27
1 INTRODUCTION
Over time, ship hull structures and motor functions
have been improved and various advanced
navigationdeviceshavebeendevelopedtoensurethe
safetyofmarinevessels(Imazuetal.2003).However,
according to statistics from Japan Coast Gua rd, the
numberofmarinedisastersinvolvingvesselshasnot
declinedsignificant
lyduringthepast10years(Japan
CoastGuard2007).Moreover,theincreasingnumber
ofvesselsmayresultinanincreaseinthenumberof
marine disasters. Study about navigational assistant
methodhasbeendiscussedduringthepastdecades.
First is about the widespread usage of 3D
navigational chart. 3D navigational charts idea was
from Ford. The conclusion of thi
s idea is that 3D
visualizationofchartdatahadthepotentialtobean
informationdecisionsupporttoolforreducingvessel
navigational risks. (C. Gold et al.2005, Wang et
al.2013) Peng et al. discussed the structure of a
navigation‐aidsinformationsystemwhichint
egrated
of navigation‐aids information GIS platform,
navigation‐aids monitoring system and navigation‐
aidsdistributionsysteminuseofGIS,GPS,AISand
World‐Wide‐Webandmoderncommunication. (Peng
etal.2008)GoralskiandGoldproposedanewtypeof
GIS system for maritime navigation safety aimed at
tacklingthe ma
incause ofmarine accidents‐human
errors – by providing navigational aid and decision
support to mariners which, based on kinetic data
structures, a sophisticated 3D visualization engine
and a combination of static and real‐time data and
intelligent navigation rules. This system targeted
specifically for small boat owners and ship
navigators, and is aim
ed at providing navigational
aid and decision support. (Goralski R.I et al. 2007)
Goldetal.outlinedthedifficultiesandresolutionsin
developing a real “MarineGIS”. They challenged to
produce a dynamic three dimensional “Pilot Book”
whichprovides marine markers such aslighthouses,
buoys, simulate fog and darkness also contains the
rules for navigation in the proximit
y of individual
Comparison of the Applied of Car Navigation System
and Developed Marine Navigational System
S.Shiotani
KobeUniversity,OrganizationofAdvancedScienceandTechnology,Japan
X.Liu
KobeUniversity,MaritimeSciences,Japan
ABSTRACT:Awatchofficerinsailingashipusesma
ny kinds ofnavigationalinformationtopreventmarine
disasters.Especiallyincoastalseaareasuchasnarrowbayorport,manyshipscrowdsandmarinedisasters
tendtooccurmoreoften. In theseregions,effectivepresentation of varietynavigationalinformationis very
important.Onotherhand,acarnavigationisveryeffect
iveinroadtraffic,However,itisnotusedalmostinsea
traffic.Ourobjectiveinthispaperistoapplya carnavigationtoshipsailing.Also,amarinenavigationsystem
proposedbyuswascomparedwitha carnavigationsystem.Inthi
sstudy,authorstriedsomewaysofutilizing
carnavigationtechnologyforthesea.Toimprovenavigationalsecurityandsafety,weinvestigatedwhethercar
navigation systems could be applied to marine traffic. The applicability was evaluated through several
comparisonsofournavigationassistancedeviceusingGIS.
http://www.transnav.eu
the International Journal
on Marine Navigation
and Safety of Sea Transportation
Volume 8
Number 1
March 2014
DOI:10.12716/1001.08.01.03
28
harbors. (C. Gold et al.2005) The authors have
conducted a study of effective and appropriate
provision of a variety of navigational information
withtheaimofimprovingtheeaseofnavigationand
thesafetyofmarinetravel.Navigationalinformation
currentlybeingutilizedisbasedonpaperchartsoran
electronic chart display and in‐format
ion
system(Wakabayashi et al. 2002). Our methodology
involvesarealisticdisplayoftheland‐scapethatship
operatorswouldseefromthebridgeandoverlayinga
varietyofcriticalnavigationalin‐formationontothis
display(Shiotanietal.2011;2011).Ourmethodology
is based on a two‐ and three‐ dimensional
geographical informat
ion system (GIS) (Kawasaki
2006; Sadohara 2005). A three‐dimensional chart
display is a new concept for the provision of
navigational information. Car navigation systems
already utilize three‐dimensional displays to assist
drivers;however,nosuchdevicehasbeensufficiently
developedformarinetraffic.Theobjectiveofthi
s
studyistoproposeanewandimprovednavigational
information provision methodology to supplement
traditional charts using a car navigation system. In
recent years, car navigation systems have been
developing rapidly and their performance has
improved dramatically. We aim to determine the
effectiveness and the problems associated with
utilizing car navigation systems for ma
rine vessels
andtofurtherdevelop the provisionofnavigational
information.
2 NORMALCARNAVIGATIONSYSTEMUSAGE
Normal car navigation system has two‐dimensional
display. A triangle mark indicates the location and
direction of the vehicle. On the display screen, the
system indicates detailed building shape and
providesthe namesof prima
ry buildings. Thename
of the road is also displayed in the corner of the
screen.Therouteoptionsatthenextintersectionwith
lights are also shown. In addition, car navigation
systemprovidesotherhelpfulinformationsuchasthe
locationofbridgesandvariousgeographicalfeatures.
Some car navigation system also provides three‐
dimensionaldisplay.Theprima
rybuildings thatcan
be seen from the driver’s seat are displayed, which
makes checking the vehicle’s current location easier.
The identification of bus stops also facilitates
determining the vehicle’s location. However, the
buildings are shown as rectangular parallelepipeds
and their colors, windows, and det
ailed shapes are
obscure andnot realistic. If the vehicle is on a road
that is familiar to the driver, the display would be
understandable.However,ifitisanunfamiliarroad,
the obscure information would be less
understandable. Therefore, it is assumed that more
realistic and more det
ailed information would be
necessaryinunfamiliarenvironments.
There is clearly room for improvement of car
navigation systems. Furthermore, two‐ and three‐
dimensional information displays are highly useful
featuresforcarnavigationsystems.
3 MARINENAVIGATIONSYSTEMUSINGACAR
NAVIGATIONSYSTEM
Acarnavigationsystemmakesitpossibletoobserve
allofthelandscapeincludingareasbehindobstructed
views. Therefore, it would be easy to comprehend
whatisgoingonaheadoftheship.Furthermore,the
prima
rybuildingsaredisplayedinthreedimensions
andthenamesofthelocationsareeasytounderstand.
Therefore, it is more comprehensive tha
n the
information provided by charts. The width of the
Ashiya Canal is approximately 100 m that is very
narrow.Therearemanyhousesnearthecoastandthe
coastal roads are well organized. Consequently, the
car navigation system was able to provide detailed
roadandtrafficinformation.
Weather such as rain or fog reduces visibilit
y;
however, a car navigation system can provide the
same information regardless of the weather. In
addition, car navigation systems can provide clear
landscapesinadaylightviewatnightandviceversa.
Oncomparisonoftheinformationobtainedfroma
carnavigationsystemwiththatobtainedfromvideo
imagesandanelectronicchart,itisevidenttha
tacar
navigation system is more useful as a marine
navigational safety device because it is capable of
displaying clear three‐dimensional landscapes and
facilitatesshipnavigationinthesamemanneritdoes
for road navigation. After an assessment of the ad‐
va
ntages and disadvantages of such a system, we
believe that it would be effective to use a car
navigationsystemasasupplementtotraditionaltwo‐
dimensionalelectroniccharts.
At present, a car navigation system can be
purchased for several ten‐thousand yen, which is
significantly less expensive tha
n a generic
navigational device. Therefore, when utilized on
smallvesselssuchaspleasureboats,itwouldbeboth
cost‐effectiveandasatisfactoryaidtonavigation.
3.1 Samplevesselandtestdevice
In our study, a car navigation system, portable
automatic identification system (AIS), and video
camera were loadedon a small vesselto invest
igate
the performance and effectiveness of our proposed
methodology.
The AIS was used to capture the position of the
vesselandthevideocamerafilmedtheadjacentland
space.
Figure1.SampleVessel“MukoMaru”
29
Muko Maru is a training vessel that belongs to
Kobe University’s Graduate School of Maritime
Sciences.Figure1showstheMukoMaru,andTable1
indicatestheboat’sprimaryspecifications.TheMuko
Maru is a pleasure craft and is usually used for
operationaltrainingorforsurveyingthecoastalarea.
Figure2showsthesimplifiedAISdisplaysystem.
Westoredthereceivedsignalsfromtheantennaona
computerandusedthisinformationtodeterminethe
rhumb line. On the left side is the car navigation
system, Sanyo’s Gorilla SSD portable navigation
system(NV‐SD760FT),weusedinthisstudy.
Table1.PrimaryspecificationsofMukoMaru
_______________________________________________
ItemMukomaru
_______________________________________________
Lpp(m)9.33
B(m)2.54
D(m)0.89
(ton)3.4
V(knot)30
Pw(HP)270
_______________________________________________
Figure2.AISdeviceusedforourtestonthe“MukoMaru”
Toutilizecarnavigationtechnologyforthesea,it
mustbelimitedtoacertaindistancefromthecoast.
It is most effective when utilized at very close
proximitytothecoast.Morespecifically,itissuitable
for sailing in areas where vessel congestion is high
and the geography is complicated
such as a bay or
channel.
Figure 3 shows theMuko Maru’straced route in
experimental sailing. We overlaid the ship location
datafromtheAISontoasatelliteimagefromGoogle
Earth.TheMukoMarudepartedfromthepondatthe
FukaeCampusofKobeUniversity’sGraduateSchool
of
Maritime Sciences andsailed westward along the
coast.TheshipmadeaU‐turnatPortIslandinKobe
Portandfollowedthesamecourseeast.Afterpassing
Fukae, it sailedalong the AshiyaCanal andmade a
U‐turnatthemouthoftheShukugawaRiverpriorto
returning.
In
Figure3,RokkoIslandisinthecenter,PortIs‐
landisinthelowerleftcorner,andthemouthofthe
ShukugawaRiverisintheupperrightcorner.
TheMukoMarusailed at approxima tely 6knots,
with a rotational frequency of approximately 1,000
rpm.BecausetheMukoMaru
isapleasureboat,itis
onlycapableoftravellingatamaximumof30knots.
At a higher speed, there was significant vertical
motionofporpoisingthatmadeitdifficultto record
stableimages.
Figure3.RouteoftheMukoMaru
Figures 4 (a) and (b) show still images from the
videotakenwhilesailingnearRokkoBridge.Figure4
(a) shows Rokko Bridge and Figure 4 (b) shows
watersidewarehousesandcranes.
(a) RokkoBridgetoRokkoIsland
(b)Watersidewarehouses
Figure4. Video images of the coastal area around Rokko
Bridge
Shipping/transportation companies maintain
docksonbothsidesofRokkoBridge.Thewidthofthe
waterwayisapproximately300m.
Figure 5 shows the images displayed on the car
navigation system while sailing close to Rokko
Bridge.Thetriangleinthebottomcenterindicatesthe
locationof the ship.Thethin line
coming out of the
triangleindicatesthesailingcourse.Figures5(a)and
(b)showthecarnavigationsystem’stwo‐dimensional
displayandthree‐dimensionaldisplayaroundRokko
Bridge, respectively. In addition, the names of the
bridges and primary locations on land are shown,
which would make it easier for
ship operators to
determine their current location. In addition, the
30
coastal area is clearly indicated. Therefore, the
geographical features are clearly represented,
enabling the ship operators to recognize the
immediatesailingenvironment.AlthoughFigure5(a)
indicates primary buildings in several locations, the
totalnumberofbuildingsislessandmanybuildings
areomitted,whichissimilarto the usageofnormal
car‐ba
sed navigation system.We attributed this to a
general lack of public roadways in the area, and
therefore,detailedinformationwouldnotberelevant
toacar‐basednavigationsystem.
Furthermore,RokkoBridgeisidentifiedasaroad
showninFigure5(b).Foravehicleoperatordriving
overabridge,thedet
ailedappearanceofthebridgeis
notalwaysnecessary information; however,for ship
operators, bridges and piers are important
navigationaldetails.
Carnavigationsystemsidentifyundersea tunnels
asroads;however,iftheyareindicatedassuchwhen
usedformarinenavigation,theycouldbemistakenly
identifiedasbridges.Therefore,properi
dentification
of undersea tunnels is unnecessary information for
marinetraffic.
(a)Two‐dimensionaldisplay
(b)Three‐dimensionaldisplay
Figure5. Displays on the car navigation system around
RokkoBridge
Figure6showsaGISimageofRokkoBridgeand
RokkoIslandBridgeusinganavigationsimulatorthat
wehave developed.Athree‐dimensionalmodelwas
created using SketchUp software that is compatible
with ArcGIS. Then, we overlaid the image on a
satelliteimageonArcGIS.UsingGISwithoursystem,
it is possible to overlay bridges, buildings, and
navigational aids separately over the geography
shown in a sat
ellite image. If we could overlay a
three‐dimensional image of a bridge over a satellite
image using a car navigation system, it would be
beneficialtomarinenavigation.
(a)ImageofRokoIslandBridge
(b)ImageofRokoIslan
dBridgeandRokoBridge
Figure6.GIS3DImageofBridgesinVirtualEnvironment
However, Figure 6 does not indicate any
navigational aids, such as lighthouses and buoys,
primary targets, recommended navigation courses,
waterdepths,seabottom quality, or other necessary
navigational information. Such information is
unnecessaryforroadtrafficbutimportantformarine
traffic.
Next,wecompareda car navigationsystemwith
an electronic ma
rine chart. Figure 7 shows the
electronicchartofthecoastalzoneinthecoursetaken
by the Muko Maru. It only shows a few pieces of
navigational information, such as geography, water
depths,lighthouses,andlightedbuoys.Therefore,the
amount of information that an electronic chart can
provide is limited. Normally, ship operators receive
ba
sic navigational informationfrom paper charts. In
anelectronicchart,thedetailedinformationforeach
navigationalaid,suchasname,color,andcharacterof
eachaid,canbeprovidedviatextontherightsideof
thescreenuponclickingeachaid’sicon. If all of the
navigationalinformat
ionis provided simultaneously
onsuchasmallscreen,itwouldbetoocomplicatedto
understand.
Afterwecomparedacarnavigationsystemandan
electronicchart,wefoundalmostnodifferenceother
than the amount of navigational information
provided. Moreover, the car navigation system
indicatesmorenamesoflocat
ionsandbuildings,and
therefore,iseasiertounderstand.
The navigational information provision system
that we have developed can indicate information
regarding weather and other marine phenomena.
However, currently, car navigation systems are not
capable of providingsuchinformation.A chart only
shows the average tidal flow rates. Therefore, using
ourGISwouldbemoreuseful.
31
Figure7.Electronicchartdisplayofsailingarea
4 APPLICATIONOFCARNAVIGATIONSYSTEM
FUNCTIONTOAMARINENAVIGATION
SYSTEM
Weinvestigatedthecarnavigation system’sfunctions
in detail to determine its effectiveness as a marine
navigation system. Our objective is to integrate the
advantages of a car navigation system with the GIS
navigationsystemthatwearecurrently
developingin
anattempt to upgradethewholesystem.TheGISis
capable of an overlapped displaying with various
navigationalinformationthatenabletheprovisionof
detailedandeffectivenavigationalinformation.When
the advantages of a car navigation system are
combined with the GIS, it becomes capable of
providingmore
effectiveinformation.
The following outlines the results of our
investigation of the primary functions of car
navigation systems that could be applied to marine
traffic(SanyoElectricCo.2011).
1 Minimize the difference between the actual and
currentlocations detectedon the map because of
the errors in GPS satellite frequency
caused by
autonomousnavigation(estimationofthecurrent
location by judging the direction of travel using
the self‐contained gyroscope and speed sensor)
and map matching. As with cars, small marine
vesselssuch aspleasure boats have theability to
switch between high and low speed. Therefore,
havingafunction
tominimizenavigationalerrors
canbe aneffectivenavigationalaid.Thefunction
wouldbeparticularlyappropriatewhilesailingin
narrowwaterssuchasaharbor.
2 Provide route guidance bydisplaying a potential
route when a destination is specified. Currently,
novesselnavigationsystemsarecapableofroute
finding. A function
that considers weather and
variousoceanphenomenaanddeterminesthebest
and alternative routes would be a useful future
endeavor.
3 Determinedestinationfromthedatastoredinthe
softwareuponinputtingatelephonenumberoran
address. This function would be useful for
commercial vessels entering a port. In
addition,
when a pleasure boat needs to import at small
fishingports,thisfunctionwouldbehighlyuseful
whensearchingforportinformation.
4 Indicate names of buildings on the map display
whenthecursorhoversovereachfacility(object).
Furthermore, upon clicking “Setting” or “Tenant
information,” tenant information is indicated.
Thesefunctionshavealreadybeenimplementedin
our navigation assistance device. For example,
uponclickingonthemarinetrafficaidicons,such
asprimarylighthousesandlightedbuoys,detailed
information on each aid, such as lighting, light
characteristic, color, shape, and photos, can be
provided. A function that provides additional
navigational information would increase the
utilityofthesystem.
5 Saving locations and routes to a SD card by
accessing a specific website (NAVI) from a
computer; the saved data can be displayed on a
navigationsystem.Asvesselsoftentakethesame
route,savingrouteswouldbeusefulfora
marine
navigation system as a supplementary log book
function.
6 Routestodestinationsaresearchable.Inrelationto
route guidance, the ability to search and correct
routes during navigation would enable more
efficientnavigationbyminimizingtraveltimeand
fuelconsumption.
7 Providevoiceguidanceonnamesofintersections,
entrances/exits
of highways, names of roads,
junctions,etc.Ofcourse,therearenointersections
inmarinetraffic.However,ifvoiceguidancecould
indicatetheestimateddistanceortimetoaveering
point, a port of entry, an entrance, or a crossing
route, it would be helpful for ship operators to
anticipate navigational
changes. We are
consideringinstallingavoiceguidancefunctionin
ournavigationassistancedevice.
8 Display an enlarged three‐dimensional view and
provide route guidance when approaching
primary junctions or exits. To assist entering or
exiting a port by a specific route, a three‐
dimensional geographical display would be an
effective navigational simulation. Therefore, it
would be a useful function to include in a
navigationassistancedevice.
9 Simultaneous criteria‐based searches
(recommended, toll highways, distance, road
width)fordifferentroutestoaspecificdestination.
It would be useful if various options for routes
were searchable using relevant criteria, such as
navigation time, fuel consumption, minimum
waitingtime,safetylevel.
10 Displayanannouncement(signboard)indicating
adirectiontoanationalhighwayorgeneral road
during route guidance. The display of general
warnings or guideposts for navigation while
clearing the Akashi Channel or other narrow
aqueducts would be an effective
function for a
navigationassistancedevice.
11 Display a virtual three‐dimensional intersection
during route guidance. If a three‐dimensional
landscapeimageisdisplayedwhileapproachinga
veeringpoint,anarrowaqueduct,oradestination
port, it would assist navigation and increase
security.
12 Display realistic three‐dimensional images of
buildings
in metropolitan areas. Three‐
dimensional displays of buildings and marine
trafficaidsthatcanbenavigationaltargetswould
helpeffectiveverificationoftheseobjects.
13 Provide information on traffic congestion in text,
diagrams,ormapdisplays.Theprovision/display
32
of marine traffic congestion information received
from an organization such as Marine Traffic
Information Service Center would assist safe
navigation.
14 Indicate one‐way traffic restrictions. During
navigationofaparticularroutethathasregulatory
trafficrestrictionssuchastheKurushimaChannel
displayingthedetailsoftherestrictionscouldalert
shipoperatorsinatimelymanner.
15 Displayatop‐downviewofthesurroundingarea.
The ability to view the vessel’s location from a
three‐dimensional top‐down perspective would
facilitate broader understanding of the
surrounding waters. Our navigation assistance
devicehasalreadyadoptedthisfunction.
16 Provide map
color options. By choosing a
particular color, the geography can be expressed
more realistically. Our navigation assistance
device has already adopted this function for sea
bottomgeographyandwaterdepthdisplays.
17 Copy and replay music, picture, and video files
using self‐contained flash memory. Viewing
recorded navigational information and
simulations,
including voice, image, and video
data,couldbeusedasaneffectivetrainingtool.
18 Capable of receiving terrestrial digital television
broadcasting through a self‐contained tuner. The
abilitytoreceiveup‐to‐dateweatherforecastsand
other pertinent information via television signals
wouldbeveryhelpfulfornavigation.
From
the above investigation of car navigation
system functions, we consider that a car navigation
system could be converted to a marine navigation
system. Our proposed marine navigation system
would be capable of providing highly useful
information if combined with the navigational
information that is generally indicated on a marine
chart. Furthermore,
if all the car navigation system
functions are added to the marine navigation
assistance device that we have been developing, it
wouldbemoreeffective.
5 CONCLUSION
To improve navigational security and safety, we
investigatedwhethercarnavigationsystemscouldbe
applied to marine traffic. The applicability was
evaluated through
several comparisons of our
navigation assistance device using GIS with paper
charts,electroniccharts,andvideoimages.
Asaresult,wereachedthefollowingpreliminary
conclusions.
1 A car navigation system is capable of providing
three‐dimensional geographical information,
which is not possible with a two‐dimensional
chart.Amarinenavigational
systemthatincludes
athree‐dimensionalchartwouldbeuseful.
2 Acarnavigationsystemhasaself‐containedGPS.
If integrated in a marine navigational system,
determining ship speed and position as well as
plottinganddisplayingrouteswouldbepossible.
3 With a car navigation system, it is
possible to
obtain surrounding geographical information. If
geographical information such as the location of
bridgesandbuildingswasavailable,wewouldbe
abletoprovidemoredetailedinformationthanis
offeredbyagenericchart.
4 A car navigation system is not capable of
providingnecessarynavigationalinformationsuch
as water
depth, the location of lighthouses, and
other navigational aids. If such navigational
information could be added to a car navigation
system, it could become an effective marine
navigationsystem
5 We found that it would be possible to provide
highly effective navigational information by
integrating the functions from a car
navigation
system into the navigation assistance device that
wehavebeendeveloping.
Inthefuture,wewillconductmorestudiesofthe
effective provision of information to improve
navigationalsecurityandsafety.
Thisstudywasconductedasapartofthebasicre‐
searchprogram(B):“Preventionofmarinedisasterby
numerical navigation system using marine ITS”
(Project number: 22310100) and was supported by a
Grant‐in‐AidforScientificResearch.
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