New Efforts in Traditional Short Range Aids to Navigation

James R. White and Charles F. Klingler

Abstract:	The United States coast Guard maintains approximately forty nine thousand short range aids to navigation. Over the past two decades, we have been able to improve the reliability and service to the mariner; while, simultaneously, reducing the servicing platforms, and maintenance requirements. The introduction of solar powered aids to navigation has been one of the ma joe innovations over the past ten years. Over 12,000 twelve-volt systems have been installed and new systems are being developed for high powered 120 volt applications. Computer modeling has greatly improved our ability to design and mark channels. These advances have resulted in safer yet less costly channel projects such as the new 50 foot channel projects in Chesapeake Bay. The coast Guard is also pursuing the development of electronic charts. This is a rapidly moving area of technology. Our efforts will be focused on development of a national test bed system to evaluate proposed international electronic chart standards. Finally, we are conducting research to determine if new technology can further reduce the cost of fabrication and servicing the thousands of traditional buoys that mark the nation's waterways.
Published in:	Proceedings of the 46th Annual Meeting of The Institute of Navigation (1990) June 26 - 28, 1990 Atlantic City, NJ
Pages:	85 - 87
Cite this article:	White, James R., Klingler, Charles F., "New Efforts in Traditional Short Range Aids to Navigation," Proceedings of the 46th Annual Meeting of The Institute of Navigation (1990), Atlantic City, NJ, June 1990, pp. 85-87.
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