NOAA calls the end of paper nautical charts

The official announcement is at the NOAA site: http://www.nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/staff/news/2013/papercharts.html

For the next 3 months (starting from the October 22nd) it will be possible to freely download the existing NOAA charts in pdf format, for those who want to print them by themselves: http://www.nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/pdfcharts/

Hurry up folks!

 

Yes, its about time. NOAA should concentrate is budget on science and hydro graphics and get out of the retail paper business.

Retail is for third parties who purchase NOAA data and resell at the marine store

 

As far as. I know the british admiralty is also getting out the paper business

 

Charts

A story with some tips from SA:

The US Government announced yesterday that it would no longer print navigational charts after April as a cost-saving measure, but don’t run to your favorite Print On Demand retailer just yet, because you can now download pretty much every navigational chart in the NOAA catalog for free – at least for 3 months.

They’re now in PDF format, and The Man is allowing your download of the free files for three months starting today. What’s that mean? You can print them yourself. Pick up a Canon PRO-100 or similar wide-format prosumer photo printer for a couple hundred bucks (with certain promotions) and some weatherproof paper and you can wallpaper your house with NOAA nav charts for the cost of ink and paper. Still don’t understand how? First, find the charts you are looking for with the Chart Catalog. Write down the numbers of the charts you want, then go to the PDF list and right click on ‘em. ”Save linked file as” whatever you like, then print to your heart’s content.And if you’re looking for better charts than NOAA’s ever were, look to the East.

 

Stop this free stuff. You are already bankrupt. Giving away free intellectual property to the rest of the world is absurd.

If youre not careful this intellectual property will end up in china. Printed, packaged, then resold in Walmart.

 

would this be a bad thing? if it saves from having the coast guard from rescuing hapless sailors by giving away maps, it will save the government money in the long run.

 

The chinese will be using and profiting from Us taxpayer funded intellectual property.

Not good.

If the chinese would like to purchase this data, repackage then sell in Wamart , you have a winner



The US has something like 200 trillion dollars in unfunded liabilities.

Stop the free ride.

The british admirality does not give away its data for free. British sailors are not shipwrecked because of it.

 

Even Michael gets it right once in awhile ....

 

In a long run you have a good point.
Hydrography is a public service, and who care where the maps are going.
I think the US is helping by doing that. It is not a bad cause.
Sailor around the world are all the same, and all maps should be free.
It is time a country start the trend.
If the English sell the electonics maps they are wrong to do so.
I don't see an intellectual property of something existing for billion of years, therefore the maps are a copy of something allready existing.

 

Creating hydrographic maps is a task which requires big economic resources. You need ships and airplanes equipped with mapping devices, infrastructures which will host the army of specialist personnel (whose high-level education and training is also a cost) for gathering, analyzing and elaborating the data, and a lots of high-value man-hours. It is all costs which third parties can avoid by taking the free maps created by the NOAA. If the third party is the Chinese, you have the final situation of all the costs payed by the US taxpayers and all the profit pouring into the pockets of the Chinese. Who's the winner in that situation?

If someone has to benefit economically from the free maps created and offered by the NOAA then it's imo much better for you US folks to have american private companies print and sell them. At least the money stays in your house.

However, the maps will be offered for free for just 3 months. After that, they will be printed on-demand by the NOAA, and it will probably not be for free, so the money will remain in the house anyways.

 

Free free free

Heehaw!!

While your at it why not throw in free health care ! I just burnt 5 grand on next years policy

Come to think of it...free beer !!! sailors all over the world will celebrate !

 

Health care didn't exist naturally. It is a human process, as well as the manufacturing of beer.
Michael you know better than starting a political feud comparing health care with mapping.
If you write "health care" we will be on big trouble since the next will be "Climate change" then "Global warming" then "Pollution" and then the thread closed.
Just kidding.

Map for free? sure, and we do it!

 

We probably have Chinese components payed by Chinese taxpayers or sweat shop workers. I don't know.
I think greed will be always in the picture, and profiteering will exist as long as the human exist. But free electronics maps, you can download and print your self or download in you PC still the way to go, and I am glad as a US tax payer to participate, even if the Chinese will make a profit.
For the greater good is more important than trying to corner a market at any cost.
I sail, with free electronic maps, which I print myself or look at on my PC with my free use of the GPS organization, protected for free by the Coast Guard. I pay taxes for all that, and I am glad to do so. At least they don't double dip like so many other agencies.

 

Its not a fight, its simply stateing that free stuff doesnt work.

 

I know what you mean, but remember nothing is free.
The maps are free because we, as a US tax payer, pay for it. That was my point.
And if everyone in the world can use them, the better.
And yes in that particular case, it works.