical chart on hand - to avoid hitting something - can save lives."
The beta test for MyNOAACharts will expire this Labor Day, Sept. 2. Coast Survey will then evaluate usage and user feedback to decide whether to release a finished version of the app.
"Expanding the app across a multitude of platforms, ensuring easy accessibility to over a thousand charts and nearly 5,000 pages of U.S. Coast Pilot, will take considerable resources," Glang said. "We can do it if the boating community likes the app. We truly want the users to let us know if the app meets their needs."
Boaters without an Android tablet should not despair. The Office of Coast Survey provides free BookletCharts, which are eight ½" x 11" PDF versions of N.O.A.A. nautical charts that can be downloaded and printed at home. The U.S. Coast Pilot is also accessible in a free PDF version. Those products, and information for purchasing other nautical products, are accessible at www.nauticalcharts.noaa.gov.
Important notice for commercial mariners: The mobile app MyNOAACharts and the BookletCharts do not fulfill chart carriage requirements for regulated commercial vessels under Titles 33 and 46 of the Code of Federal Regulations.
NOAA's Office of Coast Survey, originally formed by President Thomas Jefferson in 1807, is the nation's nautical chartmaker. Its hydrographers survey the coastal seafloor, respond to maritime emergencies and search for underwater dangers to navigation. Join Coast Survey on Twitter and check out the N.O.A.A. Coast Survey Blog for more in-depth coverage of surveying and charting.
NOAA's mission is to understand and predict changes in the Earth's environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and to conserve and manage our coastal and marine resources. Join us on Facebook, Twitter and our other social media channels.
