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The Office of Coast Survey, a part of the National Ocean Service, is responsible for the nautical charts of U.S. coastal waters. Its Hydrographic Surveys Division directs the NOAA Ship Rainier in conducting hydrographic operations.
The Hydrographic Surveys Division (HSD) writes project letter instructions and specifications explaining where and how Rainier will perform survey projects. A list of proposed projects is provided to Rainier before the field season begins. Rainier coordinates with HSD and the Marine Operations Center to fulfill requirements and operational constraints.
Critical survey areas are determined based on a variety of factors, including marine traffic, feedback from mariners, and inadequate prior surveys. Sometimes a special project will come up based on natural disasters or other urgent requests.
Once a project is approved, Rainier’s Field Operations Officer will assign smaller survey areas to junior officers and survey technicians. The junior officers and survey technicians are responsible for drafting plans and conducting survey operations in accordance with project letter instructions and specifications. This includes gathering full multibeam coverage of the area up to the 4-meter curve, conducting shoreline verification, and ensuring all data is accurate and corrected.
Once survey acquisition and processing are complete, the junior officers and survey technicians draft a field sheet and analysis report. These deliverables are sent to the appropriate line offices for quality control checks and eventually end up on a new nautical chart. Shoal areas and obstructions considered hazardous to mariners are considered ‘Dangers to Navigation’ and are sent to the Coast Guard to be included in the Notice to Mariners. The Coast Pilots are also updated with the new information acquired by the hydrographers.