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Finding Charts Online


© Capt. Matt

Using National Ocean Service Mapfinder

NOAA Charts Online

According to the The National Ocean Service:

"The National Ocean Service's (NOS) MapFinder is a one-stop World Wide Web service that provides direct Internet access to primary NOS imagery and data holdings for coastal photography, nautical charts, coastal survey maps, environmental sensitivity index maps, hydrographic surveys, water level stations, and geodetic control points. NOS MapFinder provides a spatial index that allows users to identify specific NOS products. Many of these are on-line as directly usable products, or as previews of higher quality products that can be ordered from NOS."

The link to NOAA Charts Online will take you directly to the Mapfinder Region Section and the page will look like the following. (Note that you can also select an Island Area to find charts in such areas as the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.)

MAPFINDER REGION SELECTION

Region Selection Screen

HelpMapFinder Home Page

Click Study Area on the US Maps OR
Select an Island

The first thing you need to do is to click on the area in which you have an interest in finding a chart. Since the trip you are taking is to South Central Florida, you will click inside the box covering that area. (We have added the arrow to show where we clicked.)

Once you have selected the correct general area, you will be presented with a "zoomed" version of the map that will include the area you are looking for. You now will see the following map representation.

MAPFINDER REGION SELECTION
Navigation Screen Help MapFinder Home Page Region Selection Page

Navigation (help) Zoom In Zoom Out

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