The final program element is modernize navigation and position- 

 ing services. NOAA will meet the Nation's needs for the next dec- 

 ade's marine and aeronautical navigation systems that electronical- 

 ly integrate accurate chart data, global positioning system-based lo- 

 cations, and real-time environmental information. 



A basic responsibility of NOAA, deeply rooted in its history and 

 written into law, is to provide charts and related information for 

 the safe navigation of marine and air commerce. 



These products and services are even more vital today than they 

 have been in the past. Transportation, defense, science, public 

 works and recreation depend on these services. No other agency or 

 organization in the country gathers these data or responds to these 

 needs. 



But, today, NOAA faces the prospect of being unable to discharge 

 these responsibilities effectively for a number of reasons: 



First, NOAA's charting products are becoming inadequate be- 

 cause of lack of maintenance. 



Second, new navigation and positioning technology has improved 

 productivity, thereby changing user requirements for these serv- 

 ices. The new technology of digital chart data for use with the rap- 

 idly-emerging electronic chart systems can help avoid accidents 

 such as the recent Exxon Valdez disaster. 



In the air, a new generation of navigation data sets will be re- 

 quired for the developing air traffic control Advanced Automation 

 System and the new microwave or satellite-based instrument land- 

 ing systems. 



Finally, there is an increasing demand for consistent, compatible 

 data bases for the increasing use of Geographic Information Sys- 

 tems, the so-called GIS. This investment has limited value if the 

 data are not based on accurate, compatible coordinates. 



The Strategic Plan describes a program to update nautical sur- 

 veys, develop and distribute digital nautical information and mod- 

 ernize marine forecasting. 



Providing modern aeronautical charts is another important 

 NOAA role. Airspace and airport capacity is projected to increase 

 by 20 percent by 1999 and another 20 percent by 2005. NOAA plans 

 to fully support the FAA's requirements for digital data and prod- 

 ucts and for new products to support Global Positioning System- 

 based navigation systems. 



Supporting the four environmental stewardship program ele- 

 ments is an infrastructure portfolio that devotes significant atten- 

 tion to the need for infrastructure improvements. Among these are 

 bringing NOAA's 443 staffed facilities, when necessary, into envi- 

 ronmental compliance. NOAA has more than a thousand buildings 

 at its facilities, including laboratories, office buildings and forecast 

 offices. 



The Plan, of course, also devotes considerable attention to the en- 

 vironmental assessments and prediction mission of NOAA. For ex- 

 ample, ocean color and surface winds from the Japanese satellite 

 ADEOS will be made available in support of ocean science and op- 

 erations. 



In addition, NOAA's CoastWatch directly supports intergovern- 

 mental cooperative coastal science and management by providing 



