THE ACCURACY OF PREDICTIONS FROM PRIMARY RADAR AND SECONDARY RADAR

In conditions of poor visibility it is common practice to plot radar measurements of the range and relative bearing of other ships with respect to own ship and to deduce the relative tracks and passing distances. Radar equipment is available which can to a greater or lesser degree relieve the navigator of the tedium of plotting, and which could be developed into aids of considerable sophistication within the limits set by their cost. However, errors in measurement limit the precision with which relative tracks and passing distances can be computed. An alternative to radar plotting would be a data link between ships to broadcast measurements of course and speed on demand; a radar transponder would transmit the required information in coded form. This suggestion is highly controversial, but it seems worthwhile to derive the mathematical relationship between errors in the data and the ensuing error in the calculated passing distance and to compare the errors using radar data and transponder data. The value of the comparison is however limited because likely errors in the data are not accurately known. The analysis of the radar plotting method is probably of interest in itself because the deficiences of the method are derived with some rigour.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/oclc/1783951
• Corporate Authors:

  Royal Institute of Navigation

  1 Kensington Gore
  London,   England 
• Authors:
  • Marshall, F
• Publication Date: 1973-7

Media Info

• Features: References;
• Pagination: p. 282-289
• Serial:
  • Journal of Navigation
  • Volume: 26
  • Issue Number: 3
  • Publisher: Cambridge University Press
  • ISSN: 0373-4633
  • Serial URL: http://uk.cambridge.org/journals/nav

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Navigation radar; Navigational aids; Position fixing; Radar displays
• Old TRIS Terms: Position finding; Radar plotting
• Subject Areas: Marine Transportation; Operations and Traffic Management;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00084656
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Royal Institute of Navigation
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: May 19 1975 12:00AM