Steering Clear:
Enhancing Mariners’ Access to Marine Environmental Information
Information and education are essential tools in protecting sensitive marine resources from impacts by commercial and recreational ship traffic. In order to provide mariners with the tools they need to be more effective stewards of these resources, as well as avoiding the dangers and penalties associated with collisions and other impacts, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is working through a two-fold approach. First, NOAA is working through the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO), the global organization responsible for formulating standards for navigational information, to facilitate access to environmental information by mariners. Second, NOAA is engaged in a demonstration project to develop electronic data layers compatible with Electronic Navigational Charts (ENC) for the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.
Background
ENCs are increasingly used by mariners to provide inf
When a NOAA ENC and marine environmental information are displayed together on an electronic chart system, a vessel will be able to detect protected marine habitats in advance and plan travel routes accordingly to avoid crossing these sensitive areas. Shipboard electronic chart systems could be made to display warnings and regulations that pertain to protected areas, and could be made to sound alarms if a vessel’s projected course swerves too close to a sensitive area such as a coral reef.
Working toward an International Standard for Marine Environmental Information
NOAA is working through the IHO to gain adoption of a marine environmental data transfer and display standard to enable the use of such information on ships in conjunction with ENCs. The IHO has established minimal information standards for what should be contained in an ENC, such as shoreline, aids to navigation, depths, and hazards to navigation, but no standards have been developed to exchange or depict marine environmental information such as Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) or coral reefs in conjunction with ENCs.
NOAA is working closely with leaders in the world hydrographic and environmental communities to support the development of such a standard. A major milestone was achieved at the meeting of the IHO's Committee on Hydrographic Requirements for Information Systems (CHRIS) in November 2007, when the proposed Marine Environmental Protection Product Specification was accepted and referred to a special Working Group for further elaboration. Development and acceptance of this Product Specification is the initial step for the development of a standard. NOAA will be actively engaged in this Working Group and strive toward the adoption of this Product Specification by CHRIS in late 2008. Representatives from member states' environmental agencies and non-governmental organizations are encouraged to participate as technical experts on the Working Group. Once adopted, it will facilitate the distribution of information on MPAs, sensitive marine resources, and associated regulations to mariners worldwide.
Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Pilot Project
NOAA is also demonstrating the concept of Marine Environmental Protection Information Overlays for ENCs in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary area, by developing data layers of MPAs and coral reefs in an ENC-compatible format. The Florida Keys contains one of the world’s largest coral reef ecosystems that has been designated by the International Maritime Organization as a Particularly Sensitive Sea Area (PSSA). The project illustrates and helps address the challenges of navigating through a highly sensitive coral reef area with heavy commercial and recreational traffic and spatially complex environmental regulations. The new electronic data layers have been developed. These data layers will now be tested with appropriate Electronic Chart System (ECS) software to determine which software modifications may be required in order to properly display the data on a system. Once the software has been appropriately modified, it will be further tested in an ECS in a laboratory environment . Pending the results of the laboratory test, it is anticipated to be field-tested on an active vessel in 2008.
For More Information, Contact:
Erich Frey
Office of Coast Survey
National Ocean Service, NOAA
Erich.Frey@noaa.gov