NOAA Electronic Navigational Charts (ENC)

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.

The electronic navigational charts (NOAA ENC) are primarily intended to support the navigation of vessels in the territorial waters of the United States. The data contained in the NOAA ENCs may also be used for any other coastal mapping purposes that require up-to-date information similar to that portrayed on traditional navigational charts.

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The electronic navigational chart conforms to the International Hydrographic Organization Transfer Standard for Digital Hydrographic Data, Special Publication S-57, ENC Product Specification Edition 2.0. The entity and attribute descriptions are contained in the standard. The standard is available from the IHO at http://www.iho.shom.fr.

IHO S-57, Edition 3.1

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The NOAA electronic navigational chart (NOAA ENC) files that may be downloaded from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) are official products. Official ENCs are suitable for navigation under the following regulations and policies, and in the following circumstances:On May 2, 2001, the United States Coast Guard amended the chart carriage regulations to permit government vessels to use electronic charting and navigation systems in lieu of paper charts.On August 15, 2002, the United States Coast Guard issued a statement of policy to bring its regulations into agreement with SOLAS Chapter V (as amended by the changes taking effect July 1, 2002). The policy statement said that, if a ship has an approved ECDIS installed according to SOLAS, Chapter V, the ECDIS will be considered as meeting the ship's nautical chart carriage regulations. The ships that are affected are:U.S.-flagged ships of 150 or more gross tons that engage on international voyages.U.S.-flagged ships certificated solely for service on the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River.Foreign-flag ships to which SOLAS, Chapter V, applies that are operating on the navigable waters of the United States.This policy is not applicable to U.S.-flag ships engaged only on domestic voyages. These ships must continue to comply with existing navigation equipment requirements until the chart carriage regulations are formally amended.The NOAA ENC files available from this site are updated for Notices to Mariners on at least a monthly basis. Users are encouraged to check the site frequently and download the latest versions of the files. Notice to mariner updates are either contained in a new edition ENC or an incremental update (also called ENC Revision or "ER" files).

The NOAA electronic navigational chart (NOAA ENC) files that may be downloaded from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) are official products. Official ENCs are suitable for navigation under the following regulations and policies, and in the following circumstances:On May 2, 2001, the United States Coast Guard amended the chart carriage regulations to permit government vessels to use electronic charting and navigation systems in lieu of paper charts.On August 15, 2002, the United States Coast Guard issued a statement of policy to bring its regulations into agreement with SOLAS Chapter V (as amended by the changes taking effect July 1, 2002). The policy statement said that, if a ship has an approved ECDIS installed according to SOLAS, Chapter V, the ECDIS will be considered as meeting the ship's nautical chart carriage regulations. The ships that are affected are:U.S.-flagged ships of 150 or more gross tons that engage on international voyages.U.S.-flagged ships certificated solely for service on the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River.Foreign-flag ships to which SOLAS, Chapter V, applies that are operating on the navigable waters of the United States.This policy is not applicable to U.S.-flag ships engaged only on domestic voyages. These ships must continue to comply with existing navigation equipment requirements until the chart carriage regulations are formally amended.The NOAA ENC files available from this site are updated for Notices to Mariners on at least a monthly basis. Users are encouraged to check the site frequently and download the latest versions of the files. Notice to mariner updates are either contained in a new edition ENC or an incremental update (also called ENC Revision or "ER" files).Copying, reproduction of the NOAA ENCs to any other server or location for further reproduction or redistribution is discouraged unless the following guidelines are followed: 1) the NOAA ENCs and supplementary files including the CATALOG.031 and README.TXT are included in their entirety, 2) this disclaimer is displayed to and accepted by anyone who accesses the NOAA ENCs, and 3) a reference to this Web site is included so that anyone accessing the NOAA ENCs is advised of where they originated. If these NOAA ENCs are incorporated into any other product in a form other than as provided by NOAA, the producer of that product assumes full liability and must adhere to conditions 2 and 3 described in the paragraph above concerning copying or reproduction. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have promulgated certification requirements with standards for applicants who want to redistribute NOAA Electronic Navigational Charts (NOAA ENCs) as official data. Two types of certification are offered. The first type, "Certified NOAA ENC Distributor" (CED), covers NOAA ENC downloading, exact copying, and redistribution of those copies. The second type, "Certified NOAA ENC Value Added Distributor" (CEVAD), permits reformatting official NOAA ENCs into a System Electronic Navigational Chart (SENC) using type-approved software, and distribution of that SENC. NOAA intends by this action to assure that, though redistributed, quality official NOAA ENC data is offered to the public in support of safe navigation on U.S. waters. This rule can be found in the 15 CFR Part 995. A list of approved certified distributors can be found at http://nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/MCD/enc/certdist.htm.

The NOAA ENC conforms to the International Hydrographic Organization Transfer Standard for Digital Hydrographic Data, Special Publication S-57, ENC Product Specification Edition 2.0. The entity and attribute descriptions are contained in the standard. The standard is available from the IHO at http://www.iho.shom.fr.

The NOAA ENC conforms to the International Hydrographic Organization Transfer Standard for Digital Hydrographic Data, Special Publication S-57, ENC Product Specification Edition 2.0.

The NOAA ENC conforms to the International Hydrographic Organization Transfer Standard for Digital Hydrographic Data, Special Publication S-57, ENC Product Specification Edition 2.0.

The NOAA ENC contains most of the features currently shown on the corresponding paper chart. The detailed road networks and depictions of buildings in urban areas have been replaced with an "urban area" that is displayed as a tinted area with the associated place name.NOAA ENCs are currently available for the United States 40 major commercial port areas and transit between those ports. As of October 2007 there are currently 608 NOAA ENC's available. This comprises 97% coverage of United States commercial waterways and transit routes.

The NOAA ENC conforms to the International Hydrographic Organization Transfer Standard for Digital Hydrographic Data, Special Publication S-57, ENC Product Specification Edition 2.0.