276 



Chapter 6 

 Services 



Technical and Operating 



Sea operations require a variety of serv- 

 ices provided chiefly by the Federal Gov- 

 ernment. Some have been covered in pre- 

 vious chapters; this cliapter covers general- 

 purpose majjping and charting, navigation, 

 safety and policing, data management, and 

 instrument calibration and standards serv- 

 ices. Major users of these services include the 

 marine transportation and fishing industries, 

 offshore oil and mineral producers, recrea- 

 tional boaters, the Department of Defen.se, 

 and the scientific community. The principal 

 agencies providing the services are the Coast 



Guard, the Environmental Science Services 

 Administration, the Navy, and the Army 

 Corps of Engineers. 



These services are marked by their inter- 

 relationships and a high degree of inter- 

 agency cooperation in the sharing of facili- 

 ties and services. There has been less success 

 in coordinating the staging of new technical 

 service activities so that programs are under- 

 taken in proper sequence, use compatible 

 data, and make maximum use of existing 

 ships and facilities. Xew technology is not 

 being sufficiently brought to bear in improve- 

 ment of the services, nor are the sen-ices being 

 reoriented sufficiently rapidly to meet chal- 

 lenges posed by new technology. 



Recommendations 



Action through 



Page 

 Ref. 



Provide maps of bathymetry and geophysics of continental 

 shelves and slopes to 2,500 meters at 1 :250,000-scale 

 within a decade (NOAA/ESSA) Leg./Admin. 



Accelerate Federal nautical charting activities to ensure 

 current charts of all coastal areas of moderate to heavy 

 marine activity (NOAA/ESSA) Admin. 



Develop survey equipment under NOAA lead and fully 

 equip ocean research and survey vessels with the most 

 advanced sensor and data processing systems Admin. 



Increase navigational accuracies and develop low-cost 

 systems for undersea navigation of civilian submer- 

 sibles (NOAA/Coast Guard) Admin. 



Recodify laws on vessel safety standards, extend certifica- 

 tion to civil submersibles, and provide safety stand- 

 ards for commercial fishing vessels (NOAA/Coast 

 Guard) Leg. 



Adopt and enforce the Model State Boat Act and adopt 

 legislation proposed by Coast Guard to establish mini- 

 mum safety standards in the manufacture of pleasure 

 boats Non-Fed. & Leg. 



Certify sport diving equipment and assure training and 

 emergency medical care facilities and services (NOAA/ 

 Coast Guard) Admin. 



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