NOAA's Office of Coast Survey

In 1807, President Thomas Jefferson established the Survey of the Coast in order to support safe transportation through the United States' waters. Today, the Office of Coast Survey is part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) National Ocean Service. Their mission is to ensure "safe and efficient maritime commerce on America’s oceans and coastal waters, and in the Great Lakes." As part of this work the Office prepares seafloor and harbor maps (which are available on this site), and prepares information about wrecks and obstructions within bodies of water and their surrounding areas. Visitors can use the "Surveys & Wrecks" section to learn about such matters, and they may also wish to use the "Education" area. Here they will find lesson plans that teach students about surveying and charting, along with short videos, like "The Surveyors: Charting America's Course." The "Research & Development" area provides information on how their modeling programs work and data portals to information about tides and currents and real-time coastal data maps.