Telespazio UK Head of Navigation, Martin Bransby, is presenting 'VDES R-Mode Advanced User Technologies for Alternative PNT (VAUTAP) final Developments’ during session A6b: Marine Applications, and Search and Rescue, on Wednesday 13 September.
Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) have become the primary maritime aid-to-navigation and source of Position, Navigation and Timing (PNT) information. Yet, all GNSS are vulnerable to natural interference, deliberate and accidental jamming, and spoofing. Trials have demonstrated that degraded GNSS produce hazardously misleading information and erroneous vessel positions without an alarm being raised by the vessels’ systems. Notwithstanding these vulnerabilities, GNSS have poor coverage at higher latitudes, which is clearly a weakness when vessels wish to operate in regions such as along the Northern Sea Route between Europe and East Asia. As ships’ systems become increasingly digital, with the introduction of a wide range of supporting services and the emergence of autonomous vessels, PNT accuracy, integrity, continuity, and availability become increasingly critical and so these vulnerabilities pose problems.
This paper will provide an update on the activities undertaken so far on the Very High Frequency Data Exchange System (VDES), which is a chiefly, terrestrial based maritime radio communication system in development by the international maritime community