🔍 Key Concepts

• Know which U.S. agency is responsible for creating nautical charts for navigation in U.S. waters • Understand what Coast Pilots are (they're detailed books that supplement charts with local information) • Distinguish between agencies that do navigation safety products vs. enforcement or military roles

💭 Think About

• Which agency is best known for providing civilian navigation information like tides, currents, and coastal details? • Which agency would most likely publish both paper/electronic charts and Coast Pilot books used by merchant mariners? • Look at each option: which ones are mainly law enforcement, military/intelligence, or scientific/environmental, and which one focuses on ocean and coastal mapping?

✅ Before You Answer

• Identify which choice is part of the U.S. Department of Commerce and known for hydrographic surveys and nautical charts • Eliminate agencies that are primarily law enforcement (search and rescue, inspections) rather than chart-making • Eliminate agencies that are primarily military, astronomy, or timekeeping instead of publishing Coast Pilots and nautical charts