National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency charts?

[ParaplegicRacer]

What is the present status of ability to import NGA digital charts?

If present status = not available, are there plans to add this ability in the future?

[bcn]

Is there a special reason you are interested in the DNCs?

DNCs are implemented using a vector format (VPF), what we can call as well a specific SENC or internal format for displaying vector charts.
VPF is not implemented in OpenCPN.

More information about VPF:
Vector Product Format


What would be the benefit for OpenCPN implementing VPF?

From the information here:

Differences Between NOAA ENCs® and DNCs®

it seems that the NOAA ENCs in S-57 format, which are supported completely by OpenCPN, are covering the same content with at least the same information.
ENCs are even more often updated than the DNCs.

From the DNC web site I understand that for the non-official users only charts produced and with copyright from NGA or other US agencies are available.
(remember the NGA project here some time ago...)

bcn

[ParaplegicRacer]

I'm interested in making an island hop across to Kamchatka and other areas around the Sea of Okhotsk. NGA publishes charts covering the area.

[bcn]

But are you sure that these charts are available for the public?
It seems to me that just the charts produced directly by US organizations are available for the public use.

http://dnc.nga.mil/NGAPortal/DNC.por..._70&faqCode=03

states

When will DNC® be available to the public?
DNC® will only be made available to the public for selected continental and US territory waters. All DNC® libraries outside of US waters are not available to the general public due to foreign copyright restrictions.

Background:
Two years ago we started here a project to make world-wide NGA raster charts available for OpenCPN and this ended with a statement from NGA that they did not own the copyright of these charts and therefore forcing us to abandon the project.

bcn

[dacust]

Originally Posted by bcn

...
It seems to me that just the charts produced directly by US organizations are available for the public use.
...
bcn

Yep, the DNC charts have had the catalog on the web for several years, but have never allowed the public to download anything not already available through NOAA or USACE.

-dan

[ParaplegicRacer]

That may be so, but I am able to download VPF data files for any region in the world. No login was required to do so. The files are simply hanging out on the web for anyone to download. I am simply not able to decipher the data in a useful - to me - manner.

Oceangraphix will happily sell GNA paper charts of anywhere in the world. Maybe I should just ask them how to get them in S-57 format?

[bcn]

Would be interesting to hear what they answer. And asking does not cost money, doesn't it?

Hubert

[Siskiyous]

Has there been any change in this situation. I am looking for charts for OpenCpn to go from Loiusiana to California via the Canal.