All About Nautical Charts Tutorial: Roadmap to Resources

These resources allow students and educators to take a deeper dive into the topics presented in the All About Nautical Charts Tutorial.

All URLs provided below were reviewed and accurate at the time of this page’s publication. If you should come across a nonoperational link, please contact NOAA Ocean Service Education at oceanserviceseducation@noaa.gov.

NOAA Office of Coast Survey

• NOAA Office of Coast Survey

  The NOAA Office of Coast Survey is the nation’s premier nautical chartmaker. Their work is essential for safe navigation in U.S. waters, the flow of goods through U.S. ports, and the resiliency of coastal economies and environments. Coast Survey is responsible for surveying the seafloor, developing navigation products, services, and data-driven models, and reopening ports and waterways following disasters.

• NOAA Office of Coast Survey: Educational Activities

  Explore the educational materials, interactive games, animations, and activities designed to help students of all ages learn about Coast Survey and the important work they do.

• History of Coast Survey

  Learn about the history of Coast Survey as the nation’s oldest scientific agency.

Nautical Charts

• What is a nautical chart?

  Learn more about nautical charts and the important purpose they serve in helping mariners navigate safely.

• How do we make nautical charts?

  Explore how Coast Survey creates and updates nautical charts, including the data they collect and the tools they use to gather that information.

• What do the numbers mean on a nautical chart?

  Discover what the different numbers on a nautical chart represent.

• What’s the difference between a nautical chart and a map?

  Compare the differences between nautical charts and traditional maps to better understand the purpose that each one serves.

• What is a historical map or chart?

  Learn about historical charts and how they are useful for understanding what the areas they depict once looked like.

• Where do I get nautical charts?

  Find out where navigators can access official nautical charts for our ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes regions.

• Nautical Cartography

  Explore the science and art of designing, compiling, updating, and distributing nautical charts.

• NOAA Electronic Navigational Charts (ENCs)

  Learn about and explore NOAA's electronic navigational charts, the digital nautical charts used in today's navigation systems.

• U.S. Chart No. 1

  Learn about the symbols, abbreviations, and terms used on nautical charts using NOAA’s official chart symbol guide.

• NOAA Chart Locator

  Search for and explore NOAA’s nautical charts using the interactive NOAA Chart Locator.

Hydrography

• What is hydrography?

  Learn about hydrography — the science of measuring and describing the physical features of bodies of water.

• Hydrography

  Explore the science that goes into gathering information about the seafloor and underwater features to create nautical charts.

• Hydrographic Surveying

  Learn how Coast Survey conducts hydrographic surveys, including how the data is used and where it is stored.

• Hydrographic Survey Data

  Read more about the types of data Coast Survey collects during their hydrographic surveys, as well as their historic survey data.

• History of Hydrographic Surveying

  Learn about the history of hydrographic surveying and how techniques have changed throughout time.