Inland US waterway charts

[geoffr]

I'm looking for charts I can use with OpenCPN for the trip from Chicago to Mobile. I have found the PDF & Images, but nothing which I can use with OCPN - is anyone aware of any from the US Corps of Engineers?

thanks!

[meridian28]

They are in the opencpn chart loader. You’ll be disappointed as there is very little detail. Spend $20 and put AQUAMAP on your phone or tablet.

[requiem]

Have you tried these? Inland Electronic Navigational Charts

[fgd3]

Look for them here:


https://www.agc.army.mil/Missions/Echarts/


Fabbian

[raffo5]

Originally Posted by meridian28

They are in the opencpn chart loader. You’ll be disappointed as there is very little detail. Spend $20 and put AQUAMAP on your phone or tablet.

Surely. Aqua Map with USACE survey integration (updated weekly) is the most useful tool for Intracoastal Waterway and Great Loop.

[meridian28]

There is a problem with AQUAMAP USACE on the rivers as there are no depths shown on the corps of engineers charts. AQUAMAP makes up numbers. As an example look at mile marker 66 on the Tombigbee River. USACE shows 38’ in the center and 44’ at the shore. I’ve sent them a message.

[Suijin]

I've found Navionics with sonar maps turned onto be the most accurate ICW charts. There is so much crowdsourced data that the detail is exceptional.

[Jammer]

I am on the Mississippi and have tried to use OpenCPN, but there is no compatible chart data that is useful. The government charts have no depth data. You can load the ACOE charts in ENC format, which will give you the buoys, lights, bridges, and shoreline, but no depth.



I find Navionics to be the best available, with the crowdsourced "sonarcharts" being more accurate than the Navionics charts. They are good but far from perfect.

[.Paul.]

Originally Posted by Jammer

I am on the Mississippi and have tried to use OpenCPN, but there is no compatible chart data that is useful. The government charts have no depth data. You can load the ACOE charts in ENC format, which will give you the buoys, lights, bridges, and shoreline, but no depth.



I find Navionics to be the best available, with the crowdsourced "sonarcharts" being more accurate than the Navionics charts. They are good but far from perfect.

Jammer,

The USACE Inland Electronic Navigation Charts (IENC) do have depth data, but they do not have "spot soundings". If they did not have depth information they would not be very useful to the tow boat captains moving barges on our rivers.

Here are some suggestions for getting more information from the IENC's.

Set the depth ranges for vector charts.



This will give you blue and light blue colors for safe depth and questionable depth.

Here is a screenshot showing deep water (I double clicked in the yellow "DOUBLE CLICK" rectangle.)



Here is a screenshot showing questionable water depths (I double clicked in the yellow "DOUBLE CLICK" rectangle.)



Here is a screenshot showing no water depth (I double clicked in the yellow "DOUBLE CLICK" rectangle.)



Don't look for the yellow rectangles on the charts. I put them in the screenshots to show where I double clicked.

Paul

[Jammer]

Thanks, Paul.

For comparison, here is the same region, with the Navionics data.


I believe that the Navionics data, though crowdsourced and prone to its own unique errors, is generally more up to date and more accurate than the ACOE data. It is certainly more detailed. Whether the difference is operationally significant depends on the vessel and the location. In my situation, it gives us access to areas we would otherwise have to avoid.

[flyingfin]

All you need is paper charts,,,,,,you are driving down / up a river, line of sight navigation.
Lots of commercial traffic, so if you dont have radar, pull over and park during a thunderstorm or fog.

[geoffr]

Terry,

Thanks for pointing this out... I feel a little sheepish that I didn't look there first

Originally Posted by meridian28

They are in the opencpn chart loader. You’ll be disappointed as there is very little detail. Spend $20 and put AQUAMAP on your phone or tablet.