OceanGrafix recently announced the addition of a new waterproof format, available for nearly all of the company's charts. Printed on a high-grade synthetic material, the charts become completely impervious to water. "Mariners face a variety of conditions onboard that can make it challenging to keep paper charts dry," says OceanGrafix President Ron Walz. "This new format, however, will ensure that charts can be utilized under even the most challenging conditions."
In addition to the waterproof format, OceanGrafix produces another convenient chart option----charts that can be folded down to a 7" X 12" size. Recognizing that storing full size charts can be difficult on smaller boats, OceanGrafix acquired an innovative folding machine that allows all of their 36-inch wide NOAA and National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) charts to be delivered in the folded format.
"While our standard charts meet the needs of many of our clients, some environments call for alternatives," adds Walz. "The waterproof and folded formats give our mariners more options. We hope these options will help ensure that mariners use charts onboard----and improve their safety on the water." |
|
Solar Activity Cycle Peaks
Power networks, radio communications and the global positioning system (GPS) are all entering a period of increased risk for outages due to geomagnetic storms. Geomagnetic storms occur when coronal mass ejections (CMEs), or eruptions of plasma, are hurdled through space following a solar flare and collides with the magnetic field on the surface of Earth. It is at this point where GPS and communications signals travel and can be affected by this solar activity.
A solar flare occurred on April 11, and although the strongest seen this year so far, it was classified as a M-class which is 10 times less powerful than the strongest of flares: X-class. The potential for more solar flares remains. According to NASA, "Increased numbers of flares are quite common at the moment, since the sun's normal 11-year activity cycle is ramping up toward solar maximum, which is expected in late 2013."
Continue reading here for more information on solar activity. |
OceanGrafix on Twitter  |
