Secretary General of IALA, the International Association of Marine Aids to Navigation and Lighthouse Authorities, gives keynote address.

DELIVERING THE KEYNOTE ADDRESS to a major conference of the Royal Institute of Navigation, Torsten Kruuse, Secretary General of iala, said that recent momentous decisions on radionavigation developments must be taken into account by service providers in their forward planning, but the time was not yet right for abandoning existing systems.

The Institute's NAV 99 Conference was held in London in November 1999, jointly with the 28th Congress of the International Loran Association (ILA). Delegates heard presentations on radionavigation developments in North East Europe, the Far East, China, and Russia.

Papers on radionavigation policy and plans, future satellite navigation systems, timing and communications technology, propagation and interference, system integration, differential systems, signal structure, and receiver technology were delivered and discussed.

Justifying his statement that radionavigation was at a turning point Mr Kruuse gave the following examples-

• The United States is modernising gps and reviewing the extension of the life of its Loran system,
• Europe is going ahead with an independent global satellite navigation system (Galileo),
• The Northeast Europe Loran-C System has agreed to implement Eurofix,
• The Far East Radionavigation System is being transformed into an inter-governmental organisation with a wider remit,
• iala has co-ordinated a frequency plan for a differential global navigation satellite system in Europe,
• The International Maritime Organisation (an agency of the United Nations) has approved carriage requirements for electronic navigation receivers and automatic identification systems.

He said that these developments meant that by 2010 there could be two compatible but independent satellite navigation systems available, providing high accuracy, availability, and integrity, which should meet the needs of most users. However, it would be premature to think of discontinuing all ground-based navigation systems. There would always be applications requiring high integrity, or systems on the ground. We also had to provide adequate service in the period up to 2010, and cater for the possibility of delays in implementing the new satellite system.

Mr Kruuse said that the review in the United States of an extension in the life of its Loran System was a result of demand from users and convincing cost-benefit figures. Full integration of Loran with gps, for example in the form of Eurofix, provided many advantages, in particular long ranges for the broadcast of corrections, and a fall-back position in the event of failure of GPS.

The Secretary General said 'IALA recognises that satellite systems have become the primary means of navigation for many applications and supports and encourages its member authorities in providing such services. iala also encourages its members to provide high accuracy systems by means of differential transmissions, where the requirements exists.

'IALA has a policy of supporting its members in the planning, co-ordination, and implementation of Loran, and its seems likely that this will continue in the coming decade', Mr Kruuse added.

AT THE CONCLUSION of the conference the following resolution was carried-

The RIN and ILA, in conference in London November 1-3, 1999 (Nav99/ILA28) RESOLVES THAT

1. The principal of relying on one radionavigation system as the sole means of navigation is unsafe and neither technically nor operationally viable.

2. Satellite navigation systems will provide the principal means of navigation in the future. The continuing development of such systems is therefore welcome.

3. For the foreseeable future terrestrial systems for position determination, radionavigation, and timing are needed for back up, and augmentation of, satellite systems. In this regard-

3.1 Loran-C and Chayka services should continue to be provided:
The ability of Eurofix to integrate Loran-C and Chayka services with satellite systems is recognised and its implementation is encouraged.

Studies should continue into the use of the Loran-C/Chayka communication capability as a means of establishing an integrated satellite/terrestrial multi-modal systems.

3.2 Studies should continue into the integration of inertial systems and DME as well as ILS and MLS with satellite navigation systems for aviation operations in all phases of flight.

4. States and Organisations providing radionavigation services are invited to collaborate to produce stable, definitive and progressive policies and standards which will facilitate the availability of multi-modal position determination, navigation and timing services and appropriate user equipment.

THE COMMISSIONERS of Irish Lights fully support this resolution and emphasise that no prudent mariner should rely on a single means of navigation.