ION GNSS+ 2021 is taking place from 20 to 24 September in St. Louis, Missouri (virtual option available for those unable to join us in St. Louis).

ION GNSS+ 2021 includes a virtual option for those who are unable to travel. Virtual Registration offers access to all on-demand conference content, live streams of select sessions, proceedings, as well as recordings of the sessions that were live streamed during the conference. ION GNSS+ Virtual Registration includes virtual contact with ION GNSS+ exhibitors and CGSIC’s technical program.

ION GNSS+ 2021 will feature seven pre-conference tutorials held on Tuesday, 21 September. Tutorials can be participated either in-person or virtually by recognized leaders in their field. A rebroadcast virtual tutorial has also been added to this year’s tutorial program to accommodate our international virtual audience.

The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced from Geneva on 14 August that they would extend their partnership to facilitate global trade. The two organizations will leverage their leadership in their respective fields to boost e-commerce in developing countries through improved exchanges of trade data.

It is understood that the extended partnership will enrich their history of working together. This includes the successful integration of air cargo messaging standards (Cargo-XML) into UNCTAD’s automated customs management system, ASYCUDAWorld. For the 100 counties choosing to deploy the latest version of ASYCUDAWorld, this enables more efficient processing of air cargo shipments.

The next stage of the collaboration will focus on enabling ASYCUDAWorld to manage e-commerce shipments more efficiently. It will include adding a risk assessment for mail shipments and facilitating access to the IATA enhanced partner identification and connectivity (EPIC) platform.

The World Cargo Symposium (WCS) is the largest and most prestigious annual event of its kind and the only one to bring together key stakeholders from the entire air cargo supply chain. This year it will be held at the Hilton Bomonti, Istanbul, 12 – 14 October.
WCS 2021 is the 14th event in a series and will feature plenary sessions, specialised tracks, workshops and executive summits, tackling aspects of technology and innovation, security and Customs, cargo operations and sustainability.
This event is expected to be attended by over 1,000 representatives in the air cargo business with more than 40 exhibitors; World Cargo Symposium, is to be hosted by Turkish Cargo.

In mid-August EUROCONTROL announced publication of the 40th edition of its Network Manager’s European Network Operations Plan (NOP) – Rolling Seasonal Plan.

It was learnt learn that an updated version of the Plan is published every Friday, covering a rolling six-week period and consolidating data from 350 airlines, 68 area control centres (ACCs), 55 airports and 43 States.

Three days later, on the Monday, it is reviewed by operational stakeholders in the ad hoc Enlarged NDOP1 Recovery Cell, a body that brings together Europe’s Network air navigation service providers (ANSPs), airports, airlines and military Directors of Operations to enhance performance and tackle issues on a network basis, as inputs for the next edition.

The Plan plays a major role in helping European aviation to recover by providing aviation’s key actors with the global view they need to plan effectively.

The Navigation Workshop is a biennial event organized and sponsored by the Israel Association for Automatic Control (IAAC).

Following the huge success of previous events, IAAC is now starting to organise the 2022 edition, scheduled for 31 January next, at the Daniel Hotel, Herzliya, Israel.

The workshop is a one day event dedicated to technical talks that range from fundamental research, to applications, to field test results.

A notice publishing information for ship owners and operators about the types of hazards that need reporting has been issued by the (UK) Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA).

The MCA is responsible for broadcasting the warnings issued by the UK Hydrographic Office (UKHO) to vessels at sea. Radio broadcasts are made about known and potential risks.

In its paper Navigation warnings the MCA outlines:

– How and when warnings are broadcast.

– What kind of activities require a warning.

– How to inform UKHO that a hazard requires a navigational warning.

– Broadcast charges to those responsible for the hazard that is issued as a
warning.

The document was first published on 1 May 2014 and updated on 4 August this year.

New technologies for greener shipping has been chosen as the World Maritime theme for 2022, reflecting the need to support a green transition of the maritime sector into a sustainable future, while leaving no one behind. This was reported by IMO in July.

The IMO Council, meeting for its 125th session (28 June-2 July), endorsed the theme following a proposal by IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim.

Mr Lim said the theme would provide an opportunity to focus on the importance of a sustainable maritime sector and the need to build back better and greener in a post pandemic world. He commented: ‘IMO actively supports a greener transition of the shipping sector into a sustainable future, and showcases maritime innovation, research and development, and the demonstration and deployment of new technologies.’

It was announced from Montreal on 3 August that the International Air Transport Association (IATA) had released the IATA World Air Transport Statistics (WATS) publication with performance figures for 2020 demonstrating the devastating effects on global air transport during that year of the COVID-19 crisis.

Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General commented: ‘2020 was a year that we’d all like to forget. But analyzing the performance statistics for the year reveals an amazing story of perseverance. At the depth of the crisis in April 2020, 66% of the world’s commercial air transport fleet was grounded as governments closed borders or imposed strict quarantines. A million jobs disappeared. And industry losses for the year totaled $126 billion.’

According to news from the excellent IMO media service on 23 July senior maritime administrators in the Caribbean participated in the latest Regional Workshop, which was held virtually on 19 & 20 July.

This workshop provided Caribbean maritime administrators with an overview of regulatory and other developments in the international and regional maritime sector as well as on current and future technical cooperation activities organised by IMO. The workshop facilitated exchange of information between Caribbean administrations.

It was reported from Lystrup, Denmark on 19 July that the Space Department at Terma were following anxiously the Proton rocket launch on 21 July at Baikonur bound for the international space station, ISS. On board is the new robotic arm in which the Danish company has been deeply involved.

Carsten Jørgensen, Senior Vice President and Director of the Terma Space division commented: ‘Even though there has over time been many rocket launches, space travel will never become routine – even for us who have worked within this area for many years.’

He and his colleagues have during the last 20 years been involved in design and development of the new robotic arm, also known as European Robotic Arm or ERA, which will now be sent to the space station. Here it will be used to complete the space station and among other things handle some of the larger construction panels, replace spare parts, and inspect the surface of the space station.

The Officers of IAIN are disappointed to have to announce that the 17th IAIN World Congress, due to be held in Edinburgh in November 2021 has been cancelled as a result of restrictions on travel arising from the current global pandemic.

It is anticipated that the next IAIN World Congress will be held in the People’s Republic of China in 2024.

More details such as venue and dates will be announced in due course.

It was announced on 8 July that Australian researchers in industries such as agriculture and natural disaster management can apply to direct the Earth observation satellite NovaSAR-1 by accessing Australia’s share of the satellite, managed by CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency. This will mark the first time Australia has managed its own source of Earth observation data, contributing to the growth of the nation’s space industry.

It is understood that the satellite can take images of the Earth through all weather, including heavy cloud and smoke, offering a valuable data advantage to the many industries now harnessing the estimated $2.5 billion in economic benefits from the Earth observation sector.

5 July marked the start of Maritime Safety Week 2021, a week that gives the UK marine industry an opportunity to focus on the steps that can collectively be taken to improve safety.

Andrew Moll, Chief Inspector of marine accidents shared a few words: ‘As our recent Annual Report highlights, the industry continues to face a number of persistent safety challenges. For MAIB there are three main areas of concern that we’ll be highlighting this week along with reiterating the important safety learning uncovered through our investigations. We’ll be discussing safety issues involving ultra large vessels and container ships; recreational craft and fishing vessel safety.’

The Institute of Navigation announces its quarterly journal, NAVIGATION, The Journal of The (US) Institute of Navigation, has recorded its sixth consecutive year of growth of the publication’s Journal Impact Factor (JIF).

We at IAIN send our congratulations.

The JIF, an index that calculates the yearly average number of citations to recent articles published in a journal, is considered a bellwether of the relative importance of a journal within its field. A journal with a higher impact factor generally is viewed as being more important than those with a lower impact factor due to its citation rate.

NAVIGATION’s JIF has now increased to 2.1, representing a consecutive seven-year increase.

The Day of the Seafarer, held on 25 June every year, draws global attention to the contribution that seafarers make to world trade.

As the world slowly moves through the pandemic, it is more important than ever not only to acknowledge the efforts that seafarers have made to keeping the supply chain open despite extremely challenging conditions, but also to ensure that the future being built is one that is fair to them. This is why IMO’s 2021 Day of the Seafarer campaign chose the theme: A Fair Future for Seafarers.

Readers are invited to see IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim in the 2021 Day of the Seafarer video.

Protector is the Royal Navy’s Ice Patrol Ship, and has recently completed a five-yearly refit and subsequent Operational Sea Training package. One of the most versatile ships in the Royal Navy, Protector will later this year deploy to the Antarctic where she will carry out work supporting the UK’s obligations as one of the signatories to the Antarctic Treaties. In addition, the ship will support partner agencies within HM Government and work with others to develop understanding and further the natural preservation of the continent.

On 17 June while deployed in the Arctic, Protector‘s hydrographic specialists conducted ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicle) training, practising driving skills and getting a unique underwater perspective of the ice. Protector carries a SEABOTIX LBV300-5 ROV consisting of a control box with screen and joystick and as well as two cameras and has a sonar with about 20m range. Typically, these devices would be used at up to 50m depth for nearshore seabed surveys, wreck investigation, jetty survey or hull inspection. In the remote parts of the world with below freezing sea temperatures where Protector operates, the ROV provides these capabilities where divers would be restricted.

Although the emissions targets for aviation are in line with the overall goals of the Paris Agreement, there is a high likelihood that the climate impact of aviation will not meet these goals, according to a new study.

Aviation is an important contributor to the global economy, but contributes to climate change by creating carbon dioxide as well as non-CO2 effects such as forming nitrogen oxides, ozone and contrail cirrus clouds, which all contribute to global warming.

Researchers believe that, as long as the industry stages a recovery, the restrictions placed on global air travel in response to Covid-19 lockdown will only have a temporary effect on the overall climate impact of aviation.

Publishing their findings on 21 June in Nature Communications, an international research team including experts from the University of Birmingham believes that non-CO2 effects will continue to make a major contribution to aviation’s climate impact over the coming years.

The UK’s Carrier Strike Group has joined the fight against Daesh with F-35 jets carrying out their very first combat missions from HMS Queen Elizabeth. This was reported by the Ministry of Defence on 22 June.

Stealth jets of 617 Squadron RAF (The Dambusters) carried out operational sorties for the first time from the carrier in support of Operation Shader and US Operation Inherent Resolve.

For the task group, which has spent previous weeks in the Mediterranean working with NATO allies and partners, it marks a change of emphasis. From exercises and international engagements, the Carrier Strike Group is now delivering its full might of naval and air power, putting the ‘strike’ into Carrier Strike Group and contributing to the UK’s fight against Daesh -Operation Shader, which forms part of the Global Collation against Daesh.

Join the ION on Monday, June 28 at 11:00 a.m. EDT for a complimentary webinar featuring Factor Graph Optimization for GNSS/INS Integration: A Comparison with the Extended Kalman Filter by Weisong Wen, Tim Pfeifer, Xiwei Bai and Li-Ta Hsu.

Factor Graph Optimization for GNSS/INS Integration: A Comparison with the Extended Kalman Filter was published in the Summer 2021 issue of NAVIGATION, Journal of the Institute of Navigation, Volume 68, No. 2, pp. 315-331.

Factor graph optimization (FGO) recently has attracted attention as an alternative to the extended Kalman filter (EKF) for GNSS-INS integration.

News has been received in recent weeks that the International Federation of Air Line Pilots’ Associations (IFALPA) has drawn the attention of its members to the history behind the NOTAM (Notice To Airmen) system which is nearly as long as commercial aviation itself.

In a message to Members the Federation indicated that the burden of this history is clear in pilots’ daily pre-flight information bulletins. There have been numerous efforts through the years to improve the system, but none have been successful. This year will be different. IFALPA is an active contributor to ICAO’s Information Management Panel and the work of the Panel and its sub-groups will now bring the first concrete step of improvement to the NOTAM system, it is reported.

The first target of the process is quantity. There is a need to reduce the amount of valid NOTAMs. Globally, the volume of NOTAMs published has increased from 250k in 2000 to 1.7 million in 2020. One of the main issues is that too many of these NOTAMs remain published past their recommended duration of 90 days. Roughly 20% of all active NOTAMs in 2020 were older than 90 days.

This Navigation Workshop is a biennial event organized and sponsored by the Israel Association for Automatic Control (IAAC). The IAAC is a non-profit organisation bringing together a large number of members from academe and industry interested in the broad areas of Control and System Theory.

Following the huge success of previous events, IAAC is now starting to organise the 2022 edition, scheduled for 31 January next, at the Daniel Hotel, Herzliya, Israel. This workshop is a one day event dedicated to technical talks that range from fundamental research, to applications, to field test results.

Topics of interest include positioning, navigation, and timing in all their variations, sensors, systems, optimal integration of multiple sensors, and novel or emerging technologies in the field of navigation.

Effective use of navigational ‘layers’ to support and enhance decision-making and ways of getting the best out of modern Integrated Navigational Systems combine to become the focus of the latest edition of The Navigator, the free magazine published by The Nautical Institute aimed at maritime navigators around the world, which rolls off the presses this month.

The issue contains an in-depth feature about using ECDIS and radar alone and as part of a wider Integrated Navigation System, as well as a close look at Parallel Indexing and Line of Positions as key position fixing techniques. The UK P&I Club contributes an article on the importance of synchronising layers of navigational information, while the Royal Institute of Navigation looks into the future of electronic intelligence, navigational layering and data display.

The Office of the Prime Minister, No 10, announced on 30 May that a proposed national flagship will showcase advanced British design, engineering and green technology while boosting trade and driving investment.

It was reported that the ship will be the first of its kind constructed in the UK, creating jobs and reinvigorating the shipbuilding industry.

Once built, the flagship will host trade events and promote UK interests around the world. British businesses will be given a new global platform to promote their products through a new national flagship announced by the Prime Minister on 30 May.

The ship will be the first national flagship since 1997 when the HMY Britannia (pictured) was decommissioned.

Les is currently Chairman of Margaret Black Ltd and for the past 13 years has been a volunteer Director at the London Shipping Law Centre. He is also a Trustee of George Green’s School Trust Funds on behalf of the Honourable Company of Master Mariners (HCMM).

Les joined the Honourable Company in 2001 and became a Liveryman in 2014. He was elected to the Court of Assistants in 2013 and 2016 and elected as Warden in 2017. He is a Fellow of the Nautical Institute, a Younger Brother of Trinity House and Chair of the South East Regional Grants Committee, Trustee of the Hill Trust and Greenwich Sea Cadets, Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Shipwrights, Past Chairman of London Branch of the Nautical Institute and Institute of Civil Protection and Emergency Management.

‘Except for the Graduate Students in Control seminar days (GSC’20 and GSC’21), the Israeli Association for Automatic Control refrained from organizing workshops during the corona year, since it was felt that the zoom or hybrid formats were not suitable. Now, when the Ministry of Health allows larger gathering, we are happy to announce our intention to organize a one-day IAAC Control Conference, to be held at the end of June 2021, or the beginning of July, at the Technion, Haifa.’

‘The conference is planned as a one-track event, with 20-minutes presentations. We invite all academic, and all industrially active researchers and developers in all areas of automatic control / navigation, except students eligible for taking part in GSC events, to present their corona year work.’