NOAA to stop printing paper charts

[IRGuy]

Here is an extract from a message sent out by NOAA recently...

"Effective April 1, 2014, the federal government will no longer print the traditional lithographic (paper) nautical charts.

"NOAA continues to provide the nation’s nautical charts in a variety of forms — including full-size nautical chart PDF (Portable Document Format) files on a trial basis. And we continue to support the entrepreneurs who use NOAA nautical charts in their development of new navigation products and services."

I am certain we can blame George Bush for this!

[Rawleigh]

Don't worry, the chart plotter will never stop working!! Yeah, right!!

[PeterPalmieri]

I'm reading that to mean NOAA will not be physically printing charts, but will provide all of the relevant data via PDF, private companies that sell charts have no reason to stop printing and selling them.

[Capt.Frank]

When I worked at a marina back in 2000 and NOAA was telling us back then. That they were going to stop printing back then. The owner was told to buy a printer so he could just print the charts people need. The funny part was the printer took a hour to print each chart. The CG still require paper charts on boats as back up. I guess we will find out in time what the plan will be.

[Navatech]

I guess we will find out in time what the plan will be.

The "plan" is pretty straight forward IMHO:

1) NOAA will continue to collect and disseminate the data (albeit in electronic format only).
2) "Entrepreneurs" will use this NOAA data to print nautical charts "on demand".
3) We (the users) will use the NOAA data in our electronic gadgets (e.g. plotters).
4) We (the users) will (should) have nautical charts printed "on demand" as backups. Whether printed out by ourselves (will require a suitable printer) or printed out by "Entrepreneurs".

I really don't see the problem here. The data will continue to be updated. The data will be available for both our electronic gadgets and in the form of paper charts. The one thing that won't be available is paper charts printed by NOAA.

[Peter]

It wasn't a year ago I was at a restaurant with my wife and the tables were paper charts epoxied over. Kinda low end nautical kitch...

They are elegant bits of industrial art in their own way, fun to study and full of information you missed "last time" each time you do.

I said: "It won't be long now before these are collector's items."

Sad to see 'em go,

If you have a few that aren't trashed your great-gandkids will cherish them one day.

Peter