Development Process of the Gulf of Finland Mandatory Ship Reporting System: Reflections on the Methods.

摘要

This research report describes the development of the IMO- adopted mandatory ship reporting system in the Gulf of Finland (GOFREP) and the methods used. The main aim of this publication was to document the development process of the GOFREP system in such a manner that it can be utilized and further developed by others in the construction of a multilateral maritime traffic monitoring and information system. Furthermore, the description of the GOFREP development history aimed to reflect the system in order to guide its further development. The GOFREP system was jointly developed by Finland, Estonia and Russia and has been operative since July 2004. In this publication the events of the actual GOFREP development are abstracted into five phases. The main objectives of the phases and the main results of each phase are summarized and discussed. The applied methods are also briefly described and the supporting studies reported. The focus of the publication is on the development of the operation, whereas the other objects of the development get less attention. Particularly, the technical development is described rather superficially.