Navigation charts should:

• be suitable for navigation purposes
• be up to date
• help the operator plot a course or destination
• identify navigation features including the location of shipwrecks and other submerged hazards, depth of water, and the location of islands and hidden reefs
• show details such as navigation beacons and markers to harbours and channel entrances, transit zones and channels.

GPS plotters, while useful, should never be relied on as the sole means of information regarding your position and course. A chart can help to determine your position which can be of importance in an emergency.