Evidently POD (Print on Demand) charts are approved, just not the PDF versions.
This is from the Coast Pilot as of Jan 2023
Print On Demand charts are different than the NOAA Custom Charts. POD charts from PDFs may be printed on a large enough printer, and as long as the scale calibration bar on the lower left is the right size, as indicated there in the coast pilot. But that is for the Raster Charts.
The NOAA custom charts have different warnings and lables and do not meet carriage requements.
Also note the instructions say to render a new chart when information is updated.
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In order to produce corrections for a chart the extent and scale has to be known.
Currently, in the case of the custom charts, the extent at least, is not known, itâs a custom chart. In this case solving the problem of producing corrections is a technical issue (each chart might have a different set of corrections)
However in the case of a POD chart, the extent and scale are known. And as long as the chart is not cancelled corrections can be produced. Once a chart is cancelled however that update system no longer provides corrections in the NTM, even though the extent and scale is still known, that seems more like an administrative issue.
However, changes in the positions and characteristics of buoys, beacons and lights, and other ânotice-worthyâ items will continue to arise. There will still be a need to know the âgeneral neighborhoodâ in which various features of interest are situated. The USCG and other federal organizations, including NOAA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are collaborating within the Waterway Harmonization Project to develop a common, standardized set of georeferenced points of interest throughout U.S. navigable waters. From this, a hierarchical set of names are being developed for precisely defined bodies of water. These waterway names will provide a way to âdrill downâ to identify distinct locations, such as âAtlantic Seacoast > Chesapeake Bay > Potomac River > St Marys River.â The names will ultimately replace chart numbers in Local Notice to Mariners, Light Lists, the Coast Pilot, and other documents that currently reference NOAA chart numbers.
Looks like an NTM replacement is in the works.
Looks like a hell of a lot of work to solve a problem that was solved a long time ago by 2 x Ecdis on the bridge.
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Not necessarily an argument but I think the regulation needs to be written to say exactly what is required and use of the word electronic, GPS or whatever. The people that will interpret what it means exactly are lawyers in court. We all know what mariners are supposed to do.
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Also, Video and other sensor type monitoring will take over. Hard to say where all of this is headed. USCG will be the judge on incidents as always. Electronic corrections are great as long as they can be verified as effective and current.
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I see a few people posting that they prefer to navigate with ARCS charts. Thatâs all well and good, but the USCG does not allow the use of ARCS charts when using an ECS as the primary means of navigation. Itâs an ongoing issue that I see frequently, and one that at some point the USCG will begin to enforce.
This seems irrelevant. The bridge of a large, modern ship is going to have a lot of electronics in including more then one ECDIS. On the other hand someone slipping a canoe onto the lake for a short paddle is typically going to have no instruments.
Somewhere along that spectrum presumably thereâs going to be mariners who require paper charts for one reason or another.
Currently RECs around the country are still using the most up to date chart available to test for FCP. There is a discussion with NOAA / USCG / Pilot operations around the country as to how to proceed with FCP testing now that the NOAA charts at going away. The NOAA CCT (Custom Chart Tool) is the logical place to get new / up to date testing charts. However, as of right now most RECs do not feel that the CCT is detailed enough, consistent enough or works well enough to use for test chart creation. (When switching thru the different layers in the CCT the land outline completely changes and looses detail in the âblank chartâ layer.)
RECs are waiting for NOAA to upgrade the CCT system before switching to solely using the CCT for pilot test chart creation.
When they do finally get the CCT working well enough to use, each REC will likely have their own custom chart catalog of charts for pilotage routes. Blank pilotage test charts can then be created from that chart catalog.
Just like it is now, each REC will have their own process.
Hope that helps
PilotTestCharts