The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has released a new web-based program that lets users quickly report chart errors.
The program, known as ASSIST, lets users ask questions or submit potential chart issues using a single online form. The service is optimized for desktop and mobile browsers, allowing reports from a cellphone, tablet or standard computer.
The interface has a search bar that lets users access charts from a specific region. Once there, they can use the cursor to pinpoint the issue location on a chart or map. There is also a window where users can enter a brief description of the issue, which includes the option to attach files providing additional information.
“ASSIST has a mobile-friendly design and improved user interface that allows customers to access the system conveniently from any device,” NOAA said in a statement announcing the new service, adding that it replaces the Coast Survey’s Inquiry and Discrepancy Management System (IDMS).
Since 2008, that system has logged almost 20,000 comments, inquiries and discrepancy reports, the agency said.
ASSIST is available at www.nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/customer-service/assist/.
