Boat Intelligent GPS Navigation and Video Monitor System

[waveless]

D’ARTOIS,

I am a software engineer special in image procession (image recognize and vector), I have more than 20 years experience for software programming. I think that my idea are realistic, because the precision of GPS is about 2-5m, it is possible to navigate the boat within 10-100m sea-route. At least it can help captain to take a break.

[D'ARTOIS]

The military issued GPS systems do have indeed an accuracy of 2-5 metres - the non-military something between 10 to 100 metres if they are any good.
The hardware might be good, but not the software and a lot in this field depends on the software. There are car gps systems that are pretty hopeless and that let you make detours of 10th's of kilometres and such things might also be the case with ship's gps systems. There is still a big price difference between a professional ship's GPS and the one you buy at your marina.

Your idea is not new, there are already a few cases where your idea is applicated and in the cases I know of, it happens to be on unmanned craft.
And for military purposes. They are already in the Defense and Ordnance market for a number of years. In some cases, the image-identifier is in connection with a gun and that is a recently developed and new weapon against unwanted intruders at some places.

If you are looking for a job, you should apply at those companies which are in this kind of field. There might be of course also demand for such a system by captains of the larger yachts, however, they have quite often access to the military market themselves; legal or illegal (there is a lot of hanky-panky business in that field also) and when it concerns a large yacht for a well known person, a supplier / manufacturer of such apparatus might be tempted to sell such a system to them.

So there are two options for you to get hold of some money: either you develop a fully functional system that you can sell to the civil market and the second option is that you approach a company that may use such specialists as you are.

If you require particulars, contact me at my e-mail address or send me yours.

[Victor Möller]

Hello!

Take a look at Raymarines E-series display. With MARPA you are almost there... maybee you could write a "MARPA" module for the display that uses the VIDEO input. Does anyone know what's under the hood of these displays?

E120+Radar+autpilot+fluxgate+gps+video..

/Victor

[JonathanCole]

D'Artois
The issue of the application for any kind of unmanned automatic positioning device is, of course, very important. But there are plently of places with little traffic especially inland waterways, fjords, lakes, etc. Plus there is the fact that the guy on watch could fall asleep, like on the Titanic! Airline pilots fly on automatic pilot even though they are sitting at the controls. It makes the job easier. Same for cars with cruise control.

[D'ARTOIS]

I agree fully with you - remember I mentioned the traffic at our piece of the North Sea and the Channel as well! We do not have to go to the Military side of this topic to make full use of the advantages such a system may supply.

I am a single handed sailor that sails alone w/o a crew; the North Sea is crowded with ships coming from all directions, even at places where you do not expect them. I know that f.e. IMI has already such a system in full operation and I know also that there are some countries interested in such a system to protect their harbours! There is definately a potential for such a system and therefore I advised Waveless accordingly.

[Tim B]

Jon,

Sorry you couldn't access the site, it should be ok (There is an issue with Mozilla on the screen-shots page) there isn't anything about either the R-Ship (Systems) or R-Nav (Navigation) software on the page, as it is easier to do the system as a custom job. You should be able to find a fluxgate compass that will interface to a computer, but the last one I saw had an almost prohibitive error. That said, some GPS systems include a flux-gate compass and transmit the result using the NMEA standard.

If you want more info, please e-mail me ( Tim@MarineDesign.tk )

Cheers,

Tim B.

[yipster]

Originally Posted by D'ARTOIS

The military issued GPS systems do have indeed an accuracy of 2-5 metres - the non-military something between 10 to 100 metres if they are any good. The hardware might be good, but not the software and a lot in this field depends on the software.

navysailor/tsunami software allready showed my berth i could back into on the laptop 10 years back, gps is great and most software too.

now what about this?


http://electronautic.nl/ bottomline under euronav tab. no english on AIS, had it translated in babbelfish...

"The occupation speed is going over becomes uses gradual on a transponder system, as this also in airplanes. The transitions regulation has been obliged now already for new development and larger ships and in 2006 must also the smallest beroepsvaarders foresee be by an AIS transponder. This AIS transponder (Automatic Identification Signal) sends a signal from with the gegevens of the ship, as: speed, course, position only also the destination, length and the name of the ship. For the plezier speed is not the have by a complete transponder obliged but often also technically not possible and much too preciously (approximately €6000) only the have by the AIS information will the fern well safelyer make. Electro Nautic brings round these drove an AIS receiver on the market that all gegevens of the AIS system on the computer visibly makes. On the navigatiesoftware, you see yourself and the surrounding ships with all AIS information on the card and this for a fraction of the expenses of a radar. Also you need become the gegevens no longer to interpret they so for you on the gescherm gezet, with all gegevens. The anticipating possible danger is now a flute of a penny.

AIS omvat onder andere de volgende gegevens over het schip:
Name of vessel
Type of vessel
Speed (SOG)
Heading
Navigational status
Vessel dimensions Call sign
Destination
Course (COG)
Position
Rate of turn
MMSI number


Technical Description
The AI3000 is a compact dual channel synthesized VHF receiver designed to receive and decode transmissions from vessels fitted with Class A AIS transceivers.
Electrical
Power supply range : 9 - 30 Volts DC
(Suitable for boat 12 or 24v systems)
Power consumption : 400mW
Output
Baud rate : 4800 or 38.4KB
Format : NMEA 0183
Output message : VDM
Receiver
Frequency : AIS 1 161.975 MHz, AIS 2 162.025 MHz
Channel spacing : 25KHz
Sensitivity : -112dBm
Demodulation : GMSK
Data Rate : 9600
Antenna Impedance : 50 ohms"

[nemo]

I think that the system you're talking about, a sort of autopilot combined with a radar, who can decide to steer to avoid collision, is possible but it is not allowed on merchant ships. I don't know regulations about yachts.

[yipster]

its not autopilot combined with rader, thats again another possibillity.
This AIS is a Automatic Identification Signal showing ID, course and much more to other ships using AIS.

[nemo]

yes, sorry, I was referring to the initial topic..

[anthony]

dear friends i am interested in making a small fiberglass boat maybe of 4/6seater i would like to know to get started after having made a mould stp
for eg how do u mix resin n glass powder with accelrator and at what ratio stp

[safewalrus]

So has anybody got anything NEW to say? Most of that sh** has been used for years by the Military / Oil Industry for years the rest has been dumped as unworkable!

BUT and please note this BUT...... they are all attended by a trained alert human operator who monitors the system!
Why? Well something called safety mainly - things can and do go wrong at sea - and when they do; people get dead. Now just maybe you don't care about those people but they as sure as hell do!

And it's all down to electrickery, and what is notorious as being dodgy on small vessels close to salt air? Come on Genlemen think about it!!!!!

No I'm afraid I'm with Gonzo and the likes on this, I want somebody who knows what he's doing watching the system all the time! OK Autopilot CAN steer a straighter course! until it goes wrong! or that mupet on a sailboard nips across your bow with inches to spare!

And I like to believe that the other guy has someone watching too! After all my life is important to me (as possibly yours is to you!). Be Alert or the next person you kill could be YOU!

[boltonprofiles]

All I know is my GPS signal sometimes cuts off for no apparent reason and in rough weather the system has been known to spit parts at me, just as well I was there, mind you that's the part I enjoy..............

[safewalrus]

What being spat at by a rabid electrik beastie?

How does proposed system work - when:-

Sattelite info is reverrsed (by military in warfare ergo 9/11)...or say when sattelite shuts down for metoer shower and when rebooted by nasa dude with pimples gets clock time wrong!

To calculate position info to transmit from sattelite to GPS - sattelite MUST know where in space t is but also WHEN is space it is WHERE!

1 clock error and kaputski!

Sorry - just things I have seen while at sea when GPS gets the fritz - north is south and vice versa!

Eg 9/11 at second plane strike to WTC) I went outside and tested hand hend garmin GP....and sure enough waypoints known to be south of me showed position north and vice versa - info DEFINITELY reversed by military!

Eg When Iraq went into Kuwait and US invaded (Desert storm?), was at sea and needed to head north to get home - but surpise GPS said go other way - north is where penguins are?????

Lucky for me - memory and land saod otherwise!

GPS is NOT 100% reliable platform.....for suggested system. IMHO.

Thats my experience anyway - I love GPS / Chartplotter but still navigate manually and just keep GPS for making sure Manual calcs are right!

Good luck - sorry you lost job - me too 10 years ago - still waiting!

Best work for self - sadly I keep firing self - no good lazy bugga!

Cheers!