These data show the general location of commercial and research submarine cables within U.S. waters. The majority of these cables are for telecommunications, and the remaining are for power transmission. The geographic footprint for each cable may vary and is dependent on the original source data. In the nearshore, cables are routinely buried below the seabed. In the offshore, they are placed directly on the seabed. A submarine cable area may contain one or more physical cables. 30 CFR 585.301 defines a minimum 100-foot-wide right of way grant on each side of a cable.

This layer shows coastal channels and waterways that are maintained and surveyed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. These channels are necessary transportation systems that serve economic and national security interests. The possibility of silting is always present. Local authorities should be consulted for the controlling depth. NOAA Charts frequently show controlling depths in a table, which is kept current by the U.S. Coast Guard Local Notice to Mariners.

These data show the boundaries for select vessel routing measures in U.S. waters. These measures are part of an international ships routing system established by the IMO. Routing systems are systems of predetermined routes and related measures that are recommended for use by, and may be made mandatory for, all ships, certain categories of ships or ships carrying certain cargoes when adopted and implemented in accordance with the guidelines and criteria developed by the [IMO] and are designed to contribute to the safety of life at sea, safety and efficiency of navigation, and/or protection of the marine environment. SOLAS Chapter V, reg. 10, para. 1. For coastal and ocean planning. Not for navigation.

These data show the geographic representation of Federal and State Waters for the purpose of display in the MarineCadastre.gov OceanReports application. The boundary between state and federal waters was determined by consulting The Submerged Lands Act (43 U.S.C. §§ 1301 et seq.), 48 U.S.C. §§ 1705 and The Abandoned Shipwreck Act (43 U.S.C. §§ 2101). Some boundary delineations based on the SLA were approximated in this data set, including areas in Hawaii, Alaska, and Washington State. Although state boarders do not extend over water, it was necessary to approximate these borders to produce this data set. The boundaries depicted in this data set are for visual purposes only. The placement of these boundaries was extrapolated from the Federal Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Administrative Boundaries as described here http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2006/pdf/05-24659.pdf. The delineation between waters under US sovereign territory jurisdiction and that of federal governance is also approximate. Although based upon legislation, these data do not represent legal boundaries, especially in the case of Navassa Island, The Northern Mariana Islands, Baker Island, Howland Island, Johnston Atoll, Kingman Reef, Palmyra Atoll, Wake Islands and Jarvis Island.The seaward limit of this data set is the boundary of the 200nm US Exclusive Economic Zone. The EEZ is measured from the US baseline, recognized as the low-water line along the coast as marked on NOAA's nautical charts in accordance with articles of the Laws of the Sea. These limits are ambulatory and subject to revision based on changes in coastline geometry. This dataset was produced based on an update to the Maritime Limits published in September, 2013. To view the most up-to-date Maritime Limits, please see http://www.nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/csdl/mbound.htm. Navassa Island does not have an EEZ around it, so the seaward extent of the federal waters surrounding it were based on the 12 mile offshore boundary of the USFWS National Wildlife Refuge established on the island. All data is displayed in WGS_1984_World_Mercator. Area calculations for all states except Alaska were completed in the same projection. Area calculations for Alaska were completed in Alaska Albers Equal Area Conic.

Anchorages are well-defined navigable waters where a vessel may safely drop anchor. The size, shape, and conditions for use of these areas can vary widely. Generally, anchorages are not used for an indefinite duration, nor are they routinely used for maintenance, repair, overhaul, bunkering, or sea trials.

These data show the location of ocean observing assets within U.S. waters, and the physical parameters generally collected at each platform or gauge.

A shore-based station that provides identity, time synchronization, and text messages, which report (message 4) every ten seconds and are identified by a 00MIDxxxxx MMSI. These stations can also transmit AIS ATON Reports (message 21) and Application Specific Messages (ASM, message 6 and message 8) for meteorological or hydrological information, marine safety information, etc. (see the IALA Application Specific Message Collection). The Coast Guard Light List maintains a list of U.S. stations that also act as AIS ATONs or transmit ASMs. In the United States, these stations are solely operated by the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) in the Nationwide Automatic Identification System, a nationwide network that supports all USCG missions and is designed to enhance the Coast Guards maritime domain awareness of vessels operating in or approaching the nations waterways, ports, and infrastructure. This network, which comprises 130-plus base stations and 150-plus USACE inland stations, collects over 120 million AIS messages daily and shares information with other government agencies, industry, academia, and coastal planners.

These data show the general location of pipelines within U.S. waters. The geographic footprint for each pipeline may vary and is dependent on the original source data. In the nearshore, pipelines are routinely buried below the seabed. In the offshore, they are placed directly on the seabed. A pipeline area may contain one or more physical pipelines. 30 CFR 585.301 defines a minimum 100-foot-wide right of way grant on each side of a pipeline.

CO-OPS has been involved with tsunami warning and mitigation since the Coast and Geodetic Survey started the Tsunami Warning System in 1948 to provide warnings to the Hawaiian Islands. After the December 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, CO-OPS was tasked to coordinate with the NOAA Tsunami Warning Centers in upgrading existing stations with new Data Collection Platform (DCP) and communications technology and with expanding the tsunami warning capabilities of the National Water Level Observation Network (NWLON). Work began in 2005 to upgrade 33 existing water level stations and install 16 new stations from the Pacific Ocean to the Caribbean Sea by October 2006. As of September 2006, all 33 upgrades are complete, as well as 15 of the 16 new installations. As of October 2006, the NWLON consist of 196 long-term water level stations along all U.S. coasts, including the Great Lakes, Alaska, Hawaii, the Pacific Ocean Island Territories, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (formerly National Geophysical Data Center) serves as the archive center for these data and provides the historical data to users.

This dataset represents US states and equivalent territorial units which have at least one coastal border.