VTS / Ports & Harbours
Safety, efficiency and security of maritime traffic are the primary objectives of VTS, and key requirements of all ports, both for the port itself and its adjacent coastline. Apart from the statutory requirements, the quality and efficiency of support provided to navigators, and the resulting level of safety, have a direct influence on the amount of traffic that a port is able to attract and on its overall economic efficiency.
Maritime safety can be improved by targeting reduction in human error, which ranks as the major contributor to collisions, groundings and other types of marine accidents. To a varying degree, this requires capabilities in managing and monitoring local vessel traffic, pilotage operations, pilot support and training.
GeoVS® has a range of products to address those activities.
C-Vu® 3D VTS provides VTS and port officers with vastly improved situational awareness and decision support for fast, easy to absorb and comprehensive visual understanding of even the most complex scenarios.
Watch operational demonstration by Poole Harbour Master and VTS Manager:
(best played in fullscreen mode)
Watch demonstration in Port of Southampton:
(best played in fullscreen mode)
- Efficient real-time 3D visualisation employed in C-Vu® 3D VTS provides complete flexibility in selecting viewpoints and perspectives, both above and under the surface, including the panorama seen from the bridge of an approaching vessel
- Automatic and semi-automatic surveillance capabilities and built-in powerful collision prediction algorithms support the operator in detection of dangers and decision making
- Unlike digital video, the observation capabilities of the product are not limited by physical locations of fixed cameras, and are not affected by low light, fog or adverse weather conditions
- C-Vu® 3D VTS integrates with existing VTS and port systems, and works as an additional display (or a set of displays) with the existing infrastructure, including sensors, radars, AIS transponders, digital video, and 2D displays, extending functionality, adding operational value, and increasing returns on previous capital investments
- Models are created automatically from ENC charts or existing survey data, and are easily updateable
- The software is complex, but easy to use, and is fully compatible with existing standards
C-Vu® Pilot integrates with C-Vu® 3D VTS, adding remote operation capabilities and built-in knowledge database (a modern interactive version of sailing directions, or pilot book) allowing pilots to guide ships remotely.
- C-Vu® Pilot can be used to improve the supply and cost efficiency of pilotage, especially in situations where adverse weather, limited pilot availability or a tight schedule does not permit the pilot to be transported on board a ship. Portable versions of the product may be used to support pilots in their on-board duties
- C-Vu® Pilot receiver/transmitter units can be custom designed to meet features required by individual customers, and this technology can be branded for any particular Port Authority and its environs. These units can be issued by a Port Authority to its regular vessel traffic and so will increase its productivity of pilotage resources, its security and safety
C-Vu® Viewer enables data recorded by C-Vu® 3D VTS or C-Vu® Pilot to be replayed “as recorded” or with manual intervention to examine actual or hypothetical scenarios - a valuable tool for presentation, evaluation and analysis of pre-recorded situations, for training, or in litigation.
To complement GeoVS® range of visionary products, custom-designed systems can be developed which can feature a series of components tailored specifically to meet special project or operational needs.
Rationale: 3D visualisation in VTS & Ports operations
Interactive three-dimensional visualisation has been proven to dramatically decrease the number of human mistakes and improve the accuracy and time efficiency of navigational operations, compared to traditional 2D electronic chart display information systems. The shortcomings of two-dimensional maps are related to the mental effort and delay which are required for the human brain to comprehend them, especially in fast-changing and complex situations.
Three-dimensional charts have the benefit of being tailored for capabilities of the human brain to naturally and instantly understand even the most complex information presented in 3D. According to experiments, the use of 3D charts leads to 80% reduction in the number of mistakes made by the navigator, while significantly decreasing the time required for the successful completion of the navigational tasks.
This is especially important in the light of other scientific research, which indicates that 89% - 96% of marine collisions can be attributed to human errors. Ship crews are getting smaller, and shipping lanes are increasingly becoming crowded with larger and faster ships. Technology is being asked to deliver systems which make all stages of marine operations safer and simpler.
GeoVS® C-Vu® 3D visualisation products build on strengths of existing commercial navigation technologies, such as ECDIS, ENC and AIS, and are specifically tailored to present three-dimensional, visually efficient and highly interactive real-time views to VTS operators, pilots and Port Authority officers. The instantly understandable presentations incorporate advanced collision and groundings avoidance algorithms and offer unmatched efficiency in communicating the navigational situation and providing vital decision support to VTS and port traffic monitoring operators, allowing them to offer a better level of support to navigators.