12 SEPTEMBER 2017 • FOGHORN FOGHORNFOCUS: TECHNOLOGY FOGHORN: Tell us a little about NOAA’s Office of Coast Survey. What is its history? And, what does OCS do? Crescent Moegling: President Thomas Jefferson created the U.S. Coast Survey in 1807 to provide nautical charts that would help the young nation with safe shipping, national defense, and maritime boundaries. Two centuries later, Coast Survey – now an office within NOAA – continues to provide navigation products and services that ensure safe and efficient maritime commerce on America’s oceans and coastal waters, and in the Great Lakes. How does Coast Survey’s mission intersect with the passenger vessel industry? Coast Survey assists mariners by creating and distributing navigation charts. The U.S. marine transportation system accounts for the 95,000 miles of coastline and 25,000 miles of navigable channels where passenger vessels operate. Coast Survey’s 11 Navigation Managers are strategically stationed in port areas along the U.S coasts and Great Lakes and work directly with pilots, mariners and port authorities to identify navigational challenges facing the marine transportation system. In short, Coast Survey strives to provide the resources and services needed to promote safe and efficient navigation and this definitely includes the passenger vessel industry. C rescent Moegling is a Navigation Manager with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. She is located at the Western Regional Center in Seattle, Washington and her region includes the Pacific Northwest. FOGHORN asked Crescent to share more information about NOAA charting as a follow up to a presentation she made at the PVAAnnual Convention at MariTrends 2017 in Seattle earlier this year. Advances in NOAA Charting in a Digital Age: Q&A with Crescent Moegling That’s a big job! Can you tell us more about the navigation charts you mentioned? It is a big job! While the navigation charts are the main product that Coast Survey provides and are useful for sup- porting navigation decisions, NOAA provides numerous other products and services like: • High resolution bathymetry • Tides & water levels • Weather • Currents • Winds • Wave heights Who are the partners you work with? There are many partners that Coast Survey works with. There are two federal agencies who share respon- sibilities with NOAA to chart U.S. waterways: the United States Coast Guard and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. In addition, we have part- nerships with several private contrac- tors who assist with surveying and mapping. NOAA makes and supports observations in the coastal ocean zone. Image source: NOAA