NOAA nixing paper charts

Thanks to Ralph for posting the information accurately. I will add that if one looks at the Custom Chart Prototype I think you will be impressed by the improvement they are seeking to achieve.

Here is the document explaining what is underway. https://nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/publications/docs/raster-sunset.pdf

Here is the Custom Chart Prototype.

https://devgis.charttools.noaa.gov/pod/

NOAA hasn't printed charts for some time and others will continue to print from the ENC charts and from the custom charts.

Our only use of paper charts is that we currently print them out for our niece to stick pins in and track where we are along our way when she's with us. However, for looking at where we are and are going, she greatly prefers electronic and finds paper outdated. I might mention that she is five years old. She loves to look at the plotter underway and fully knows the ability to open it to a wider view and to zoom in.

For navigation purposes, we don't use paper in the US and haven't ever done so as we just started 7 years ago.

Here is a document on the study by the International Hydrographic Organization.

https://www.iho.int/mtg_docs/com_wg..._EN_Future of the Paper Nautical Chart_v1.pdf

As to larger commercial ships, they are required to use ECDIS and they are required to have back up but nowhere does it specify that they have a paper backup.

It is anticipated that most paper for those who desire it for whatever reason, in the future will be printed from the electronic charts. So, one set of charts will be maintained by NOAA and others and that is the electronic version. Then paper will be produced, where desired, from that.

Here is an excerpt from the document:

Regulations Related to the use of Paper and Electronic Charts The International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS), Chapter V, Regulation 19, "Carriage requirements for shipborne navigational systems and equipment," specifies that "All ships, irrespective of size, shall have nautical charts and nautical publications to plan and display the ship’s route for the intended voyage and to plot and monitor positions throughout the voyage. An electronic chart display and information system (ECDIS) is also accepted as meeting the chart carriage requirements of this subparagraph." The Future of the Paper Nautical Chart 2 Preliminary Report / 10 April 2019 In July 2018, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) mandated requirement for most commercial vessels on international voyages to use an Electronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS) with Electronic Navigational Charts (ENCs) came into full effect. Some national maritime authorities now also allow commercial ships on domestic voyages to navigate entirely with ENCs. Many recreational boaters have also embraced the use of electronic charts. Although many of these users still keep some paper charts as a back-up, the sales of paper charts has diminished significantly over the past decade while use of ENCs has increased significantly. The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) defines various maritime limits, over which coastal states have certain rights, such as Territorial Seas, Contiguous Zones, Exclusive Economic Zones, and the Continental Shelf. The convention states the need to publish these limits on charts and deposit them with the United Nations, but the convention does not specify whether the charts are to be paper or electronic. It may be time for more nations to start publishing their maritime limits on ENCs and deposit them with UN using the new S-121 format. This would also support the greater use of GIS technology to share information and identify inconsistencies.
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Specific changes as of July 2018, ECDIS is no longer optional.

My understanding is that in order to sail paperless, compliant vessels must have 2 independent ECDIS on board and the crew must have passed ECDIS training as well as type specific training.

The ECDIS training isn't optional on boats of that size and type. As of July 2018, ECDIS is a requirement. 2 Independent ECDIS is typically the way ships meet the requirement, but not the only way. Backup to the primary ECDIS system is required. It does not have to be another complete ECDIS system.

Training is typically a five day course.

We have ECDIS on two of our boats and are certified.

STCW 3000 has both ARPA and ECDIS as optional but they put a limitation on your license for not having either of them. For all practical matter, you're going to be on boats with ECDIS so you must have it.

For less than 3000, STCW makes it optional, but even there if you're on a boat with it, you'll need it.

Here is the gist of it:

1. NOAA currently produces two raw chart products. One is for electronic use and the other for paper use. They intend to, in the future, only produce the electronic product.

2. From the single product they produce, which is demonstrated on their site, electronic chart systems and the printing of paper charts will originate. Production will be shut down for all raster chart products and services associated with traditional NOAA paper nautical charts.

3. NOAA will not print any charts themselves but 3rd parties will continue to do so and individuals will continue to be able to do so from their website.

Unlike today, printed charts will be identical to electronic in both format and timing.

We have noticed the issue they're addressing as when our niece travels with us, we print her paper charts so she can mark each place we go and where we are on them. Now, at 5 years old she also loves looking at the electronic charts. We were amazed when she pointed out to us that there was a difference in the paper chart just printed from NOAA's web site and the electronic chart just updated overnight. The electronic was, upon further examination, more detailed and more current.

Thanks for the concise recap. We haven't worried about electronic versus paper, but I'm more used to raster versus vector... so we routinely have/use both formats "electronically." I guess I'll have to personally become more comfortable with vector displays.

-Chris

That's a bit of how I look at it. Some people will be looking at something different than what they're use to and people on the whole don't like change, but NOAA also needs to not stand still and make improvements when they can. I'd suggest just a few looks at the samples they've shown give me a good feeling about where they are headed.

It's too bad the headlines are so often misleading and don't represent what is really happening at all. This time, their own wording certainly contributed but then fear mongers that the world of paper was coming to an end quickly jumped in. The opening post of this thread is one of many examples online.

Now, I do ask Judy, what is the benefit of cursive writing? You lament it's death too. My wife does have a beautiful cursive technique but seldom uses it. I haven't written in cursive since early childhood other than to sign my name and my signature was once very pretty, but now is basically unreadable. If you can read it, then it was forged.

Cursive is faster to write than standard letters as most letters are a single pen stroke, versus stopping and moving the pen.

But who writes anything for which speed is needed. We use our computers for fast writing. We print to fill our forms if we don't have them on computer. Very few hand write letters and, even then, speed isn't important. Add to that the fact that cursive is harder to read.