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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 IAIN Awards Committee for 2021 (AC21) has been appointed and will consist of:

Prof. Youfang Huang (CIN) (President)

Capt. Hesham Helal (AIN) (Vice President)

Prof. Hiroyuki Oda (JIN)

Capt. Peter Chapman-Andrews RN (RIN)

Eng. Mario Caporale (IIN)

Mr. Bart Banning (NIN)

Prof. Naser El-Sheimy (ION)

To: IAIN member Institutes and organisations around the world,

Season’s Greetings from the UK! On behalf of myself, and also Simon Gaskin our Secretary General and the IALA Secretariat, may we take this opportunity to wish you all the best for a successful and rewarding 2020.

For IAIN, 2020 plans include further strengthening participation in the activities of the international and intergovernmental organisations with which we have agreed to be involved, including improving the associated reporting to members; continuing the review of the Association’s strategy and priorities which was started in 2019; and calling for nominations for our unique global awards, which will be presented at the World Congress in Edinburgh in November 2021. You will have seen an announcement that the Awards Panel has been established and I would encourage as many quality nominations for the awards as possible.

The Royal Institute of Navigation held a very well-received International Navigation Conference at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre in November 2019. The venue, city and evening venues were all excellent, giving us great confidence for the IAIN 2021 World Congress, which is being held at the same conference centre. The European Group of Institutes of Navigation, EUGIN, has also agreed that the 2021 European Navigation Conference should be run with the IAIN 2021 World Congress at the same time – the aim of all concerned is to have a truly global gathering with the widest possible participation. Please mark your calendars now: 15-18 November 2021.

RIN is also actively supporting the 2020 European Navigation Conference, run by the German Institute of Navigation. I hope to see many of you in Dresden in May 2020.

Best wishes,

John Pottle President IAIN

From Tokyo on 30 December it was announced that ClassNK has released the first issue of its new publication ClassNK Technical Journal, focusing on digitalization in this edition.

ClassNK Technical Journal is a comprehensive technical publication that supersedes ClassNK Technical Bulletin, a publication that was formerly being published by the Society, to better provide its technical knowledge to the maritime industry where innovative R&D and technical development are in demand.

From our Austrian member institute, the Österreichischer Verein für Navigation, we have received word of the latest issue of their regular publication, The Navigation Flashlight. It is published three times a year, currently in its nineteenth year of publication and it is in German.

In the US the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has awarded six contracts for work on the Angler programme, which aims to pioneer the next generation of autonomous underwater robotic systems capable of physical intervention in the deep ocean environment. It is understood that this class of future unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) must overcome reliance on GPS and human intervention to support infrastructure establishment, maintenance, and resilience over the vastness of the ocean. Furthermore, the Angler programme seeks to merge breakthroughs in terrestrial and space robotics, as well as underwater sensing, to develop autonomous robotic solutions capable of navigating and surveying ocean depths, and physically manipulating human-made objects of interest.

ITM/PTTI 2020 will be held from 21 to 24 January, 2020 at the Hyatt Regency Mission Bay, San Diego, California. Register by Friday, 3 January and save $200 on registration rates for The Institute of Navigation’s co-located (ION) International Technical Meeting (ITM) and the Precise Time and Time Interval Systems and Applications Meeting (PTTI). Please, complete your registration by Friday 3 January.

The International Technical Program is the ION’s winter meeting with peer-reviewed technical papers related to positioning, navigation and timing and includes the ION Fellows and Annual Awards presentations.

PTTI is the technical conference designed to disseminate and coordinate PTTI information at the user level; review present and future PTTI requirements; inform government and industry engineers, technicians and managers of precise time and frequency technology and its problems; and provide an opportunity for an active exchange of new technology associated with PTTI.

IMO reported on 29 November that the organization’s Assembly had elected the following States to be Members of its Council for the 2020-2021 biennium: Category (a): ten States with the largest interest in providing international shipping services: China, Greece, Italy, Japan, Norway, Panama, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation, United Kingdom, United States; Category (b): ten States with the largest interest in international seaborne trade: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, India, the Netherlands, Spain and the United Arab Emirates; Category (c): twenty States not elected under (a) or (b) above, which have special interests in maritime transport or navigation and whose election to the Council will ensure the representation of all major geographic areas of the world: Bahamas, Belgium, Chile, Cyprus, Denmark, Egypt, Indonesia, Jamaica, Kenya, Kuwait, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Morocco, Peru, the Philippines, Singapore, South Africa, Thailand and Turkey.

The IMO Council is the executive organ of IMO and is responsible, under the Assembly, for supervising the work of the Organization. Between sessions of the Assembly, the Council performs all the functions of the Assembly, except that of making recommendations to Governments on maritime safety and pollution prevention.

The Netherlands Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management together with IALA and the City of Rotterdam are the host organizations for the 14th IALA Symposium to be held from 25 to 29 May 2020 in the Postillion Convention Centre, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

This event will be the first symposium in its kind combining the topics of modern Vessel Traffic Services (VTS) and the implementation of maritime services under the e-Navigation concept.

Programme is now available.

The Israel Navigation Workshop and Exhibition (INWE20) is a biennial event organized and sponsored by the Israel Association for Automatic Control (IAAC). The IAAC is a non-profit organization congregating a large number of members from Academe and Industry interested in the broad areas of Control and System Theory. IAAC is also a member of IAIN.

Following the huge success of previous events (more than 200 participants and 20 companies participating in the exhibition in 2018), the 2020 edition of the Israel Navigation Workshop and Exhibition has been scheduled for 27 January at the Daniel Hotel in Herzliya, Israel.

Programme and registration

ENC is the International Navigation Conference organized by the European Institutes of Navigation. ENC 2020 will be held in Dresden, Germany at a venue adjacent to the famous Elbufer, which is one of the most beautiful baroque structures.

To quote the organisers: ‘In navigation we currently see a number of important developments. Galileo and Beidou are about to achieve full operations. The first GPS III satellite has been launched. The experimental NTS-3 is under preparation. All systems are planning for the future, considering options such as inter-satellite links, optical time standards and new approaches using satellites at other altitudes. In addition, the industrialization of atom wave inter-ferometric inertial units has been announced recently.’

It was with immense shock that we learnt of the loss of Professor David Last, former President of the Royal Institute of Navigation (2005-2008), in an air accident off Anglesey, North Wales, on 25 November. His aircraft was reported missing after an extensive search which had to be suspended due to extreme weather, according to North Wales Police and HM Coastguard.

Professor Last was globally respected in the positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) communities. As recently as last week (19-21 November) he was taking an active role in the RIN’s International Navigation Conference in Edinburgh as one observer put it: ‘A gentle driving force with a great intellect.’

ION GNSS+ is the world’s largest technical meeting and showcase of GNSS technology, products and services. This year’s conference will bring together international leaders in GNSS and related positioning, navigation and timing fields to present new research, introduce new technologies, discuss current policy, demonstrate products and exchange ideas.

Submit your abstract today for ION GNSS+ 2020. The abstract deadline is March 5, 2020.