NOAA plans to stop paper chart production

This is why I say that if a ship switches to ECDIS it requires a full commitment. Setting up is not something that can be done half-assed.

It’s not just a matter of entering waypoints. Other elements of voyage planning are required at setup time as well.

I’m sure “cost cutting” was listed someplace !! , and maybe in the ‘darker’ print something about liability issues? Whatever it takes to be progressive.

Isn’t that why we don’t have a loran back-up to GPS? Except that good traditional paper charts have more advantages than just being a back-up.

So what could possibly go wrong in today’s digital age?

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NOAA’s report on sunsetting raster charts:

Seems like plenty is “to be determined.”
I’m not even sure if the specifications for RTCM class A, B or C electronic charting system (ECS) have been determined for software such as Rosepoint or Nobeltec. Some growing pains ahead.

They have some advantages but they come at a big cost. Sailing world-wide is a big portfolio to maintain. All the charts have to be the most current edition, the ones in use must be corrected to the latest edition and the route charts must have the track line, no-go areas etc marked.

This adds up to a lot of time, effort and expense. That’s a lot for a back-up that likely will never get used.

The navigators time and attention is a limited resource. Based on my experience that time and effort spend on maintaining that paper portfolio is better spend, from a risk perspective, on ensuring the ECDIS is 100%

As far as paper charts in general, they represent information and a way to solve navigation problems in graphic form. There are other ways to solve the problem.

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