The Department of Defense produces charts to meet the needs of 

 national defense and provides nautical charts and marine 

 navigational data of overseas areas for the vessels of this and other 

 nations. Last year, in a move to streamline Defense mapping activ- 

 ities, the Defense Mapping Agency was established, and the Navy's 

 responsibilities for preparing marine charting and geodetic products 

 were transferred to the new agency. The Navy still retains the 

 mission and resources for the collection of data and for related basic 

 and applied research for marine charting and geodetics of ocean 

 areas. 



The major marine charting and geodesy effort of the Department of 

 Defense is in surveys of the deep ocean. In 1972, 242,000 track miles 

 of data were collected by bathymetric survey ships, and 134,200 

 track miles by oceanographic survey ships. The level of survey effort 

 is expected to remain the same in 1973 and 1974. 



The year saw 94 new charts produced for general navigation, 542 

 corrected charts published, and 40 new charts reproduced from 

 foreign charts under bilateral agreements. To date there are 26 

 ratified chart agreements with foreign hydrographic offices. In 

 addition, more than 6,000 maritime safety messages were broad- 

 cast. The Defense Department's nautical chart library loaned more 

 than 6,000 charts and received more than 2,500 new ones from 

 domestic and foreign producers. The Department of Defense in 1972 

 surveyed the coasts of several foreign countries, under bilateral 

 agreement, and the Harbor Survey Assistance Program provided 

 equipment and technical expertise to eight Central and South 

 American nations. 



With respect to the technology of chart production, the Navy 

 continued its efforts last year to determine the potential of using 

 methods of data analysis for depth sounding and sub-bottom profil- 

 ing along non-linear tracks, and completed development of a 

 technique for semi-automatic plotting of shallow-water bottom 

 topography from remote-sensor data. The Defense Mapping Agency 

 is also supporting major development efforts in the use of auto- 

 mated cartography techniques. 



NOAA's National Ocean Survey, which charts the waters of the 

 United States and possessions, continued to provide a varied family 

 of cartographic products. Substantial progress was made in 1972 to 

 provide a new data base for nautical charts, bathymetric maps, 

 Coast Guard and Navy requirements, marine environmental quality 

 assessment, ocean engineering, and other studies associated with 

 the development of our continental shelf and adjacent areas. 



Last year NOAA's hydrographic survey ships worked off the 

 coasts of Alaska, California, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, 

 Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New York, 

 Puerto Rico, South Carolina, the Virgin Islands, and Washington. 

 Wire drag operations were conducted in Chesapeake Bay, off the 

 Texas coast, and in Rosario Strait, Washington. In 1973, NOAA 



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