GPS World

Tag: maritime

  • Research Roundup: Focus on maritime

    Research Roundup: Focus on maritime

    The 18,000-container-capacity CMA CGM Kuergelen. (Photo: CMA CGM)
    The 18,000-container-capacity CMA CGM Kuergelen. (Photo: CMA CGM)

    Of the 273 papers researchers presented this year at the Institute of Navigation’s annual ION GNSS+ conference, which took place in Miami on Sept. 16–20, the following five focused on maritime issues. Papers are available at www.ion.org/publications/browse.cfm.

    Automating the Sharing of Ocean Weather Data

    The Automatic Identification System (AIS) — mandatory for large ships and used by many mid-sized ones — was designed to help avoid collisions, enable shore authorities to provide vessel traffic services, and allow coastal states to monitor their waters. It also may be used to transmit other information between AIS stations onboard and ashore.

    In the aftermath of the sinking of the container ship El Faro in 2015, the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and U.S. Coast Guard found a contributing factor was lack of reliable weather forecasts. The NTSB then recommended to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) that it determine whether AIS could be used to share weather data collected by ships, to supplement the Voluntary Observing Ship (VOS) program where ships voluntarily submit weather observations to NOAA. The paper describes a successful test of this concept.

    Citation. Gregory Johnson, Ken Dykstra, Gaurav Dhungana and Brian Tetreault, “Sharing Ships’ Weather Data via AIS.”

    EGNOS for Maritime Navigation

    The European Geostationary Navigation Overlay System (EGNOS), which has been providing guidance to civil aviation since 2011, also can support maritime, railway and road applications. This paper assesses its use for maritime navigation compliant with International Maritime Organization (IMO) requirements for harbor entrances, harbor approaches and coastal waters: 99.8% of signal availability, 99.8% of service availability, 99.97% of service continuity, and 10 meters of horizontal accuracy. A kinematic test campaign was conducted in the waters of the Canary Islands using a geodetic multi-frequency, multi-constellation receiver-antenna pair installed aboard two vessels. The EGNOS Maritime Service met all IMO requirements by achieving a signal availability of 99.999%, a service availability in 99.9% of a predefined rectangular region, and 1.06 meters of horizontal accuracy at the 95th percentile. The service continuity requirement, however, was met in only 62.50% of the predefined region. Therefore, the paper concludes that the continuity risk is the most limiting factor for expanding the EGNOS Maritime Service along the coastal waters of the Canary Islands.

    Citation. Deimos Ibáñez Segura, Adria Rovira Garcia, Jaume Sanz, José Miguel Juan, Guillermo González Casado, María Teresa Alonso, José A. López Salcedo, Huamin Jia, Francisco Javier Pancorbo Garcia, Carlos Garcia Daroca, Irene Martin Calle, Santos Rodrigo Abadía Heredia and Manuel López Martínez, “A Kinematic Campaign to Evaluate EGNOS 1046 Maritime Service.”

    Options for Integrity

    Many maritime authorities are considering how to maintain the integrity of navigation systems as their infrastructure ages, especially given that the need for integrity in the user position is expected to increase with e-navigation services and for autonomous vessels. In harbor entrances, harbor approaches and coastal waters, the International Association of Marine Aids to Navigation and Lighthouse Authorities (IALA) prescribes an absolute horizontal accuracy of ≤10 meters 95% of the time, with an integrity risk of 99.99999%. Today’s GNSS more than meets that accuracy requirement, so the driver is integrity. Options for integrity are marine radiobeacon DGPS/DGNSS, the primary augmentation system in use today; receiver autonomous integrity monitoring (RAIM); satellite-based augmentation systems (SBAS); and others (such as commercial services or inertial.). The European MarRINav project is investigating resilient PNT options to support UK Critical National Infrastructure. Part of this work is comparing EGNOS and marine radiobeacon DGPS performance to inform international discussions and receiver standardization.

    Citation. Alan Grant, George Shaw and Martin Bransby, “Considering SBAS and marine radiobeacon corrections to support safe maritime operations.”

    Evaluation of WAAS for Use in Canadian Waters

    Mariners navigating in Canadian waters use a ground-based augmentation system (GBAS) that provides differential corrections and integrity monitoring of GPS. This GBAS has been provided since 1994 by the Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) in the form of a differential GPS (DGPS) broadcast service. The service is only provided south of latitude 60°N in collaboration with the U.S. Coast Guard. Before embarking on a recapitalization program of its 24-year-old DGPS, and given that the U.S. Coast Guard is progressively shutting down its National Differential GPS sites, the CCG is evaluating options for its own DGPS network. Options include the wide-area augmentation system (WAAS), originally developed by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration for civil aviation. This paper describes the authors’ evaluation for the CCG to determine the expected accuracy, integrity and availability of WAAS throughout Canadian waters, concluding that the current WAAS provides acceptable accuracy and integrity for most of Canada, excluding the higher latitudes.

    Citation. Gregory Johnson, Gaurav Dhungana and Jean Delisle, “An Evaluation of WAAS 2020+ to Meet Maritime Navigation Requirements in Canadian Waters.”

    GNSS + INS for Attitude Determination

    Attitude determination (AD) is an important navigation component for ships and spacecraft. GNSS enables resolving their orientation in a precise and absolute manner, by employing multiple antennas rigidly mounted on the vessel. This requires carrier-phase observations, with the consequent added complexity of resolving integer ambiguities. Inertial aiding has been extensively exploited for AD, because it enables tracking fast rotation variations and bridging short periods of GNSS outage. In this paper, the fusion of inertial and GNSS information is exploited within the recursive Bayesian estimation framework, applying an Error State Kalman Filter, which, unlike common Kalman filters, tracks the error or variations in the state estimate, posing meaningful advantages for AD. The results show that the inertial aiding, along with a constrained attitude model for the float estimation, significantly improve the performance of attitude determination compared to classical unaided baseline tracking.

    Citation. Daniel Medina, Vincenzo Centrone, Ralf Ziebold, and Jesús García, “Attitude Determination via GNSS Carrier Phase and Inertial Aiding.”

  • AgilLOC antenna element combats GNSS jamming at sea

    With the proliferation of jamming devices readily available, maritime vessels need to be situationally aware of GNSS interference and disruption. The threat of GNSS jamming is made even more critical in situations that require navigation through narrow straits under poor visibility, with no sea lane markers in sight.

    Case in point being the British-flagged oil tanker Stena Impero, which was seized by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards while sailing through the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps stated that Stena Impero had taken a wrong route when entering the Strait of Hormuz.

    This happened during a time when an advisory warning by the U.S Maritime Administration had already been released, stating that vessels operating in the Persian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz and Gulf of Oman may encounter GPS interference, bridge-to-bridge communications spoofing or other communications jamming with little to no warning.

    This episode could have been avoided if better awareness of the navigation system was employed.

    Jamming protection at sea. ST Engineering has developed AgilLOC Antenna Element Compact (AEC), which provides GNSS protection against three simultaneous jamming/interference sources with its adaptive nulling algorithm for the maritime sector, ensuring continuous GNSS protection to connected systems.

    AgilLOC AEC was designed for easy integration with new or existing legacy systems that required uninterrupted GNSS reception. Despite its lightweight and compact design, AgilLOC AEC provides a robust response to narrow and wideband interference, the company said.

    When disruption happens. In a disruption, the crew onboard can only rely on radar or cross bearings using compass, terrestrial radio navigation or even sextants.

    The loss of GNSS input to the ship’s surface search radar, gyro units and electronic chart display and information system (ECDIS) will result in a lack of GNSS data for position fixing, radar over ground speed inputs, gyro speed input as well as the loss of collision avoidance capabilities on the ECDIS radar display. It is imperative that all ship’s crew are aware of the status of their GNSS reception.

    Many GNSS receivers currently installed onboard vessels do not provide for jamming monitoring or mitigation. Deliberate or unintentional GNSS inference are becoming more prevalent, increasing the risk of receivers being overwhelmed by elevated levels of interferences.

    Satellite navigation is essential for all maritime applications under all weather conditions. The AgilLOC AEC protects the GNSS signals for a smooth navigation and precision landing alongside with other navigational systems.

  • Airbus launches OneAtlas service for GIS imagery, data

    Airbus Defence and Space has launched The OneAtlas Platform, a collaborative environment to access premium imagery, perform large-scale image processing, extract insights and benefit from Airbus assets for solution development.

    OneAtlas is offering a 30-day free trial, giving customers streaming access to imagery, sample change detection reports, and global imagery and data layers, including the basemap and the WorldDEM.

    Besides access to a comprehensive archive with premium imagery, users can try services such as:

    • Ocean Finder for the maritime industry
    • Verde for precision agriculture
    • Starling for forest management
    • Earth Monitor for tracking changes over an area of interest

    The developer portal provides more information through  API documentation and discusses how to benefit from the imagery either in streaming or download format.

    The Ocean Finder provides a satellite-based maritime ship detection service. (Photo: One Atlas)
    The Ocean Finder provides a satellite-based maritime ship detection service. (Photo: OneAtlas)

  • AUVSI launches unmanned maritime systems advocacy committee

    The Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) has formed an Unmanned Maritime Systems (UMS) Advocacy Committee to focus on the development of policy positions to support the advancement of the industry.

    “Unmanned maritime systems allow military and commercial operators alike to go farther and deeper than ever before,” said Brian Wynne, president and CEO of AUVSI. “The input provided by the UMS Advocacy Committee will help us speak with a unified voice and enable all our members to advocate for the growth of the industry.”

    The UMS Advocacy Committee will be chaired by Thomas Reynolds, vice president of business development for Hydroid Inc./Kongsberg Maritime. Reynolds, who leads all Kongsberg Maritime business with the U.S. government, previously served as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Navy, where he served as commander of the Explosive Ordinance Disposal Task Group, U.S. Fifth Fleet, among other roles.

    Reynolds holds a bachelor of science degree from the U.S. Naval Academy and an executive master of business administration from Benedictine College.

    Wayne Prender, vice president for Applied Technology and Advance Programs at Textron Systems, will be the committee’s vice chair. In his role at Textron, Prender is responsible for engineering development programs, advancing areas such as the Common Unmanned Surface Vehicle and Cased-Telescoped Weapons and Ammunition, as well as emerging capabilities and development programs.

    Prender is a former commissioned officer in the U.S. Army, where he was deployed to Iraq and awarded the Bronze Star. He holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from St. Louis University, a master’s degree in technology management and a master of business administration from the University of Maryland University College.

    The committee also includes representatives from BAE Systems, L3 Technologies, Leidos, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and Seaborn Defense.

    The UMS Advocacy Committee formalized a set of policy priorities to help guide the committee’s legislative and regulatory actions. The priorities state that the committee shall:

    • Establish the UMS Advocacy Committee as the preeminent industry voice influencing acquisition and regulatory policies and processes.
    • Facilitate the growth of UMS through active engagement with the government and commercial sectors.
    • Collaborate with ship owners, operators, shipyards, ports, federal maritime agencies, technology developers, classification societies and academia to further integrate advanced automation for maritime platforms into the domestic market.
    • Develop the future of the UMS workforce through technology-focused education.
  • Geoscience Australia, Lockheed collaborate on multi-GNSS SBAS research

    Geoscience Australia, Lockheed collaborate on multi-GNSS SBAS research

    Geoscience Australia, an agency of the Commonwealth of Australia, and Lockheed Martin have entered into a collaborative research project to show how augmenting signals from multiple GNSS constellations can enhance positioning, navigation and timing for a range of applications.

    Other partners are Inmarsat and GMV.

    The research project aims to demonstrate how a second-generation Satellite-Based Augmentation System (SBAS) testbed can — for the first time — use signals from both GPS and the Galileo constellation, as well as dual frequencies, to achieve greater GNSS integrity and accuracy.

    Over two years, the testbed will validate applications in nine industry sectors: agriculture, aviation, construction, maritime, mining, rail, road, spatial and utilities.

    To improve precision navigation, a second-generation SBAS will use signals from both GPS and Galileo, and dual frequencies, to achieve even greater GNSS integrity and accuracy.
    To improve precision navigation, a second-generation SBAS will use signals from both GPS and Galileo, and dual frequencies, to achieve even greater GNSS integrity and accuracy. (Graphic: Lockheed Martin)

    In January, the Australian Government announced $12 million in funding for the trial of SBAS technology.

    “Many industries rely on GNSS signals for accurate, safe navigation. Users must be confident in the position solutions calculated by GNSS receivers. The term ‘integrity’ defines the confidence in the position solutions provided by GNSS,” says Vince Di Pietro, chief executive of Lockheed Martin Australia and New Zealand. “Industries where safety-of-life navigation is crucial want assured GNSS integrity.”

    Ultimately, the second-generation SBAS testbed will broaden understanding of how this technology can benefit safety, productivity, efficiency and innovation in Australia’s industrial and research sectors, according to Lockheed.

    “We are excited to have an opportunity to work with Geoscience Australia and Australian industry to demonstrate the best possible GNSS performance and proud that Australia will be leading the way to enhance space-based navigation and industry safety,” Di Pietro adds.

    Basic GNSS signals are accurate enough for many civil positioning, navigation and timing users. However, these signals require augmentation to meet higher safety-of-life navigation requirements. The second-generation SBAS will mitigate that issue.

    Once the SBAS testbed is operational, basic GNSS signals will be monitored by widely-distributed reference stations operated by Geoscience Australia. An SBAS testbed master station, installed by teammate GMV of Spain, will collect that reference station data, compute corrections and integrity bounds for each GNSS satellite signal, and generate augmentation messages.

    “A Lockheed Martin uplink antenna at Uralla, New South Wales, will send these augmentation messages to an SBAS payload hosted aboard a geostationary Earth orbit satellite, owned by Inmarsat,” says Rod Drury, director of international strategy and business development for Lockheed Martin Space Systems Co. “This satellite rebroadcasts the augmentation messages containing corrections and integrity data to the end users. The whole process takes less than six seconds.”

    By augmenting signals from multiple GNSS constellations — both Galileo and GPS — second-generation SBAS is not dependent on one GNSS. It will also use signals on two frequencies — the L1 and L5 GPS signals, and their companion E1 and E5a Galileo signals — to provide integrity data and enhanced accuracy for industries that need it.

    Research partners

    Lockheed Martin will provide systems integration expertise in addition to the Uralla radio frequency uplink. GMV-Spain will provide its magicGNSS processors. Inmarsat will provide the navigation payload hosted on the 4F1 geostationary satellite. The Australia and New Zealand Cooperative Research Centre for Spatial Information will coordinate the demonstrator projects that test the SBAS infrastructure.

    Lockheed Martin has significant experience with space-based navigation systems. The company developed and produced 20 GPS IIR and IIR-M satellites. It also maintains the GPS Architecture Evolution Plan ground control system, which operates the entire 31-satellite constellation.

  • Australia to invest $12 million to test SBAS positioning technology

    The Australian Government will invest $12 million in a two-year program looking into the future of positioning technology in Australia.

    The funding includes testing of satellite-based augmentation systems (SBAS) that can offer instant, accurate and reliable positioning technology. The improvements in positioning could provide future safety, productivity, efficiency and environmental benefits across many industries in Australia, including transport, agriculture, construction and resources.

    The two-year project will test SBAS technology that has the potential to improve positioning accuracy in Australia to less than five centimeters. Currently, positioning in Australia is usually accurate to five to 10 meters. While highly accurate positioning technologies are already available in Australia, they are expensive and only available in specific areas and to niche markets.

    Research has shown that the widespread adoption of improved positioning technology has the potential to generate upwards of $73 billion of value to Australia by 2030.

    Federal Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Darren Chester said the program could test the potential of SBAS technology in the four transport sectors — aviation, maritime, rail and road.

    “SBAS utilizes space-based and ground-based infrastructure to improve and augment the accuracy, integrity and availability of basic GNSS signals, such as those currently provided by the USA Global Positioning System (GPS),” Chester said.

    “The future use of SBAS technology was strongly supported by the aviation industry to assist in high accuracy GPS-dependent aircraft navigation. Positioning data can also be used in a range of other transport applications including maritime navigation, automated train management systems and in the future, driverless and connected cars,” he said.

    Minister for Resources and Northern Australia Matt Canavan said access to more accurate data about the Australian landscape would also help unlock the potential of Northern Australia.

    “This technology has potential uses in a range of sectors, including agriculture and mining, which have always played an important role in our economy, and will also be at the heart of future growth in Northern Australia,” Senator Canavan said. “Access to this type of technology can help industry and Government make informed decisions about future investments.”

    The SBAS testbed will use existing national GNSS infrastructure developed by AuScope as part of the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy. It will test two new satellite positioning technologies — next-generation SBAS and Precise Point Positioning, which provide positioning accuracies of several decimeters and five centimeters respectively.

    The SBAS testbed is Australia’s first step towards joining countries such as the U.S., Russia, India, Japan and many across Europe in investing in SBAS technology and capitalizing on the link between precise positioning, productivity and innovation.

    Early this year, Geoscience Australia with the Collaborative Research Centre for Spatial Information (CRCSI) will call for organizations from a number of industries including agriculture, aviation, construction, mining, maritime, rail, road, spatial and utilities to participate in the testbed.

    For more information about the SBAS testbed and National Positioning Infrastructure Capability visit the Geoscience Australia website.

  • NDGPS to remain operational, fewer sites face decommissioning

    NDGPS to remain operational, fewer sites face decommissioning

    The United States Coast Guard, Department of Transportation and Army Corps of Engineers have issued a notice that reduces the number of Nationwide Differential Global Positioning System (NDGPS) sites that will be decommissioned.

    The agencies published a notice on Aug. 18, 2015, seeking public comments on the proposed shutdown and decommissioning of 62 the then-existing 84 NDGPS sites.

    “After a review of the comments received, we have reduced to 37 the number of NDGPS sites to be shut down, nine of which are USCG Maritime sites and 28 of which are DOT inland sites,” the notice reads. “As a result of this action, the NDGPS system will remain operational with a total of 46 USCG and USACE sites available to users in the maritime and coastal regions.”

    Over time, a number of factors have contributed to the declining public use of the NDGPS, including lack of a carriage requirement, technological advances in GPS and limited availability of consumer-grade DGPS receivers.

    The Federal Register Notice reduces the number of Differential GPS sites throughout the country, while maintaining coverage in major maritime ports and waterways.

    Read the full notice at the Federal Register website, including a list of sites to be decommissioned. Termination of the broadcast signal is scheduled to occur within the next 30 days.

    Graphic depicting NDGPS after site reductions. (U.S. Coast Guard)
    Graphic depicting NDGPS after site reductions. (U.S. Coast Guard)
    Graphic depicting NDGPS coverage after site reductions. (U.S. Coast Guard)
    Graphic depicting NDGPS coverage after site reductions. (U.S. Coast Guard)
    Original NDGPS coverage.
    Original NDGPS coverage.
  • European migrant crisis spurs UAS maritime surveillance testing

    European migrant crisis spurs UAS maritime surveillance testing

    Maritime operations have been brought into focus in Europe by the unprecedented migrant crisis. As part of the response to this crisis, the EU border patrol agency Frontex is in the planning phase of adding remotely piloted aircraft to its existing portfolio of satellite and sensor technologies for monitoring vessel traffic and migrant flows.

    The AR5 Life Ray UAS, developed by Tekever, has been selected by the European Space Agency (ESA) and the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) to demonstrate the first European maritime surveillance system where drones are integral to operations.

    The first demonstration will be performed this summer over the Maltese waters of the Mediterranean sea, said Pedro Sinogas, Tekever CEO.

    “During the demonstration in Malta, Tekever’s systems will be deployed from land and will perform operations across a range of maritime scenarios during the 4-6 weeks of testing,” Sinogas said.

    This project is demonstrating the benefits of deploying unmanned aircraft in the dual roles of pollution monitoring and search and rescue.  The project has developed the business case to deploy unmanned aircraft to augment, or even replace, existing assets such as satellites, manned aircraft and ships.

    Tekever is working with maritime authorities from across the EU, coordinated with EMSA and will demonstrate operations in the Atlantic Ocean, the North Sea and the Mediterranean Sea across a wide range of environmental conditions.

    AR5-Light-Ray-W

    The AR5 Life Ray UAS platform is a mature system, in the market since being presented at Farnborough in 2014. AR5 was conceived to be a system capable of delivering the endurance and payload of a larger system in a compact and flexible package. The Rapsody programme has seen this system be prepared for maritime missions, while maintaining a small logistics footprint.

    With a wingspan of 4.3 meters and a payload of 50 kg, AR5 delivers performance of 8 to 12 hours missions. Typically systems in this class don’t offer Satellite Communications or on-board SAR. By delivering these capabilities the AR5 Life Ray UAS delivers unprecedented flexibility for maritime missions.

    “Tekever is now working with specialist sensor manufacturers to increase the capability of the system as new technologies mature, offering increased capability for our customers. We are working to allow AR5 to operate from onboard a ship in the future, delivering a capability organic to the vessels existing tasks. There is also a planned increased wingspan AR5 variant, with increased endurance and payload to match, while remaining within the existing logistics footprint,” Sinogas said.

    Tekever owns the entire technology stack within the AR5 Life Ray platform, allowing combined sensor modalities, data fusion and intelligent on board algorithms. This automates functionality and creates an excellent tool to support maritime missions.

  • Kongsberg reference system integrates GNSS services

    Kongsberg reference system integrates GNSS services

    kongsberg-DPS-432
    The new DPS 432 combines decimeter accuracy with high integrity and availability of GNSS data.

    Kongsberg Maritime has introduced a new position reference system that integrates all available GNSS and all possible correction services. The new DPS 432 combines full decimeter accuracy with high integrity and availability of GNSS data, supporting the safety and efficiency of offshore operations that rely on advanced dynamic positioning (DP) systems.

    The DPS 432 integrates signals from GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou and Galileo, and regional correction signals including SBAS (WAAS, EGNOS, MSAS, GAGAN), in addition to the new G4 services from Fugro, to ensure high flexibility for DP operations globally.

    Because DPS 432 exploits available combinations of GNSS signals, it is suited to complex operations in challenging environments. The system increases satellite availability, improves integrity monitoring and enables more precision under challenging signal tracking conditions, Kongsberg said.

    The new DPS 432 will be part of the Kongsberg DPS portfolio of products that meet requirements for operations in any geographical region.

    “DPS 432 expands our established and field-proven portfolio of position reference systems for DP operations, ensuring that we can offer a highly reliable solution for any DP vessel or operating region,” said Vidar Bjørkedal, VP sales and customer support, Kongsberg Seatex. “The system is based on the same architecture as other DPS products, which means it features a highly intuitive HMI [operator interface], while the ability to integrate all available GNSS and corrections provides integrity and availability of the position data needed for safe operations.”

    The DPS 432 features the sophisticated DPS NAV Engine used in all DPS solutions, which runs critical computations independent from the DPS HMI to ensure continuous and reliable operation. The DPS NAV Engine runs in a safe mode, protected from unintended user operations, while several DPS HMIs can be connected to the same DPS NAV Engine in a networked architecture.

    Straightforward operation to enhance DP operations safety further was a key design goal during development of DPS 432. The system can integrate multiple layers of information, giving the DP operator opportunities for a customized visual presentation, including electronic charts, seabed maps, well-head positions, static targets and Automatic Identification System (AIS) target information.

  • US Coast Guard issues GPS jamming alert

    The U.S. Coast Guard issued a safety alert on Jan. 16, warning mariners of the potential detrimental impact to navigation caused by GPS interference or jamming. The warning emphasizes the importance of understanding how vessel equipment could be impacted by the loss of a GPS signal.

    The Coast Guard states that this past summer, multiple outbound vessels from a non-U.S. port suddenly lost GPS signal reception. The net effect was various alarms and a loss of GPS input to the ship’s surface search radar, gyro units and ECDIS, resulting in no GPS data for position fixing, radar over ground speed inputs, gyro speed input and loss of collision avoidance capabilities on the radar display. 

    Fortunately, the vessels were able to safely continue theirvoyage using radar in heads up display, magnetic compass and terrestrial navigation. Approximately six nautical miles later, the vessels’ GPS units resumed operation. Although the vessels had back-up systems to allow a safe transit, the consequences could have been severe, warns the Coast Guard.

    Full content of the alert appears below.

    Global Navigation Satellite Systems – Trust, But Verify
    Report Disruptions Immediately

    Do you know what equipment relies upon the U.S. Global Positioning System (GPS) signal? How would you respond if you lost the signal? This past summer, multiple outbound vessels from a non-U.S. port suddenly lost GPS signal reception. The net effect was various alarms and a loss of GPS input to the ship’s surface search radar, gyro units and Electronic Chart Display & Information System (ECDIS), resulting in no GPS data for position fixing, radar over ground speed inputs, gyro speed input and loss of collision avoidance capabilities on the radar display. Fortunately, the vessels were able to safely continue their voyage using radar in heads up display, magnetic compass and terrestrial navigation. Approximately 6nm later, the vessels’ GPS units resumed operation. Although the vessels had back-up systems to allow a safe transit, the consequences could have been severe. These types of events highlight the potential detrimental impact to navigation caused by GPS interference or jamming and the importance in understanding how your vessel’s or facility’s equipment could be impacted by a loss of GPS signal.

    Whether walking through the city, driving across town or navigating the world, Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) have become an integral part of everyday life. However, at times, the positioning signals may be impacted by interference from both natural and human-made sources. The most common types of interference are reception issues, usually due to bad installations, poor antenna positioning or faulty equipment. Jamming devices, while illegal in the U.S. and a threat to safety, have been used for nefarious or deceptive purposes. Interference can also be unintentionally caused when operating GNSS in close proximity to other radiating devices, such as amplified TV antennas (see our Safety Alert 11-02). Therefore, it is important to remember to use all available means for navigation and maintain proficiency so you can still navigate should your primary GPS fail.

    Indicators of positioning systems interference include an intermittent signal, no signal, or an incorrect signal. Suspected or suspicious disruptions should be reported immediately. Critical information to take note of during a disruption event includes location, time, and period of outage.

    Commercial operators are reminded, should your navigation or other equipment onboard (e.g. AIS) be impaired as a result of a disruption or interference, this should be reported to the nearest U.S. Coast Guard Captain of the Port, District Commander or Vessel Traffic Center as soon as possible; and, await further directions (per 33 CFR 164.53).

    All operators should be aware, vigilant, and immediately report GPS disruptions to the U.S. Coast Guard Navigation Center (NAVCEN). The report will be disseminated to the U.S. Air Force GPS Operations Center and the Federal Aviation Administration in an attempt to identify the problem and correlate with any other GPS incidents in the same general geographic location. Depending on the severity of the report, NAVCEN may refer it to law enforcement and/or other federal agencies for further investigation.

    Reporting a disruption — or other navigation hazards or aids to navigation outages — is simple, and can be done electronically (http://www.navcen.uscg.gov, the preferred method) or via phone call to the NAVCEN (703- 313-5900), 24 hours a day.

  • Harris, exactEarth Form Alliance for Global Maritime Tracking

    exactEarth Ltd. and Harris Corporation have formed an alliance to provide a new level of Satellite Automatic Identification System (AIS) data service that will deliver real-time global coverage for maritime vessel tracking. The new service will leverage the persistent global coverage and real-time connectivity of the Iridium NEXT constellation through the implementation of 58 hosted payloads covering the Maritime VHF frequency band.

    Harris is a space, geospatial and remote sensing company, and exactEarth is a provider of AIS data services.

    Compatibility testing of the hosted payload with the Iridium satellites has been completed. The first launch is scheduled for early 2016, with the completed constellation expected in 2017. The new service will provide customers with the fastest, most accurate vessel information available. With revisit times and latency under one minute, the service expansion represents a leap forward in the ability for both Harris and exactEarth to offer global ship tracking and maritime information solutions, the companies said in a statement.

    The alliance leverages exactEarth’s proven and patented signal de-collision detection technology and Harris’ expertise in satellite hosted payloads, advanced radio frequency technology and antenna solutions. Harris becomes the exclusive provider to the US government of AIS products and services produced under the alliance, including exactEarth’s exactAIS product portfolio, while exactEarth continues to serve all other global markets.

    “This alliance will expand our IntelliEarth family of innovative solutions, which leverage Harris’ world-class remote sensing capabilities to help customers around the globe make smarter operational and business decisions,” said Bill Gattle, vice president and general manager, National Programs, Harris Government Communications Systems. “Harris is committed to exploring new technologies and partnering with world-leading organizations to provide our customers with the greatest value.” 

    “As the recognized Satellite AIS industry leader, this announcement further strengthens our commitment to provide best-in-class maritime intelligence solutions to our customers worldwide,” said Peter Mabson, Ppresident of exactEarth.  “We are thrilled to be able to offer the shortest revisit times and lowest latency for developing true maritime domain awareness. This partnership with Harris will allow us to significantly expand the range of advanced value-added services and information solutions that we can bring to the global maritime market.”

  • Topcon’s MG-A8 Antenna Designed for Accurate Maritime Applications

    Topcon Positioning Systems announces the MG-A8 antenna for navigation and precise positioning in marine applications. According to Topcon, the new MG-A8 marine antenna provides exemplary GNSS signal tracking while not being susceptible to signal jamming from other sources, such as Inmarsat communications.

    The MG-A8 antenna can be used in DGPS mode for meter-level navigation purposes but can also be used for RTK centimeter level positioning in areas where there is a network of reference stations available to support this level of precision. With its RTK capabilities, the MG-A8 is a “preferred solution for applications such as dredging in inland river channels and waterways,” said Tom Morris, TPS senior product development manager.

    “This antenna is designed with challenging marine applications in mind.  It is accurate, rugged, reliable and affordable.”