Innovation in Maritime Navigation, an event to investigate technologies to support GNSS and maritime safety

WEB_The-bridge-of-Trinity-House-multifunction-tender-THV-Galatea-600x400The British and the Irish General Lighthouse Authorities organised an event to analyse the potential and practicality of candidate technologies to complement Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), and counter threats to maritime safety.
The event, called Innovation on Maritime Navigation, will be held at Trinity House, London, on March 2nd, 2016, and it will explore various technologies for future maritime navigation from 2030 on, in order to identify potential complements to GNSS.
With the collaboration of the Knowledge Transfer Network and the Royal Institute of Navigation, the event will display methods to ensure safety of navigation even in increasingly confined and congested shipping areas, supporting economic growth and the safeguard of the marine environment. It will also consider technologies under development that could complement GNSS for robust cost-effective navigation of the next generation vessels.
GNSS is likely to remain the most accessible and accurate primary source of navigation data, but it is not infallible and can be exposed to interference: navigable sea space is set to shrink, with more traffic and growing obstacles like wind farms and marine conservation areas.
Combined with a rise in GNSS jamming incidents, the need for complementary technologies to provide reliable navigation data alternatives is becoming more and more urgent.
Candidate technologies explored during the event will include:
• Beacon R-Mode: incorporating a ranging capability on existing DGPS beacon (or AIS) transmissions
• Quantum navigation: using next-generation quantum sensors to drastically improve inertial navigation, when GNSS signals are unavailable
• Signals of opportunity: using existing signals such as mobile, Wi-Fi, TV, and radio signals, to work out the user’s location
• Integrated Navigation Systems supporting ECDIS: multi-system receivers and sensor integration, possibly with innovative water reference systems, to provide position
The event will look at how these technologies, and others, may contribute to a future ship/shore resilient Position, Navigation and Timing (PNT) solution. It will also cover the perspectives of user requirements, research, technology readiness level, commercial exploitation, ship equipage, shore based infrastructure, regulatory action; factors that are important in assessing the future direction of maritime solutions.
Presenters include mariners, ship operators, navigation specialists and technology providers and delegates will have the opportunity to network and participate in a Q&A and panel discussion chaired by Rear Admiral Nick Lambert, former UK National Hydrographer; the keynote speaker will be Captain Robert McCabe FNI, President of the Nautical Institute.