Gulf Coast Nautical Chart Agent Re-Builds from Hurricanes, Expands Services
Metairie, Louisiana, (ContentDesk) May 12, 2006Baker Lyman & Co. Inc. founded its NOAA nautical chart agency in 1929 in Metairie, Louisiana, just east of New Orleans toward the Gulf of Mexico.
Over the years it transitioned from offering navigational charts for recreational boaters, to a folio management firm catering to the navigation needs of the offshore oil industry and to commercial shippers.When Minnesota-based OceanGrafix partnered with NOAA (National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration) to create the first-ever digital print on-demand nautical chart service in the U.S., Baker Lyman was one of the first chart agents to enter this new age of NOAA chart printing.
Baker Lyman knew they were on the right path when they added a dedicated OceanGrafix remote printer for immediate on-demand delivery of up-to-date charts.Unfortunately, they were also directly in the path of hurricane Katrina.
Katrina wiped out their Metairie office, dumping more than a foot of water into their building and causing $700,000 worth of damage.
There was virtually nothing left to salvage, says Mike Serafin, Baker Lymans Managing Director.
We couldnt get to our office for ten days.
We saw pictures of our building and thought maybe we were all right, but we were wrong.
We flooded and then a tornado tore part of our roof off. Baker Lymans OceanGrafix remote printer was ruined, as were the companys inventory and furnishings.
Mike and his team acted quickly, purchasing a new printer and setting up operations at their Houston, Texas office.
We move our staff to Houston, re-grouped, contacted our customers and just got back to business.
OceanGrafix delivered a printer to Houston quickly and we were able to provide updated charts for our commercial accounts.
We thought things were going pretty well, then Rita hit Houston and we had to evacuate our office there!
Rita did not cause nearly as much damage, and Baker Lyman was able to keep things running in Houston.By January, 2006, Mike opened a new office in Metairie and moved his seven-member staff back.
He purchased another remote printer for Metairie, and now things are starting to get back to normal.
With two printers now, one here and one in Houston, were offering faster and better service to our customer base, adds Mike.
Were hoping for a calmer year in 2006! OceanGrafix was awarded a cooperative research agreement from NOAA in 2000, and NOAA created another exclusive contract with them in 2005.
Data from NOAA is downloaded daily to OceanGrafix, delivering the very latest Notice to Mariners information critical to chart updating.
Before on-demand printing, mariners had to update their charts by hand, a tedious process and one that can result in human error. Richard Sillcox, Chief of NOAAs Chart Update Service, states, OceanGrafix has done a fine job of developing this new print-on-demand product, with all of its technological challenges, as well as developing the infrastructure to ensure its proper distribution.
Their work with NOAA has been the key to providing the maritime community with paper nautical charts that show the very latest critical safety items.
Safe navigation is a core concern of NOAA.
The Charts-on-Demand products help promote safe sailing since they are corrected and up-to-date when printed. OceanGrafix stays on the lookout for ways to improve their systems also.
According to Larry Kocon, Director of OceanGrafix, Weve upgraded our software to guard against interruptions which can occur during high-speed internet transactions or unauthorized tampering.
And we now download the data for all 1,040 NOAA/Coast Guard nautical charts to each of our remote print sites every night, even weekends, so each site maintains updated NOAA information, ready to print. Charts-on-Demand meet U.S.
Coast Guard Carriage Requirements and contain helpful information regarding safety, recreation, and points of interest.
They include current tide tables, lighthouse tables and bridge heights, and are foldable and water resistant.As the result of this application of new technologies to update the centuries old process of producing charts, OceanGrafix has received several U.S. Federal Government technology awards, as well as a 2003 Editors Choice Award from Motor Boating Magazine.
OceanGrafix continues to install dedicated remote printers at chart agents stores, and offer printing on demand at its St. Paul, Minnesota headquarters..
The Plugin Site Released Version 2.0 of its Color Correction Tool ColorWasher
New in Version 2.0, ColorWasher 2.0 offers a greatly improved color and exposure correction and a vast amount of other new features and improvements. Color casts are better removed from the shadows, red and orange casts are treated more effectively and the automatic exposure fixing works much more reliable and effective. ColorWasher now supports 16bit images and processes huge images with little RAM and renders faster. Its dialog is resizable and tab sheets with many new features were added. The new saturation feature lets you adjust the image with the help of 10 different saturation methods and the new Histo tab displays 10 histogram types in four different styles.
Other improvements include Contrast Boost option, highlight and shadow contrast sliders, exposure correction in EV units, a Multiple option for mirroring the split views, color cast statistics, identification of blown highlights and preference settings among many others.OverviewColorWasher features a wide range of...
The Plugin Site Released Version 2.0 of its Color Correction Tool ColorWasher
Color printers > The Plugin Site Released Version 2.0 of its Color Correction Tool ColorWasher
AP9 GalleriaUSA Adds Color to Women’s Faces With This Winter’s Make-up Trends
Stamford, CN (ContentDesk) December 8, 2005 -- Fashion and make-up choices go hand-in-hand. When winter comes, we tend to bury ourselves in layers, and our faces need new colors to look and feel healthy. When its time to replace the summery shades with autumn and winter make-up and skin care products, wise shoppers use the savings they get from savings programs like AP9 GalleriaUSA, a leading discount membership program offered by Adaptive Marketing LLC, to pick up the shades, creams, lotions and other products appropriate for the frosty time of year.This winter, millions of women will perform makeovers on their make-up cases, since the trends have changed this year, bringing a lot of shades of purple and a more seductive color palette than usual during the chilly months. Before hitting the stores, gift cards in hand, members of AP9 GalleriaUSA must be aware that not every color suits their skin....
AP9 GalleriaUSA Adds Color to Women’s Faces With This Winter’s Make-up Trends
Color printers > AP9 GalleriaUSA Adds Color to Women’s Faces With This Winter’s Make-up Trends
International Weather Forecasts Now Available From weatherforyou.com
Grants Pass, OR (ContentDesk) July 10, 2006 -- weatherforyou.com has significantly expanded their weather forecasting coverage by offering seven day international weather forecasts for thousands of locations outside of the United States and Canada.
This is a substantial addition to the large amount of traditional and unique weather information they have provided since 1999.
Internet users around the world can now benefit from their tradition of offering current weather conditions and week long forecasts with less distractions from advertising and other unrelated material.