By Brian Tetreault
The concept of e-Navigation has
been developing in the international maritime community for nearly a decade,
led by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and with the support and input
of other international bodies, including the International Hydrographic
Organization (IHO), International Association of Marine Aids to Navigation and
Lighthouse Authorities (IALA) and others. The member states of these bodies
have been involved through their delegations, but as the e-Navigation concept
develops, the United States has recognized that we can take a leading role in
e-Navigation implementation in parallel with international developments. To
that end, the US Committee on the Marine Transportation System (CMTS) has moved
forward with e-Navigation efforts and established an e-Navigation Integrated
Action Team to turn the e-Navigation concept into action.
The CMTS was chartered in 2005 to
coordinate the myriad Federal partners involved in the Marine Transportation
System (MTS). Chaired by the Secretary of Transportation, the CMTS is tasked to
ensure the development and implementation of national MTS policies consistent
with national needs and to report to the President its views and recommendations
for improving the MTS. The CMTS organization includes a Coordinating Board that
sets strategic goals affecting the MTS. These are captured in the National
Strategy for the Marine Transportation System (available on the CMTS web site:
www.cmts.gov). Under the Coordinating Board are established Integrated Action
Teams to address specific issues needed to implement the national strategy.
From 2008 to 2012 the Navigation Technology IAT worked on several successful
navigation technology efforts, coordinating efforts of the Coast Guard, Army
Corps of Engineers, NOAA and other agencies. As a result of these successes and
in recognition of the international developments in e-Navigation, the Coast
Guard and The Corps of Engineers jointly recommended the CMTS develop a
National e-Navigation Strategy. A working group chaired by the Coast Guard
drafted this strategy, which was completed in August 2011 and approved and
published in February 2012 as the “US e-Navigation Strategic Action Plan” (also
available through the CMTS web site: www.cmts.gov).
The e-Navigation Strategic Action
Plan has the following principles:
- It is action-oriented; taking e-Navigation from concept to actual capabilities.
- It is in alignment with international efforts.
- Implementation will be built on existing capabilities.
- User needs will drive the development of these capabilities.
Guided by these principles, the
e-Navigation IAT was created in March 2012, and set out an ambitious work plan,
which was approved by the Coordinating Board in June 2012. The purpose of the
IAT, per its Terms of Reference is to “develop and carry out a work plan for
the implementation of the e-Navigation Strategic Action Plan.” The membership
of the e-Nav IAT is open to all CMTS agencies, and is co-chaired by
representatives from the Coast Guard, US Army Corps of Engineers and NOAA. In
addition to these Federal members, the IAT is expected to “communicate and
collaborate with MTS stakeholders as appropriate” and “work through accepted
Federal channels to communicate and collaborate with international
organizations… and appropriate non-governmental organizations… under the
authorities and roles of the agencies participating in the e-Nav IAT.” Given
this mandate, the e-Nav IAT plans to work closely with non-Federal e-Navigation
stakeholders, including the navigation industry, navigation equipment and
software manufacturers, vessel operators and the general public.
Also included in the e-Nav IAT’s
Terms of Reference are the following objectives:
- Identify existing e-Navigation capabilities
- Identify e-Navigation users
- Enhance e-Navigation systems interoperability
- Cover inland, coastal and offshore regions of the marine transportation system
- Evaluate the proper mix of e-Navigation systems and traditional aids to navigation and navigation services
- Clarify roles and responsibilities of government, NGOs, technical standards organizations and industry
- Align US and International e-Navigation efforts
Specific actions the IAT is taking
to attain these objectives include development of an e-Navigation capabilities
inventory. This inventory will identify navigation-related products, programs,
or systems among the different agencies that can be better coordinated,
harmonized, or leveraged. Using the inventory, gaps in services and
capabilities will be identified and the need for any new value-added
e-Navigation projects can be determined. Also incorporated as part of the
inventory is a catalog of existing regulations that are considered e-Navigation
related. This includes equipment carriage requirements and information
reporting requirements. By including regulations in the inventory, the IAT
hopes that any e-Navigation implementation can be done using the existing
regulatory framework. For example, a key component of e-Navigation is
communication between ship and shore. There are existing regulations that
mandate carriage of communications equipment aboard vessels (e.g., VHF-FM
radios, AIS); these should be leveraged to meet e-Nav communications
capabilities, possibly with modifications, rather than creating new carriage
regulations.
The e-Nav IAT is also working to
identify US e-Navigation stakeholders, based on the IMO-developed list of
potential e-Navigation users. Part of developing this list is stakeholder
outreach to already-identified e-Navigation user groups. The IAT has
participated already in several conferences, including the Joint Harbor Safety
Committee/Area Maritime Security Committee conference in August 2012, and the Radio
Technical Commission for Maritime Services (RTCM) Annual Meeting in September
2012 to reach out to those stakeholder groups. There will be a session at the
upcoming e-Navigation 2012 Conference in Seattle 6-7 November 2012 focused on
the work of the CMTS e-Nav IAT, where input will be sought from US e-Navigation
stakeholders. The IAT is eager to engage with non-Federal e-Navigation
stakeholders at these events, and encourages broad participation. A
communications plan is being developed to outline specific outreach actions to
take and timelines.
Ultimately, the work of the e-Nav
IAT will, per its Terms of Reference, identify “collaborative opportunities to
deliver short-term value added e-Navigation products and services.” By early
2013, through development of the capabilities inventory, review of the IMO
e-Navigation Gap Analysis, and outreach to US e-Navigation stakeholders the IAT
will have an initial, prioritized list of actions to take to implement
e-Navigation concepts.
In order to implement the US e-Navigation
Strategic Action Plan and meet the aggressive schedule the CMTS e-Nav IAT has
set for itself, we will need cooperation from a broad range of e-Navigation
stakeholders. Interested persons, organizations and entities are invited to
participate in the process, through attendance at events such as the
e-Navigation conference in Seattle and communication with the e-Navigation IAT
through contacts in the participating agencies. The CMTS e-Nav IAT can be
contacted through the CMTS web site at www.cmts.gov by clicking on the “Contact
the CMTS” link.
Brian Tetreault is a navigation
systems specialist with the US Army Corps of Engineers Coastal and Hydraulics
Laboratory. He is co-Chairman of the CMTS e-Navigation Integrated Action team
and a representative to IALA, IEC and RTCM e-Navigation working groups.
