RockScience Marine Chart Viewer for NOAA ENC

Description

This is a SERVICE PLUGIN that provides real-time access to official NOAA nautical charts by connecting to external government APIs. The plugin acts as a bridge between your WordPress site and NOAA’s Electronic Navigational Chart (ENC) services.

Important: Marine chart data is provided by NOAA and only covers U.S. coastal waters, Great Lakes, and U.S. territories. For areas outside NOAA coverage, only the base ocean map will be displayed.

Service Features:
* Real-time NOAA nautical chart data via official APIs
* Interactive charts powered by ESRI ArcGIS mapping service
* Live chart updates from government sources
* No account registration required
* Core API for other marine service plugins
* Settings page for default coordinates

External Service Dependencies:
This plugin requires internet connectivity to function as it provides live chart data from:
* NOAA Chart Services (official government charts)
* ESRI ArcGIS API (mapping framework)
* No personal data is collected or transmitted

Chart Coverage:
Marine chart data is sourced from NOAA Electronic Navigational Charts (ENC) and covers:
* U.S. coastal waters (Atlantic, Pacific, Gulf of Mexico)
* Great Lakes
* U.S. territories (Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, etc.)
* Areas outside NOAA coverage will display base ocean maps only

External Services

This plugin connects to external services to provide nautical chart functionality:

ESRI ArcGIS API
– Service: https://js.arcgis.com/
– Purpose: Provides the mapping framework and JavaScript libraries needed to display interactive charts
– Data sent: No personal data is transmitted to ESRI servers
– Terms: https://www.esri.com/en-us/legal/terms/full-master-agreement
– Privacy: https://www.esri.com/en-us/privacy/overview

NOAA Chart Services
– Service: https://gis.charttools.noaa.gov/
– Purpose: Provides official NOAA Electronic Navigational Chart (ENC) data for display
– Data sent: Chart tile requests based on map location and zoom level (no personal data)
– Terms: https://www.noaa.gov/information-technology/website-policies
– Privacy: https://www.noaa.gov/privacy-policy

ArcGIS CDN Requirement and Licensing Notice

Important: This plugin requires the ESRI ArcGIS JavaScript API, which must be loaded from the official ESRI CDN at https://js.arcgis.com/ per ESRI’s licensing terms.
It is not legally permitted to self-host or bundle the ArcGIS API with this plugin.
Reference: ESRI ArcGIS JS API Terms

• The ArcGIS API is used solely to provide the mapping framework for NOAA chart display.
• No personal data is transmitted to ESRI.
• This requirement is due to ESRI’s license and is outside the control of this plugin’s author.

If you have questions about this requirement, please see the ESRI terms or contact the plugin author.