Submit your abstract today for ION GNSS+ 2020: GNSS + Other Sensors in Today’s Marketplace, the 33rd International Technical Meeting of the ION Satellite Division. The conference will take place from 21 to 25 September (Tutorials 22 September) at the St. Louis Union Station Hotel, St. Louis, Missouri.

ION GNSS+ 2020 is said to be the world’s largest technical meeting and showcase of GNSS technology, products and services.

On 18 February members of the European Parliament’s Transport Committee (illustrated) toured the Belgian air traffic control centre at Brussels Airport to discover how air traffic management (ATM) works in practice. They were invited as guests of skeyes, the Belgian air navigation services provider (ANSP), and the Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation (CANSO), which represents 35 European ANSPs.

The tour, which involved MEPs from across the political spectrum, included a visit to the skeyes air traffic control tower, the joint civil-military air traffic control centre and the training facility.

GSC’20 is organized by Professor A Khina and Professor M Margaliot and will be held on 4 May 2020 at the School of Electrical Engineering, Tel Aviv University.

Deadline for submissions is 5 April 2020, which is also the deadline for expressing interest to be a candidate for the IAAC Prize – see details in the call. The workshop is, as usual, free of charge, but requires advance registration – details to follow.

One of Maritime Minister Nusrat Ghani’s last duties before leaving office on 13 February was to make a written statement on Light Dues, the means of financing the marine aids to navigation services of the United Kingdom.

In the document she said: ‘Reductions in the three General Lighthouse Authorities’ running costs have enabled the UK to reduce light dues on four occasions since 2014. For 2020 to 2021 I intend to freeze light dues rates at 37.5 pence per net registered tonne. This will mean that light dues will have fallen by 30% in real terms since 2010.’

‘Light dues rates will continue to be reviewed on an annual basis to ensure that the General Lighthouse Authorities are challenged to provide an effective and efficient service which offers value for money to light dues payers.’

The year 2019 was completed with the 31st Assembly of IMO. For 2020, alongside the move towards autonomous shipping, and the safeguards required to ensure safe navigation of those vessels (and their interaction with all other, non-autonomous vessels) in all conditions, two major matters have the continuing support of IAIN. These are:

– NCSR 7/7 – Revision of the Guidelines for VTS (draft Assembly Resolution) following the excellent work of IALA, aimed at bringing the three current levels of VTS into a simplified and more applicable single layer structure;

– NCSR 7/10 – Safety Measures for non-SOLAS ships operating in Polar waters, to increase the levels of safety of vessels operating in waters where weather conditions can be extreme, and where SAR facilities are limited.

Both these measures, under debate at IMO’s Navigation, Communications and Search-and-Rescue Sub-Committee in January 2020, are effectively being fast-tracked, with the hope that they will complete passage through IMO’s Committees to final approval by the end of 2020. IAIN will continue to use its representation and best efforts to lobby to that end.

On 4 February CIRM published two important documents:

– CIRM Cyber Risk Code of Practice for Vendors of Marine Electronic Equipment and Services

– CIRM Guideline GL-002 – Implementing the CIRM Cyber Risk Code of Practice

Both documents, launched on 4 February, are freely available on the CIRM website in the Publications Section. The Code and Guideline were developed over two years by the CIRM Cyber Risk Working Group and subsequently approved by the Technical Steering Committee.

On July 1, 2020, new shipping routes will be established in Kattegat and Skagerrak. The routes will increase the safety of navigation for the 70,000 ships that pass through these waters annually. This was reported by the DMA on 4 February.

Work is currently underway on the production of new charts and information for vessels so that the Danish and Swedish maritime authorities can be ready for the final establishment on 1 July 2020. The Danish Maritime Authority is preparing the new shipping routes in collaboration with the Swedish Transport Agency and the charting authorities in both countries. The new shipping routes were approved by the IMO, in 2018.

The key role that situational awareness plays is examined in depth in the latest edition of The Navigator, the free publication from The Nautical Institute aimed at maritime navigators around the world.

Articles include a discussion from David Patraiko, Director of Projects at The Nautical Institute about how good situational awareness involves every single one of our senses, while Third Officer, Anna Carofano discusses her experiences onboard a cruise ship, and the ways in which she practises good situational awareness at work. An accident report explores how poor situational awareness on the bridge led to two vessels colliding at night.

The Institute of Navigation announced winners of its 2019 Annual Awards at the ION International Technical Meeting and Precise Time and Time Interval Systems and Applications meeting held in San Diego, California, 21 to 24 January.

The Per Enge Early Achievement Award was received by Dr Ramsey Faragher

The Distinguished PTTI Service Award was received by Pascal Rochat

The Dr Samuel M Burka Award was received by Dr Jordan D Larson, Dr Demoz Gebre-Egziabher and Dr Jason H Rife

The Captain P V H Weems Award was received by Dr Joseph J Rushanan

The Tycho Brahe Award was received by Dr André Hauschild

The Norman P Hays Award was received by James J Miller

The Thomas L Thurlow Award was received by Dr Zaher (Zak) M Kassas

The Distinguished Service Award was received by Dr Suneel I Sheikh.

The Officers era and Member Organisations of IAIN congratulate all the new ION Award winners.

It was reported from Manassas, Virginia, on 27 January that the (US) Institute of Navigation (ION) had announced recipients of the 2020 Fellowships.

The new Fellows are:

Dr José Ángel &Aacutevila Rodri?guez for his pioneering contributions to the design of the Galileo signal plan, and leadership in the modernization of Galileo.

Dr Yang Gao for significant contribution to the development, dissemination and commercialization of high-precision GNSS technologies; and for significant educational and training impact on navigation engineers and professionals.

Dr Todd E Humphreys for significant and fundamental contributions to PNT security and precise GNSS positioning for the mass market, and for dedication to GNSS education and outreach.

The Officers and Member Organisations of IAIN congratulate all the newly elected Fellows.

On 22 January Navmoor Aids to Navigation of Brecon, Wales launched an innovative monitoring system. This has been developed and driven by the marine industry and its quest for sustainable knowledge, it is reported.
In a world where outages and costly repairs drastically impact annual budgets and environmental targets the devices indicate the condition of an asset at any time, and, particularly, when it is failing or out of action.
This is regarded as sustainable IOT-condition based monitoring with a portal designed for the marine industry by those involved with that industry.

An interesting introduction to the service is to be found here.

Our picture shows US Navy Seaman Luke Jacobs, a student with Basic Reconnaissance Course (BRC), Advanced Infantry Training Battalion, School of Infantry – West, preparing to step off at the start of a land navigation evaluation as part of the course’s individual skills phase at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California. Students must remain 50 metres apart from each other and locate ten points on their own. The image was issued from Camp Pendleton, California on 15 January.

The UK’s first dedicated, purpose designed wargaming centre has been unveiled by the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl). The Defence Wargaming Centre (DWC) on Dstl’s Portsdown West site near Portsmouth will host wargames for all three services, with the RAF having conducted the first exercise, Eagle Warrior 19, last month, December 2019.

Dstl has a long history of delivering successful wargames on behalf of the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and other government departments, conducted both at Dstl and at other sites in the UK and overseas. Wargame participants experience the rigour and implications of decision making in a “safe to fail” environment, without the risk, expense and disruption of live exercises or real operations.

Nominations for candidates for the IAIN Awards 2021 are now invited. The three awards are:

The Harrison Award – to recognise an individual or organization for ‘an outstanding contribution to navigation’.

The Necho Award – to recognise an individual, or organization, for ‘their contribution to the art and/or science of navigation in general over a number of years, or for a special achievement’.

Honorary Membership – in recognition of ‘an individual’s contribution to the activities of the Association’.

It is expected that most nominations will be submitted by a member
organisation, but nominations by individuals will be considered. The nomination form and rules can be found on the IAIN website. Nominations should be forwarded to the Secretary General in the first instance and must be received before 31 October 2020 in order to be admissible.

The Israel Navigation Workshop and Exhibition (INWE20) is a biennial event organized and sponsored by the Israel Association for Automatic Control (IAAC).The IAAC have advised prospective delegates to register for the INWE 20 conference before 20 January to receive the discounted early bird price.

A registration form in both English and Hebrew is available here.

A record number of 20 companies will be presenting their products in the exhibition.