Sunday, February 3, 2008

Marine Charts

Marine charts are maps for inland, coastal, and deep-water navigation. Charts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) are commonly used for boating. They provide such important information as water depth, buoy locations, channel markers, and shipping lanes. See www.noaa.gov/charts.html for more on NOAA charts.
Marine charts aren’t available for all bodies of water. If you’re boating on a lake or a river, you’ll probably use a topographic map for navigation.

If you’re more of a sailor than a landlubber, check out Marine Navigator at www.maptech.com. This commercial marine-navigation program displays NOAA charts, aerial photographs, 3-D ocean-bottom contours, and tide and current tables.

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