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Virtual Aids To Navigation

Nov. 04, 2024

Virtual Aids To Navigation

Virtual Reality? Exploring virtual aids to navigation. Virtual aids to navigation can be used in situations where it is not practical to use physical aids to navigation, or where information is needed faster than a buoy can be placed. The information they give should be treated in the same way. Deidre Lane MNI, Navigation Services, Commissioners of Irish Lights explains

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A virtual aid to navigation can be described as digital information, broadcast from an Automatic Identification System (AIS) station, to place an aid to navigation that does not physically exist in the water. Virtual aids to navigation are visible on the AIS Minimum Keyboard and Display (MKD), or as a symbol on ;appropriate display systems.

Virtual aids to navigation inform navigators about dangers to navigation and safe waterways, as well as areas where extra caution is needed, or which must be avoided. Information from virtual aids to navigation should be considered in the same way as information from physical aids to navigation.& Virtual aids to navigation can be used in the following situations:

To immediately mark a wreck or new danger
In areas where it is impossible to place a physical aid to navigation
Where buoys are seasonally lifted due to ice
When a physical buoy is off-station, e.g. due to a natural disaster
Where a physical aid to navigation could conflict with other navigational requirements, and a virtual one meets the needs of the target group Virtual aids to navigation are not intended to replace physical buoys or beacons. However, they may be permanently deployed, following risk assessment, for example to mark a hazard that cannot be marked using a physical equivalent. They are transmitted using AIS, and are prone to the same weaknesses. Navigators and relevant shore-based personnel should be introduced to AIS aids to navigation as an extension of their training on the IALA Maritime Buoyage System.

Aids to navigation transmitted using AIS are implemented in the following ways:

Real AIS &#; the AIS unit is physically fitted on the aid to navigation
Synthetic AIS &#; this transmits the position of a physical aid to navigation, but the signal originates from a transmitter located elsewhere. Used where it is impossible to retain an AIS unit on a buoy or beacon due to local environmental conditions (in the rare event that the physical buoy may have shifted or be off-station, a navigator may notice a discrepancy in the locations)
Virtual AIS &#; in this case, there is no physical aid to navigation at all. The transmitter is located elsewhere i.e. for marking a new danger

Virtual advantages and disadvantages

Using virtual aids to navigation brings several advantages, chief of which are greater clarity of information and immediate positive identification. They offer improvements in first response time to wrecks and other new dangers, as well as a greater range (VHF) on Radar overlay than physical aid to navigation targets, thus giving an earlier warning of danger.

Virtual aids to navigation are not prone to the weather and will always display on MKD or Electronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS)/ Radar overlay. They can be detected around bends and behind islands and offer a more accurate positioning.

However, they are also subject to disadvantages, mainly the fact that not all vessels are fitted with AIS. AIS is dependent on Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) , and unusual atmospheric conditions could have an effect on range.
Virtual aids to navigation systems can be vulnerable to intentional and unintentional interference or inaccuracies. For example, if a vessel&#;s AIS unit is malfunctioning or incorrectly installed, the mariner may not be aware of the position of a virtual aid to navigation, or may receive incorrect data.

In addition, users will not be able to fully utilise AIS aid to navigation functionality if there is no ECDIS or Radar overlay. Care must be taken where AIS is overlaid on Radar or ECDIS, as some manufacturers have chosen only to overlay ship messages.

Case Study: virtual buoys in the English Channel
On 15 January , the MV Ice Prince foundered 26 miles off Portland Bill at the entrance to the Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS) off Les Casquets, after losing more than 2,000 tonnes of its timber cargo. Although the wreck lay on the United Kingdom side of the median line, the area was within the French Vessel Traffic Services (VTS) coverage area of Joborg traffic.

On 17 January, ILV Granuaile commenced guard vessel duties 0.6 nautical miles north east of the wreck. The following precautions were put in place for mariners to indicate the wreck&#;s position:

Navigational warnings stating the wreck&#;s position broadcast by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency and French Coastguard
-metre exclusion zone
ILV Granuaile transmitting RACON morse code &#;D&#;
South west bound traffic, on making their two nautical mile report, notified verbally of the position of the wreck by Joborg traffic

On 18 January, four virtual buoys were deployed: two east cardinals, one south cardinal and one isolated danger mark. The virtual buoys marked the wreck using the French Coastguard&#;s AIS base station network.

In this case, there were many accent and language barrier issues; some vessels still headed straight for the exclusion zone even after stating to Joborg traffic that they were aware of the position of the wreck.

The virtual buoys were useful because they:

Gave early warning of the position of the wreck
Helped alleviate language barriers providing clear information in the form of text on the MKD and overlay on ECDIS/ Radar where available
Were easily deployed and easily removed when the wreck was no longer considered a danger to navigation

conditions could have an effect on range. Virtual aids to navigation systems can be vulnerable to intentional and unintentional interference or inaccuracies. For example, if a vessel&#;s AIS unit is malfunctioning or incorrectly installed, the mariner may not be aware of the position of a virtual aid to navigation, or may receive incorrect data.

Case Study: virtual buoys in the English Channel

On 15 January , the MV Ice Prince foundered 26 miles off Portland Bill at the entrance to the Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS) off Les Casquets, after losing more than 2,000 tonnes of its timber cargo. Although the wreck lay on the United Kingdom side of the median line, the area was within the French Vessel Traffic Services (VTS) coverage area of Joborg traffic.

On 17 January, ILV Granuaile commenced guard vessel duties 0.6 nautical miles north east of the wreck. The following precautions were put in place for mariners to indicate the wreck&#;s position:

Navigational warnings stating the wreck&#;s position broadcast by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency and French Coastguard
-metre exclusion zone
ILV Granuaile transmitting RACON morse code &#;D&#;
South west bound traffic, on making their two nautical mile report, notified verbally of the position of the wreck by Joborg traffic

The virtual buoys were useful because they:

Gave early warning of the position of the wreck
Helped alleviate language barriers providing clear information in the form of text on the MKD and overlay on ECDIS/ Radar where available
Were easily deployed and easily removed when the wreck was no longer considered a danger to navigation

Why Virtual Aids of Navigation Are Important For Ships?

Everybody, both onshore and at sea, has a responsibility for improving our ship safety level. Aids to navigation, also known as AtoN, are important tools of navigation that enhances safety and can act as good safety barriers.

Unlike the roads and highways that we drive on, the waterways do not have road signs that tell us our location or distance to a destination, or of hazards along the way. Instead the waterways are provided with aids to navigation.

For hundreds of years, maritime authorities have marked safe water with buoys and beacons. Besides supporting commerce, these buoys and beacons help to improve safety at seas. Aids to navigation help ship navigating officers in finding and safely navigating a narrow channel in a wide expanse of water.

A navigational aid or AtoN or navaid is any sort of marker that guides to mark safe waters and also help mariners in determining their position with respect to land or any navigational hazard or hidden danger. Traditionally aids to navigation have been physical aids such as lighthouses, buoys and beacons. The introduction of virtual aids to navigation has been one of the greatest achievements in recent navigation history. Though many are presently under development, they are used by a number of administrations around the world.

A virtual aid to navigation itself does not physically exist unlike buoys and beacons but comprises a signal broadcast to a location in a waterway. It can be described as a digital information transmitted from an Automatic Identification System (AIS) station located elsewhere for a specified location without being itself present in that specified location or simply stated, an electronic virtual marker of a hazards. The basic symbol of a virtual AiS aid to navigation looks like a diamond shape with cross hair at the centre on ECDIS or radar.

Virtual aids to navigation are potential in enhancing safety and their use brings us several advantages. Some of the reasons why it is considered important to ship navigation are pointed out below:

1. A virtual aid to navigation can be used in situations when it is not practically possible to equip or due to limitation of time a physical aid to navigation such as a buoy, beacon or a lighthouse cannot be set up. In this case virtual aid to navigation can be used whereby an AIS coast station can be configured to send information to mark its location and therefore help navigating officers to get the necessary information in real time.

2. Virtual aids to navigation can be deployed rapidly to mark immediate wrecks. The implementation of virtual AtoN can be completed within a very short duration of time thereby aiding mariners to avoid unexpected hazards and dangers to navigation that can arise any time without any prior information by giving early warning. Hence, we can say that it prevents accidents through proactive notifications.

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3. Another great benefit of using a virtual aid to navigation is that they are not prone to weather. Unlike traditional buoys or beacons that may not get detected, good or bad weather they will always be detected and displayed on Electronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS) or radar overlay and provide timely information to mariners.

4. They can be extremely helpful in areas where physical buoys are seasonally lifted or misplaced due to swell or ice or when a buoy is off station or damaged due to any natural disaster. It is difficult to install a physical buoy in areas prone to environmentally harsh conditions. Virtual aids to navigation can therefore help to overcome such difficulties.

5.Virtual aids to navigation are easy to install and do not require costly physical infrastructure unlike the physical aids to navigation. They also need less maintenance. This is yet another reason for its rapid growth and wide acceptance among authorities. They have the ability to move the marked locations as conditions change with ease and can also be removed when the wreck is no longer considered a danger to navigation.

6. Virtual aids to navigation can also be used to mark anchorages, restricted or dangerous areas as well as in environmentally sensitive and isolated coastline where there are no beacons or buoys. They can provide additional information about reporting points to officers. Besides virtual aids to navigation provide good coverage in spite of rugged landscape or when approaching from internal waters. Ships can identify dangerous underwater hazards well ahead before approaching and can know if they are on a collision course with any navigational hazard.

Although the use of virtual aids to navigation play a major role in enhancing navigational safety and brings us many benefits, we must be careful while using them and also pay attention to their limitations.

We must consider the fact that positional data contained within the transmissions may be inaccurate. AIS data is also susceptible to spoofing or jamming. Also if the AIS unit is malfunctioning onboard the vessel, there are chances that the navigating officer may receive false data and thus might not be aware of the actual position of the virtual aid to navigation. There can be GPS errors as well causing positional inaccuracies. Many navigational equipment onboard may not show them at all. Last but not the least navigating officers are used to traditional buoys and beacons. We believe what we see. It is needed that officers have a clear idea of virtual aids to navigation. It might happen that if not properly trained to use them; officers may overlook such information as they are not visible in reality.

Related reading : Pros and Cons of ECDIS or Paperless Navigation

Safety at sea has always remained to be the primary focus. Virtual aids to navigation are not meant to replace physical aids to navigation, however they address the need to make hazards at sea visible when costly physical structure is not appropriate or is difficult to deploy. They are invaluable in using radar or ECDIS to show critical data. In order to use this tool efficiently it is also important that mariners and relevant shore based personnel are introduced, trained and guided to the use of virtual aids to navigation in order to keep up with the changes in future. Virtual aids to navigation can provide real time visibility.

Over to you..

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Paromita has completed graduation in Nautical Science and is presently preparing for 2nd mate exams. Besides sailing, she loves to read books and travel. She has also won many awards in music.

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About Author

Paromita has completed graduation in Nautical Science and is presently preparing for 2nd mate exams. Besides sailing, she love to read books and to travel. She has also won many awards in music.

Read More Articles By This Author >