NZ Linz update in the Marine GeoGarage

Coverage NZ Linz Marine GeoGarage layer

As our public viewer is not yet available
(currently under construction, upgrading to a new webmapping technology as Google Maps v2 is officially no more supported),
this info is primarily intended to our universal mobile application users
(Marine NZ iPhone-iPad on the Apple Store/ Weather 4D Android -App-in- on the PlayStore)
and our B2B customers which use our nautical charts layers
in their own webmapping applications through our GeoGarage API.  

2 charts has been updated in the Marine GeoGarage

Linz March update published April 3, 2015 (Updated to NTM Edition 6)

• NZ46 Cook Strait
• NZ14638 INT 638 Fiji to Kermadec Islands including Tongatapu

Today NZ Linz charts (183 charts / 323 including sub-charts) are displayed in the Marine GeoGarage.

Note :  LINZ produces official nautical charts to aid safe navigation in New Zealand waters and certain areas of Antarctica and the South-West Pacific.

Using charts safely involves keeping them up-to-date using Notices to Mariners
Reporting a Hazard to Navigation - H Note :
Mariners are requested to advise the New Zealand Hydrographic Authority at LINZ of the discovery of new or suspected dangers to navigation, or shortcomings in charts or publications.

The Navy is designing a drone that flies and swims

The Flimmer splashes down.
(Credit: United States Naval Research Laboratory)

From DiscoverMag by Carl Engelking

The United States Navy is incredibly interested in developing undersea robots and flying robots.
So why not find a drone that can do both?

That’s exactly what the Naval Research Laboratory’s Flimmer Program aims to do.
Early prototypes of the Flimmer — a portmanteau of “flying swimmer” — have successfully been launched from a plane at 1,000 feet, splashed down on the water’s surface, then dove underwater reaching speeds of 11 miles per hour.
Though the drone’s design still needs a lot of tweaking, it could someday be used to hunt enemy submarines from the air and sea.

The latest prototype of the Navy’s duck-like drone.

(Credit: United States Naval Research Laboratory)

The biggest hurdle for Flimmer’s designers is that water is roughly 1,000 times denser than air. Weight is the enemy of a flying drone, as heavier aircraft require more lift to stay airborne. Underwater craft, on the other hand, are built to be thick and heavy to protect electrical components from crushing under pressure.
The Flimmer needs to be light enough to fly, yet strong enough to handle the impact of a splashdown and water pressure.

 Flimmer flight and splashdown

The latest version of the Flimmer is called the Flying WANDA, for “Wrasse-inspired Agile Near-shore Deformable-fin Automaton.”
It has fins tucked away at the end of its wings that fold upward to stabilize the craft in the air, while a rear propeller provides the thrust.
In the water, the rear fins, and a pair of fins near the front of the body, are used to steer.
In the air, WANDA can reach speeds up to 57 miles per hour, and clock 11 miles per hour underwater.

 

Concept Flimmer vehicle

The Navy envisions using their duck-like drone to provide quick reconnaissance by flying to a location, landing in the water and following an enemy submarine.
Engineers will continue to alter the Flimmer’s design to improve its air-to-sea abilities.
However, there’s no timeline for when the Flimmer will be deployed in enemy waters.

Links :

• US Navy NRL : Spectra Winter / Flying-Swimmer (Flimmer) UAV/UUV
• DefenseOne : This duck rrone could spy on enemy subs

Light the ocean

Light The Ocean is an entirely new perspective on the ocean world.
By combining data from scientists around the globe with specially developed computer animation software we are able to turn the waters of the ocean crystal clear.
We reveal spectacular underwater landscapes and hidden structures in the ocean itself.
We show how landscapes and water interact on unimaginable scales to create an ocean world as diverse in habitats as anywhere on dry land.
Our camera crews have also traveled the planet, from the Antarctic to the deep waters of the mid-Atlantic to capture spectacular new footage of the creatures that depend on these ocean habitats.
We follow sperm whales as they dive into the dark depths of the Kaikoura Canyon off New Zealand and we descend to the underwater mountain ranges of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge to find creatures never before seen

Mountains of the sea: photographer ‘freezes’ waves to make them look like mountains

Sea Stills from Ray Collins

- other video -

From BoredPanda

Artists have wrestled with the raw, majestic, natural power of the sea for hundreds of years, but Australia-based photographer Ray Collins is one of the few who really gets it right.

Collins’ epic wave photos seem to freeze and capture all of the sea’s power, casting it in the respectful and majestic light that it deserves.

Collins writes that “feels more at home floating in saltwater with his camera than anywhere on land,” and this comes across in his work.

He is an accomplished surf sport photographer as well, but his most powerful photos are of the sea itself as a subject or even as a character.

“I have always lived near the Ocean, and always had a fascination and deep respect for it,” Ray Collins told Bored Panda. “I surfed all my life and wanted to show exactly what goes on out there sometimes”

“It’s very hard to describe what I see to someone without a visual representation of it”

“I actually work in a coal mine, believe it or not. I work there 3 days a week and I shoot for 4″

“Some of my images take months of planning. Airfares, accommodation, swell forecasting, reading weather maps, talking to locals, getting the right gear for the climate and then patiently waiting for it to unfold”

“On the other hand, I can walk out of my front door, cross the road onto the beach, swim out and shoot a beautiful image of a wave as the sun rises over the sea. Every image has a different story”

“I just want to keep improving and keep challenging myself​ -​ physically as a human being​ swimming​ in the ocean and​ constantly evolving and pushing my own limits​ as a​n image​ maker”

“At the moment I’m mainly shooting with a D4 and D810, and the lenses are usually fixed mid length primes from 14mm all the way to 400mm. I also use Aquatech waterhousings to keep my cameras and lenses dry”

 Be sure to check out more of his photos on his site

131 seconds that will change the way you see the ocean

It’s hard to grasp how deep the ocean is.
The video provides a bit of context for measuring––and comprehending––the depth of the ocean.
Prepare to have your mind blown when you see how deep humans have gone.