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A ship navigates through a waterway in Goose Creek, South Carolina.
Each day, thousands of vessels, from small boats to large ships, travel within and around our ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes regions, whether for recreational purposes or to support our economy. But with factors such as changing weather, underwater hazards, tidal movements, and busy waterways, how do we make sure that navigators travel safely?
For hundreds of years, nautical charts have helped people navigate safely on the water, providing important information on features such as water depths, coastlines, navigation channels, and more. Since our ocean and coastal areas are constantly changing, nautical charts play a critical role by providing navigators with the most accurate and up-to-date information available about the areas they are traveling through, helping them make informed decisions while on the water.
In this tutorial, you’ll learn about what nautical charts are — including how they’re created, the tools and data used to make them, how they’ve been developed throughout time, and what the future of nautical charts looks like. Visit each section of this tutorial to learn more about the fascinating and important world of nautical navigation!
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