A SMALL SHIP INFORMATION SYSTEM

In the last 20 years, leisure use of the marine environment has grown greatly, this is set to increase in the 90's with the increasing levels of leisure time in Western societies. The increased use will lead to conjestion of particular areas of water by people with less experience in navigational practices than previously. Manufacturers of marine products, in particular navigational sensors are attempting to provide for these requirements by producing multi-functional computer controlled devices. With so much instrumentation providing similar features the navigator now may experience a state of confusion caused by receiving excess amounts of information. This investigation addresses the problem of information content by considering the requirement for safe navigation. It describes how data may be gathered in one central location, in this instance an IBM Personal Computer (PC) for distribution on a network to other modules and displaying information for navigation and control. The main problems to be solved were those of centralising data and devising re-usable interfacing for which computer hardware was chosen and software written. A description of instrumentation and trials on a full scale test vessel is also presented. This is followed by a discussion on information content and methods of presentation and development of software to illustrate techniques and strategies. Finally, ideas for further research are considered; ideas regarding an outline specification of a network suitable for marine integrated navigation systems.Kelvin-Hughes Lt