By Lt. Hermie Mendoza
If you use the Global Positioning System (GPS) for navigating or use Local Notices to Mariners to update your charts, then you might be familiar with the U.S. Coast Guard Navigation Center (NAVCEN). If not, here is a short introduction to the services that NAVCEN provides to the public every day.
Since 1994, the NAVCEN has provided waterway users with accurate and timely maritime information as the Coast Guard’s center of expertise in navigation and the nation’s premier civil-focused maritime information operations center. In addition, NAVCEN serves as the primary representative for civil GPS users to the Department of Defense. In this role, we coordinate the investigation of GPS outage reports, resolve civil GPS user problems and provide recommendations on GPS constellation sustainment decisions.
Some of the maritime services we offer include the Nationwide Differential Global Positioning System (NDGPS) – a GPS augmentation service that permits improved precision positioning and navigation and the Nationwide Automatic Identification System (NAIS) – an integrated system that improves the safety of vessels in our nation’s territorial waters. We also disseminate inventory lists of U.S. navigational lights, publish navigational safety broadcasts and data products, provide training aids for the Rules of the Road exam, answer maritime-related inquiries and even educate boaters on how to test emergency position indicating radiobeacons (EPIRBs).
Every day, NAVCEN tracks over 7,000 International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS)-class vessels within 1,000 nautical miles of the U.S. and its territories and over 700 U.S.-flagged SOLAS vessels worldwide as part of the Long Range Identification and Tracking (LRIT) system. The NAIS service collects more than 100 million data points daily, which are distributed to our maritime partners. Every week more than 18,000 subscribers receive Local Notices to Mariners from NAVCEN’s website to support safe and efficient maritime transportation. Every month over 190,000 visitors use the NAVCEN website for answering their maritime-related questions.
“Since 1790, the U.S. Coast Guard has protected America’s waterway users,” said Capt. William Burns, commanding officer, U.S. Coast Guard Navigation Center. “It’s my honor and privilege to lead a talented group of professionals committed to using the best tools available to keep today’s waterway users safe, ensure the efficient flow of our nation’s maritime economy, and prepare for future challenges in delivering navigation information.”
To receive real-time data and automated notifications of NAVCEN’s various services, waterway users should visit the NAVCEN website. Users can subscribe to a variety of RSS feeds and email list services to receive this valuable maritime information. Moreover, for all maritime inquiries, users can call NAVCEN at 703-313-5900 around the clock.
Next time you are searching for maritime information, check out the NAVCEN website. It is your maritime and GPS resource to help you get the right information at the right time – when you want it and when you need it.
To learn more about the Coast Guard Navigation Center, visit www.navcen.uscg.gov.
