[Rhodes22-list] NOAA's PLANS TO DISCONTINUE PAPER CHARTS

[peter klappert]

This is from the current issue of PRACTICAL SAILOR. I hope Rhodies will
pipe up and write comments to the NOAA address at the end.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is seeking public
comment on ending production of traditional paper nautical charts. The
transition to Electronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS) set
for 2025 is already underway, but this does not mean the end of backup
paper charts, and hopefully not the end of the navigational skills
associated with traditional pilotage. Even if you do not intend to make a
public comment (see link at bottom), here are just a few cautions regarding
digital-only navigation to consider.

*Overreliance:* Digital-only navigation can foster overreliance on
electronics and erode the traditional skills that keep us safe. So long as
the world remains unpredictable, traditional
piloting skills and watchkeeping habits will be essential.

*Garbage in garbage out:* Electronic navigation depends on inputs from
onboard sensors that can have faults. The clearest example is a plotter
that continues to operate in dead reckoning mode, when GPS data drops out.
While most plotters indicate dropped signals with visual or audible alarms,
these alarms can be missed or fail to sound. Navigators need charts and
traditional skills to cross-check their e-charts, sensors and equipment.

*Operator error: *Our coverage of Vestas grounding (see *PS* July 2015
<https://www.practical-sailor.com/issues/37_55/index.html>) incident is the
clearest example of what happens when the navigator misuses the ship’s
navigation system. In that case, the navigator input a route that put the
boat on a well-charted reef. The
error would have been obvious if he had been using the right scale or a
paper chart during route planning.

*Alarm deafness: *If an alarm sounds repeatedly, navigators tend to ignore
them—or simply deactivate them. Choose the alarms appropriate for the
circumstances. Log all alarms and investigate before acknowledging. No
alarm should be deactivated without a very good reason.

*Evolving skill sets:* When you learn to navigate by chart, the skills you
developed can be applied to all charts. Although international standards
for electronic charting equipment exist, not all equipment conforms to
these standards, and there is a wide variation in design. Even skilled
navigators must relearn when using new equipment. This is a particularly
important consideration for sailors looking to upgrade equipment or switch
brands.

*Scale errors: *Every navigator needs to be aware of errors involving
scale. Small hazards can disappear when zoomed out, and looming obstacles
on your route are invisible on small scale views. Every digital chart has a
scale minimum, and using it below this minimum can lead to big trouble.

*Information Overload:* Today’s chartplotters often combine huge array of
data on one screen with overlays, etc. Options such as video inputs that
have nothing to do with navigation further complicate the picture.

For more information on NOAA’s plans, see its Nov. 15, 2019 press release
on its website:  *https://bit.ly/2sPtBEz
<https://www.nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/updates/noaa-seeks-public-comment-on-ending-production-of-traditional-paper-nautical-charts/>.*

The *PS* July 2015 report, “Operator Error Strands Vestas Wind
<https://www.practical-sailor.com/issues/37_55/features/Operator-Error-Strands-Vestas-Wind_11751-1.html>,”
offers a fuller discussion of risks associated with using electronic charts.