EXPERIMENTAL BASIS FOR CONTROL OF VESSELS BY SATELLITE

The use of satellities for maritime position surveillance and communications has been shown to reduce the risk of handling high energy fuels. Experiments have demonstrated that position fix precision of approximately 0.1 nmi., 1 sigma is achievable at mid-latitudes at L-band. Factors affecting position fix accuracy have been identified, and means to correct them have been tested so that position fix accuracy of 0.1 nmi., 1 sigma is a reasonable expectation for an operational system. The ranging technique is digital and compatible with communications. Ranging signals are so short in duration they could be inserted during pauses in speech communications. Extrapolations in the cost from experimental equipments estimate that it will cost less than $1,000 to add circuits for position-fixing to a shipborne satellite communications terminal. It will cost only a few pennies to compute a position fix and relay it to the ship and the shipping offices of the shipping company. Techniques for maritime traffic control can be developed by extensions of present shipping lane assignments, and the methods that are used routinely for aeronautical traffic control.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Presented at the Conference on "Bulk Transportation of Hazardous Materials by Water in the Future--A Long-Range Forecast", College Park, Md., July 9-10, 1973. This paper is available in the volume of Conference proceedings at a cost of $10.00.
• Corporate Authors:

  National Academy of Sciences

  Committee on Hazardous Materials
  Washington, DC  United States  20418
• Authors:
  • Anderson, R E
• Conference:
  • Presented at the Conference on "Bulk Transportation of Hazardous Materials by Water in the Future--A Long-Range Forecast", College Park, Md., July 9-10, 1973. This paper is available in the volume of Conference proceedings at a cost of $10.00.
• Publication Date: 1973-7

Media Info

• Pagination: p. 166-184

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Navigational satellites; Position fixing; Satellite navigation systems
• Old TRIS Terms: Position finding
• Subject Areas: Marine Transportation; Operations and Traffic Management;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00051203
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Committee on Hazardous Materials
• Report/Paper Numbers: Proceeding
• Contract Numbers: DOT-CG-11,775-A
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Feb 28 1974 12:00AM