The Office of Coast Survey, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) compiles and maintains the nautical charts for the United States. For nearly 200 years, NOAA has been limited to distributing this information as printed paper charts. Starting in 1995, NOAA began producing its charts as digital, raster nautical charts (RNC) for use in raster chart display systems (RCDS). RCDS for computer-based navigation systems which use raster nautical charts and electronic positioning to provide an integrated navigational tool. RCDS has turned out to be a surprisingly powerful and popular tool. This paper will discuss the capabilities of raster chart display systems and raster nautical charts. It will compare and contrast those capabilities with both the paper chart and with the better known electronic chart display and information system (ECDIS) which uses vector data. It will show that raster-based navigation systems are suitable for professional use and that they can provide a substantial improvement to marine navigation safety and efficiency. Finally, it will summarize the legal status of RCDS.
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