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Question 3: without regard to financial constraints, what 

 immediate program actions are required to ensure navigation 

 safety? What other program activities are required in the longer 

 term for NOAA to fulfill its navigation-related responsibilities? 



Answer: There are several program areas that need to be worked 

 on simultaneously. These are discussed below. 



Nautical Surveys 



Areas of critical need should be surveyed as quickly as possible. 

 Equip hydrographic. survey ships, launches, and shore-based field 

 parties with current state-of-the-art technology including 

 differential Global Positioning Systems, high-speed high- 

 resolution side-scan sonar and shallow water multibeam 

 echosounders and ensure that well-trained personnel are available 

 to carry out these surveys. Bring airborne laser hydrographic 

 technology into use operationally in suitable areas. Expand 

 photogrammetric shoreline mapping and bring airborne 

 multispectral scanning technology into operational use. Augment 

 NOAA personnel and equipment with contract surveys. Evaluate the 

 effectiveness, productivity, quality, and cost of contract 

 surveys to determine if they are an efficient long-term 

 alternative to additional NOAA ships, launches, and field 

 parties. 



Digital Nautical Information 



Complete the loading of the new digital nautical charting 

 production system. Bring the system into operational use to 

 produce both traditional paper charts and electronic chart 

 products. Equip the existing hydrographic data processing 

 centers with the necessary hardware and software to process the 

 data collected using the new technologies. Ensure that personnel 

 are capable of effectively utilizing this equipment. 



Marine Forecasting 



Develop a national Physical Oceanography Real-Time System (PORTS) 

 for the provision of real-time and forecast currents, water 

 levels, and local meteorological parameters (especially wind) to 

 the maritime community. This includes installation of PORTS 

 systems in major harbors and estuaries, and development of a 

 modern real-time-based forecasting capability. In the interim, 

 update the NOAA Tidal Current Tables (which are badly out of date 

 for most of the nation's waterways) by analysis of new data 

 acquired by NOS from circulation surveys and of data sought out 

 from other oceanographic institutions. 



