64 THE NAVY OCEANOGRAPHIC OPERATIONS PROGRAM 



provided is the participation in formulation of the design criteria 

 for establishing safe, efficient, and standardized aircraft terminal 

 procedures. 



To ensure that existing aeronautical chart and flight information 

 products are accurate, current, and in the most usable format, 

 continuing liaison is maintained between the chart producer and 

 operational commands in the Fleet. All requests or indications 

 of new or updated user requirements are reviewed and analyzed, 

 followed by product or service development and evaluation. The 

 previously mentioned special series of anti-submarine warfare 

 charts was developed in this manner. 



Close liaison is maintained with domestic and foreign mapping 

 and charting agencies, as well as operational users, in an effort 

 to standardize format, content, and production techniques. This 

 effort is directed toward inter-changeability of products and 

 elimination of duplication. 



WORLD MAGNETIC CHARTING 



Although some knowledge of the elementary principles of 

 magnetism existed earlier, considerable interest and concern have 

 been manifest in magnetic information since the time of Columbus. 

 Since then, maritime nations have zealously and continually 

 acquired magnetic data, primarily for use in publishing world 

 magnetic charts for the benefit of navigators. 



The first attempt at oceanic magnetic surveying was made by 

 the British astronomer Edmund Halley, who observed magnetic 

 variation in the Atlantic in 1698-1700. Halley published his first 

 chart in 1701 and erroneously believed that he could obtain the 

 longitude of a ship at sea by comparing his chart with the obser- 

 vations made on board the ship. 



The United States collection of world magnetic data dates back to 

 the U. S. Exploring Expedition of 1838-1842, under the command 

 of Navy Lieutenant Charles Wilkes, but it was not until 1881 that 

 collection of such data was undertaken on a large-scale, continuing 

 basis. All wooden ships of the U. S. Navy were requested to 

 make and report magnetic observations for the purpose of pro- 

 ducing a chart showing the declination of the compass throughout 

 the oceans of the world. The first such chart was published by 



