Chart Updates? What do you get?

[Hoohaa]

This may seem like an odd question but I am A Surveyor and have only done a small amount of Hydrographic Surveying in my career. But the little I did was very complex and specialized, requiring specialized equipment ect.
So this brings me back to my question. Just how much surveying and plan updating is going on to require frequent updates?
I am based in Sydney and am pretty shore that substrate in local and surrounding waters is not changing and I am almost certain that quick response Navionics Survey teams are not waiting on next to hot lines everywhere, ready to spring into action and resurvey the world annually.
Yeah shore. There are some channels being dredged and built in some places? Is that what you get in your updates? Or is it some extra features built into the charts.
So! What do you get when you update your charts?

[billknny]

I can't speak to what happens down under, but in the USA most changes are to the various Aids to Navigation as they get moved, changed, removed, and updated.

Dredging and shoaling are also updated, but usually only in improved channels.

Permanent (and temporary) changes to charted information are all summarized in the Local Notice to Mariners (LNTM) published by the USCG weekly in regional editions. They used to be an important part of running a vessel, but most people seem to not even know they exist any more. An unfortunate side effect of "video game" sailing.

When worked as a sailing instructor in the San Francisco Bay area we regularly corresponded with the USCG officer responsible for the LNTM and get required changes to charts into the update flow. Generally, once an update was confirmed, it appeared in the online published charts within a week or two.

[Lepke]

I can't speak to Australian charts, but most chart updates are new lights, light changes, buoys, new docks, new restricted areas, and rarely new wrecks. So an old chart is usually ok.
In the old days, some type of notices were published or mailed out and you corrected your own charts. Now you just download the latest copy in the US and NZ where downloads are free. Or you buy updated downloads.

[Stu Jackson]

It all depends on where you sail.


SF Bay and here in BC, little has changed in the 35+ years we've had boats.


If I was on the USA east coast, it would be a completely different situation. Hurricanes tend to do that...

[Hoohaa]

Thanks guys. Some good points. I suppose it really does depend on where I am headed.
Can't and don't expect many changes in the soundings around here but it's probably worthwhile when I head to a new major port with heavy shipping. As is the case in some of the coal loading ports up and down the east coast here.

[Tillsbury]

Watch out on the east coast of south Island, nz. The seabed rose by two metres or more around kaikoura in the earthquake a couple of years ago

Not that the charts reflect this yet, though...

[clownfishsydney]

The only real changes on most Australian charts relate to changing channels in rivers and harbours (eg Port Hacking main channel was moved about two years ago due to sand movement) and developments in larger ports (eg Gladstone has a whole new port area and extra shipping channel). Other than that, probably only corrections to paper chart errors and fixing their own errors (eg Navionics we had was totally inaccurate by about 40 metres on entrance to Lady Musgrave Island and even more for Pancake Creek and Round Head).

[Bruce K]

Around Oz most are additions and subtractions to aids for navigation eg. bouys ,markers etc. Occasionally more important things like new sector lights etc. Rarely do Notices to Mariners changs soundings etc>

[Ambler]

Originally Posted by Hoohaa

Thanks guys. Some good points. I suppose it really does depend on where I am headed.
Can't and don't expect many changes in the soundings around here but it's probably worthwhile when I head to a new major port with heavy shipping. As is the case in some of the coal loading ports up and down the east coast here.

Also a NSW surveyor now retired and did more hydro than most. We used to sound the harbours, rivers and barways along the coast for erosion and breakwater design. We always sent the plans to the navy hydro for their information as did the MSB/Waterways when they updated nav markers etc.
My suggestion is to go on the hydro.gov.au website and subscribe to their notice to mariners for the charts or areas you sail in. It is surprising how bathymetry changes when mankind works around nature (storms and floods) to keep a port or river open and navigable.
Cheers, Wayne

[james247]

Originally Posted by Hoohaa

This may seem like an odd question but I am A Surveyor and have only done a small amount of Hydrographic Surveying in my career. But the little I did was very complex and specialized, requiring specialized equipment ect.
So this brings me back to my question. Just how much surveying and plan updating is going on to require frequent updates?
I am based in Sydney and am pretty shore that substrate in local and surrounding waters is not changing and I am almost certain that quick response Navionics Survey teams are not waiting on next to hot lines everywhere, ready to spring into action and resurvey the world annually.
Yeah shore. There are some channels being dredged and built in some places? Is that what you get in your updates? Or is it some extra features built into the charts.
So! What do you get when you update your charts?

I recall the charts we were using when I first started learning about navigation circa 1962 had notes on the by Mathew Flinders particularly in far North Queensland. This was still the case in editions In 1974.
Soon after the RAN had two catamarans which as a pair worked out of Cairns and used some amazing techniques to survey Northern Australia. I understand primarily from Gladstone to Perth.
They also worked with a lot of arial photography.
They can be accredited for the survey of those many areas which are now hard to find "usurv". They opened several new shipping lanes and improved many others. Surveyed the many new ports in the north were great guys to chat with and gave me a reason to pay tax.

[IslandHopper]

If you are really interested go here >>> Australian Hydrographic Office - Australian Notices to Mariners 2018

You can download the latest NTM's and past editions, plus there is a wealth of information on the site....