Canada CHS update in the Marine GeoGarage

As our public viewer is not yet available
(currently under construction, upgrading to Google Maps API v3 as v2 is officially no more supported),
this info is primarily intended to our B2B customers which use our nautical charts layers
in their own webmapping applications through our GeoGarage API.

39 charts have been updated (May 5, 2014)
 1 charts added (7184 Broughton Island and Approaches/et les Approches)
1 chart for Douglas Channel withdrawn (3743) replaced by 3977 in the GeoGarage platform :

• 1220 BAIE DES SEPT ÎLES
• 1221 POINTE DE MOISIE À/TO ÎLE DU GRAND CAOUI
• 1317 SAULT-AU-COCHON À/TO QUÉBEC
• 1430 LAC SAINT-LOUIS
• 1510A LAC DES DEUX MONTAGNES
• 1510B LAC DES DEUX MONTAGNES
• 1515A PAPINEAUVILLE À/TO OTTAWA
• 1515B BECKETTS CREEK
• 3002 QUEEN CHARLOTTE SOUND TO / À DIXON ENTRANCE
• 3419 ESQUIMALT HARBOUR
• 3443 THETIS ISLAND TO/À NANAIMO
• 3458 APPROACHES TO / APPROCHES À NANAIMO HARBOUR
• 3461 JUAN DE FUCA STRAIT EASTERN PORTION/PARTIE EST
• 3462 JUAN DE FUCA STRAIT TO/À STRAIT OF GEORGIA
• 3475 PLANS - STUART CHANNEL
• 3481 APPORACHES TO / APPROCHES À VANCOUVER HARBOUR
• 3493 VANCOUVER HARBOUR WESTERN PORTION/PARTIE OUEST
• 3668 ALBERNI INLET
• 3675 NOOTKA SOUND
• 3744 QUEEN CHARLOTTE SOUND
• 3808 JUAN PEREZ SOUND
• 3809 CARPENTER BAY TO/À BURNABY ISLAND
• 3825 CAPE ST JAMES TO/À HOUSTON STEWART CHANNEL
• 3853 CAPE ST.JAMES TO/À CUMSHEWA INLET AND/ET TASU SOUND
• 3854 TASU SOUND TO/À PORT LOUIS
• 3859 TASU SOUND
• 3945 APPROACHES TO/APPROCHES À DOUGLAS CHANNEL
• 3955 PLANS PRINCE RUPERT HARBOUR
• 3958 PRINCE RUPERT HARBOUR
• 3977 DOUGLAS CHANNEL     NEW
• 4016 SAINT-PIERRE TO/À ST JOHN'S
• 4017 CAPE RACE TO / À CAPE FREELS
• 4023 NORTHUMBERLAND STRAIT / DÉTROIT DE NORTHUMBERLAND
• 4047 ST PIERRE BANK BANC DE SAINT-PIERRE TO/AU WHALE BANK BANC DE LA BALEINE
• 4243 TUSKET ISLANDS TO\À CAPE ST MARYS
• 4277 GREAT BRAS D'OR / ST. ANDREWS AND / ET ST. ANNS BAY
• 4456 BAIE PIASHTI À / TO PETITE ÎLE AU MARTEAU
• 4653 BAY OF ISLANDS
• 4661 BEAR HEAD TO\À COW HEAD
• 4817 BAY BULLS TO / À ST MARY'S BAY
• 4844 CAPE PINE TO/À RENEWS HARBOUR
• 4906 WEST POINT À/TO BAIE DE TRACADIE

So 691 charts (1668 including sub-charts) are available in the Canada CHS layer. (see coverage)

Note : don't forget to visit 'Notices to Mariners' published monthly and available from the Canadian Coast Guard both online or through a free hardcopy subscription service.
This essential publication provides the latest information on changes to the aids to navigation system, as well as updates from CHS regarding CHS charts and publications.
See also written Notices to Shipping and Navarea warnings : NOTSHIP

Ocean medicine hunt: A Wild West beneath the waves?

Scientists are scouring the ocean floor looking for species that could unlock a new generation of life-saving drugs.
It is believed that unusual compounds and gene sequences in some marine creatures and plants could lead to anything from much-needed new antibiotics to cancer drugs.

From BBC by Rebecca Morelle

In the crystal clear waters off the west coast of Scotland a hunt is under way.
Divers glide through forests of brown seaweed, passing sea urchins and shark eggs.
It's an unlikely spot to be at the forefront of cutting-edge medical research, but scientists say the oceans could hold the key to finding the next generation of life-saving drugs.
The divers finally emerge and bring their haul up on to the boat.
They've carefully selected a few starfish, which thrive in the waters around Oban.
Some species contain anti-inflammatory chemicals that could be developed for new treatments for asthma and arthritis.
But they're just one of the organisms being investigated for their medical potential.

Scientists say unusual compounds and gene sequences in some marine creatures and plants could lead to anything from much-needed new antibiotics to cancer drugs.

Dr Andrew Mogg is a scientific diver at the Scottish Association for Marine Science (Sams). The organisation is part of a consortium called Seabiotech that's received more than £6.2m from the European Union to scour the depths.
He says: "The reason we look at these novel bioactive compounds, especially from the sea, is because nature is a fantastic designer - it's constantly making new things and testing them, it's been doing it for eons."

The slimy goo around the surface of the spiny starfish could lead to treatments for inflammatory conditions

The oceans cover more than two thirds of Earth's surface, yet we've only dipped our toes in the water when it comes to our understanding of this vast expanse - just 5% has so far been explored.

And it's this untapped potential that is sparking a medical gold rush.
Investment in this area is growing steadily.

In the next phase of the European Union's research budget, 145m euros is heading for the seas.

Dr John Day, a marine scientist from Sams, says much of what is "findable" on land has already been found.
But he adds: "Historically (the ocean) isn't a place that people have looked, so they haven't exploited it.
"In addition there's a whole raft of new technologies allowing one to screen more methodically and more scientifically and produce more useful data that can point you towards a final product.
"And of course a political will - we're looking to how can we exploit other parts of the planet to produce new industries and technologies."

But a lack of clarity over legislation could prove a setback for this burgeoning area of research.
Within 200 nautical miles of a country's coastline is the Economic Exclusion Zone (EEZ). In these territorial waters, there are clearly defined laws about how the sea can be exploited.
And if a country has signed up to the Nagoya Protocol, an update to the UN's Convention on Biological Diversity, they have an additional responsibility to ensure that any exploitation in their waters is fair and sustainable.
But beyond that boundary are the high seas: the stretch of international ocean that nobody owns. And this area is governed by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
This regulates activities such as mineral exploitation, but it doesn't cover so-called ocean bioprospecting.

The deep sea is especially rich in life - this crab, nicknamed 'The Hoff', was found more than 2,000m down

Dr Day explains: "In open waters, this is a very grey and murky area as far as I'm concerned.

"At present, as far as I'm aware, there are very few laws that would cover exploitation of that material.
"The Law of the Sea focuses on what is on the ocean floor or beneath it, and it also specifies non-mobile organisms - and there doesn't seem to be definitive legislation with regards to what is in the water column."

This is a concern, because this Wild West of the seas is home to an extraordinary range of creatures and plants.
Simply to survive, they have to adapt to extremes of temperature, pressure and darkness - and it's this hardiness that makes them so attractive to scientists.

Without clear legislation fragile ecosystems could be damaged

The worry is that, without regulation, fragile habitats could be damaged beyond repair.

Environmental damage would be limited, says the co-director of the Seabiotech consortium Prof Linda Harvey from the University of Strathclyde, because most research involves collecting relatively small samples to analyse back at the lab.
But she believes the dearth of clear rules could cause other problems.
"It's particularly important for companies to have legal clarity when they're working in open waters because they're making a huge investment," she explains.

"It will cost money to develop the drug and put it through clinical trials and if they don't have legal certainty they will potentially lose the right to produce that drug and it's not acceptable to them.
"And in my opinion that would put companies off investing in taking samples from the deep-sea environment."

In Belgium, scientists, UN representatives and conservationists have been meeting to discuss the problem.

Prof Marcel Jaspars, from the University of Aberdeen, runs Pharmasea - another EU-funded consortium carrying out research in this area.

He says that a new mechanism is needed to make sure any profits from the deep sea are shared.
"If you were to discover anything, any royalties would lie in the future," he explains. "The question is how to police that 20 years hence?
"We need to know who is out there, and how they will list the fact that they have collected something. Then you will need to track where it goes next - the progress of a project from the initial collector to the person who uses it in a lab to the drug - can involve many changes of hands."

He says profits could go into a central pot - perhaps administered by the UN - either in the form of a fee paid for a licence to carry out the exploration or as payments once the development of the drug begins.

The money could then be ploughed back into ocean research and monitoring.

Seaweed from the shores around Culzean Castle may have wound healing properties

For now, though, back on the shores of Scotland, the work continues.

In a stunning spot of coastline, overlooked by Culzean Castle, Scottish firm Marine Biopolymers Ltd is taking advantage of the low tide to harvest piles of brown, slimy seaweed.
The company's director David Mackie says: "We're extracting chemicals from the inside of it - it's a natural polymer called alginate.
"The best medical use is wound dressing. Alginate is well established as a very effective wound dressing for certain types of wounds."

He hopes to soon open a plant so the process can be repeated on an industrial scale.
But it's early days.
Bringing new drugs to market can take 15 years and cost more than a billion pounds.
This though would be a drop in the ocean, if this new frontier in medical research lives up to its promise.

Links :

• YouTube : Discovery of New Drugs from the Sea - Perspectives on Ocean Science /

True facts about the octopus

Links :

• GeoGarage blog : True facts abot sea life

Passion for the wind

Passion for the Wind from Thomas van der Gronde
A portrait of a sailmaker for windmills. 

Inmarsat brings satellite communications to small vessels

'Fleet One' Broadband coverage map

From Inmarsat

Maritime satellite communications provider Inmarsat says it now connects leisure and fishing vessels with a specially designed broadband service.

Accessing weather information and chart updates, keeping in contact with loved ones or simply checking the news are now as simple to do at sea as they are on land with the launch of Fleet One from Inmarsat Maritime.
From now on, yacht and fishing boat owners can take full advantage of maritime broadband services previously only available to much larger vessels.

Whether on a sailing holiday or an extended fishing expedition, the new Fleet One service ensures small vessel owners have uninterrupted access to the Internet, while being able to send SMS messages and have telephone conversations from on board their boat, anywhere in the world.

New Sailor Fleet One terminal to be launched during the second quarter of 2014

Inmarsat’s Fleet One service makes use of the world’s most advanced and reliable global broadband satellite network; the same network which is used by the professional maritime industry across every ocean.

Inmarsat Maritime President, Frank Coles said; “We have all become accustomed to having access to information as and when we need it. When we can’t, it’s frustrating! Being at sea is a unique experience and conditions can change at the drop of a hat. This shouldn’t hamper your ability to remain connected to the world.”
“There is large market of unconnected vessels out there today, for many of these, Fleet One will bring satellite services within reach for the first time and that is a great opportunity for the maritime community and for Inmarsat’s business.  Our innovation strategy is keeping us at the forefront of the maritime communications market.”

Fleet One is delivered through a small terminal, especially created for leisure and fishing vessels.
It can be quickly and easily installed, providing a cost-effective solution enabling small vessels to remain connected at all times.

“With this new, simple, solution you will have dependable connectivity whenever you need it. With Fleet One, yachts and fishing boats now have access to the same, robust and reliable technologies previously only available on much larger vessels, allowing them equally to take full advantage of online connectivity,” said Coles.

Fleet One also supports Inmarsat’s unique ‘505’ safety service, which in an emergency routes you directly to a MRCC.
This means that in one phone call one can alert the safety services of your position and nature of distress, by reassuringly speaking to the Search and Rescue Services knowing that assistance is on its way.

The compact 2.5kg terminals will offer data connectivity up to 100kbps, a single voice line and SMS.

Links :

• Cobham : New Inmarsat Fleet One terminal on the way