NOAA Automated Wrecks and Obstructions Information System (AWOIS) for Google Earth
Mar 3rd, 2008 by EarthNC
With over 13,000 listed wrecks and obstructions, the NOAA Automated Wreck and Obstruction Information System is a great resource for fishermen and divers. Many wrecks include extensive historical notes including ship/obstruction type, reported loss dates, location accuracy, results of surveys to locate the objects, and more. To better explore the AWOIS database, we’ve created a Google Earth version.
For ease of viewing in Google Earth, we’ve built our AWOIS Google Earth map to automatically load in 3×3 degree areas as you zoom in along the coasts.
Look for the purple EarthNC Wreck Icon 
which marks the center of each zone with wreck information. Zoom in on these areas and you’ll see the wrecks and obstructions appear automatically.
Named wrecks are shown using the purple wreck icon 
. Unnamed wrecks and other obstructions are marked with yellow circles 
. Click on any wreck or obstruction to pull up the NOAA summary detail or right click and select ‘Properties’ to see the coordinates. You can use the EarthNC AWOIS layer in conjunction with our Trip and Route Tool to export coordinates to your GPS.
Try it Out!
To use the EarthNC AWOIS map, you need to have installed Google Earth 4.2 or higher. If you don’t have Google Earth, get it HERE free.
Click HERE to load the EarthNC AWOIS Wrecks and Obstructions Map in Google Earth.
Add Navigation Charts, Weather, Tides, and More to Google Earth with EarthNC Online
Our EarthNC Online Chart and Map Service offers limited versions of NOAA and Army Corps Nautical Charts for Google Earth, along with a large library of weather, tide, and other point of interest layers for boaters, fishermen, and divers. Check out our other fishing and dive site maps HERE, they’re all available in EarthNC Online.
If you’re looking for full navigation charts and low-cost PC based Chart Plotting, consider EarthNC Plus Vector Charts and EarthNC Raster Charts for Google Earth. We will be creating a special version of the AWOIS map for our Plus/Raster users, suitable for offline use while boating, in the near future.
