U.S. Chart No. 1 Symbols, Abbreviations and Terms used on Paper and Electronic Navigational Charts
Presentation of Two Symbology Sets
This edition of U.S. Chart No. 1 has a new name and a new look. It's title is now Symbols, Abbreviations and Terms used on Paper and Electronic Navigational Charts. For the first time, U.S. Chart No. 1 presents both of the major symbiology sets used for marine navigation.
As in previous editions, the symbols used on paper nautical charts produced by NOAA and the NGA and digital raster representations of those charts, such as NOAA Raster Nautical Chart (NOAA RNC's), are presented in lettered sections organized in categories, such as Landmarks, Depths, and Lights. New in this edition is the inclusion of the corresponding symbols used to portray Electronic Navigational Chart (ENC) data on Electronic Chart Display and Information Systems (ECDIS) as specified by the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO).
Other Non-ECDIS Digital Displays May Portray Data Differently
Navigation systems certified to meet the exacting performance standards established by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) are said to be ECDIS "type approved." The symbology used to display ENC's or other non-ENC navigational data on non-ECDIS systems, such as geographic information systems, recreational GPS and other chart display systems can differ significantly from the symbology specified for ECDIS type approved systems. U.S. Chart No. 1 only shows the symbology used on ECDIS.
INTRODUCTION
New Column Headers
The orientation of this edition of U.S. Chart No. 1 has been rotated 90 degrees into a landscape format to allow two additional columns to be added to the right side of the page. These columns hold the ECDIS symbols corresponding to the paper chart symbols shown on the left side.
"INT 1" symbols, as specified in the Regulations of the IHO for International Charts and Chart Specifications of the IHO, appear in the second column from the left, after the symbol number. Any variations from INT 1 symbology that are used on charts produced by NOAA or NGA are shown in the NOAA, NGA and the "Other NGA" columns (columns 4a, 4b, and 5 respectively).
ECDIS symbols and the descriptions are shown in columns 6 and 7 respectively. The ECDIS description usually provides the generic symbol name given in theIHO Specifications for Chart Content and Display Aspects of ECDIS, although sometimes other clarifying terms are also provided in column 7. The ECDIS symbols shown use the day color palette.
When columns 4a and 4b are combined, this indicates that NOAA and NGA both use the same non-INT 1 symbol for that particular feature. When any of columns 4a, 4b or 5 are blank, then the INT 1 symbol has been adopted for use by the organization for which that column applies.