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.

Regulated Navigation Areas (RNA) as outlined in 33 CFR Part 165 are established to regulate vessels and their movement within a specific area. The District Commander can issue an RNA to control vessel traffic in a place determined to have hazardous conditions. RNAs usually prescribe what type or size of vessels may enter an area or in what manner they must navigate. RNAs differ from Safety and Security Zones in two respects. First, only District Commanders are authorized to establish RNAs while Coast Guard Captains of the Port may not. Second, Safety and Security Zones are typically transitory in nature, responsive to a temporary safety or security concern on the water. They are meant to control access to an area, but they could also be used to control access based on compliance with specified temporary operating conditions within the Safety or Security Zone necessary for the purpose of the zones creation. RNAs are usually created where a more permanent solution to a safety or environmental concern is required. They principally regulate the operation of vessels permitted inside the area, but may also establish control of access to an area if necessary.

The Office of Coast Survey (OCS) has been involved in the development of a NOAA Electronic Navigational Chart (NOAA ENC) suite to support the marine transportation infrastructure and coastal management for a number of years. The NOAA ENC will support all types of marine navigation by providing the official database for electronic charting systems (ECS), including the Electronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS). NOAA ENCs support real-time navigation as well as collision and grounding avoidance needs of the mariner, and accommodate a real-time tide and current display capability that is essential for large vessel navigation. NOAA ENCs will also provide fully integrated vector base maps for use in geographic information systems (GIS) that are used for coastal management or other purposes. The NOAA ENCs are in the International Hydrographic Office (IHO) S-57 international exchange format and comply with the ENC Product Specification.

NOAA, National Ocean Service, Office of Coast Survey, Marine Chart Division is responsible to build and maintain a suite of more than 1000 nautical charts that are used by commercial and recreational mariners to navigate the United States and U. S. territory waters safely.A Nautical Chart is a graphic portrayal of the marine environment. They are used to lay out courses and navigate ships by the shortest and most economically safe route. They can also serve as base maps for resource management and shoreline development planning by state and local government.Charts depict the location of the shoreline, minimum water depths, aids to navigation, hazards to navigation, the nature and form of the coast, water depths, the general character and configuration of the sea bottom, the rise and fall of the tides, protected areas, and the characteristics of the Earth's magnetism.The suite of charts is compiled and maintained with data provided by federal, state, and private partners such as the National Ocean Service elements, United States Coast Guard, United States Army Corps of Engineers, United States Power Squadron Auxiliary, Port Authorities.The charts are currently available as Lithographically printed paper charts, Electronic Raster Nautical Charts (RNCs), up-to-date paper charts (printed with print on demand technology), and are now offered as Digital Vector Electronic Nautical Charts (ENC).The NOAA RNCs are electronic images of the NOAA paper charts. The NOAA RNCs were productized with a successful Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with private sector partner BSB Electronic Charts, a subsidiary of Maptech, Inc. Andover, Massachusetts. As of November 1, 2005 the NOAA RNC's are available for free download via the NOAA website.

These data represent the boundaries of the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) eleven regional associations (RAs). There are thousands of ocean observing tools in use every day-satellites in orbit, gliders, buoys, high-frequency radar, sharks with satellite tags, sensors on the ocean floor, and more operated by different organizations and researchers. IOOS, a national-regional partnership, gathers and integrates many of those data streams and makes those observations compatible and accessible by science, industry, government, and citizens. RAs design regional coastal observing systems to meet the unique needs of the regional environment and stakeholders. The eleven IOOS RAs maintain and operate regional coastal observing systems and develop information products for their users. The RAs provide increased observations, distinctive knowledge, and critical technological abilities, and apply these towards the development of products to meet regional and local needs

Automatic Identification Systems (AIS) are a navigation safety device that transmits and monitors the location and characteristics of many vessels in U.S. and international waters in real-time. In the U.S. the Coast Guard and industry collect AIS data, which can also be used for a variety of coastal planning purposes. NOAA and BOEM have worked jointly to re-task and make available some of the most important records from the U.S. Coast Guards national network of AIS receivers. Information such as location, time, ship type, length, width, and draft have been extracted from the raw data and prepared as track lines for analyses in desktop GIS software.

Automatic Identification Systems (AIS) are a navigation safety device that transmits and monitors the location and characteristics of many vessels in U.S. and international waters in real-time. In the U.S. the Coast Guard and industry collect AIS data, which can also be used for a variety of coastal planning purposes. NOAA and BOEM have worked jointly to re-task and make available some of the most important records from the U.S. Coast Guard's national network of AIS receivers. This dataset represents annual vessel transit counts summarized at a 100 m by 100 m geographic area. A single transit is counted each time a vessel track passes through, starts, or stops within a 100 m grid cell.

Automatic Identification Systems (AIS) are a navigation safety device that transmits and monitors the location and characteristics of many vessels in U.S. and international waters in real-time. In the U.S. the Coast Guard and industry collect AIS data, which can also be used for a variety of coastal planning purposes. NOAA and BOEM have worked jointly to re-task and make available some of the most important records from the U.S. Coast Guard's national network of AIS receivers. Information such as location, time, ship type, length, width, and draft have been extracted from the raw data and prepared as track lines for analyses in desktop GIS software.

These data were generated to provide insight into marine traffic patterns on a macro scale so they could be analyzed across the coastal waters of the Continental United States, this data set is for the UTM Zone 10S. For this dataset a transit is counted for every unique vessel intersecting a 1 kilometer square grid cell each day. This data represents the total number of vessel transits from October 2009 - October 2010. Some grid cells were unable to be processed, but this does not interfere with the integrity of this dataset. Please note multiple connection errors occurred during the time frame of this study. In most cases data gaps were filled by making subsequent request to the coastguard or other groups receiving the same data feed. However, due to resource constraints uninterrupted coverage was not obtained. Overall data outages were minimal on the order less than a day per month and because random and affect all areas uniformly do not has a significant effect on the integrity of the data. Also as stated on the USCG NAIS website AIS data is not representative of all vessel traffic and USCG NAIS receivers do not fully cover the entire extent of this study area. Please take time to understand both of these limitations.

These data were generated to provide insight into marine traffic patterns on a macro scale so they could be analyzed across the coastal waters of the Continental United States, this data set is for the UTM Zone 18N. For this dataset a transit is counted for every unique vessel intersecting a 1 kilometer square grid cell each day. This data represents the total number of vessel transits from October 2009 - October 2010. Some grid cells were unable to be processed, but this does not interfere with the integrity of this dataset. Please note multiple connection errors occurred during the time frame of this study. In most cases data gaps were filled by making subsequent request to the coastguard or other groups receiving the same data feed. However, due to resource constraints uninterrupted coverage was not obtained. Overall data outages were minimal on the order less than a day per month and because random and affect all areas uniformly do not has a significant effect on the integrity of the data. Also as stated on the USCG NAIS website AIS data is not representative of all vessel traffic and USCG NAIS receivers do not fully cover the entire extent of this study area. Please take time to understand both of these limitations.