Navigating the Uncertain Waters of the 21st Century: The Role of New Technologies in Building a Competitive and Secure Maritime Infrastructure

摘要

America's waterways are a critical element of the national transportation infrastructure. Managing the safety, environmental protection, border control and security of our nation's waterways in an efficient and profitable manner is becoming a daunting task. Responding to this challenge must be done against a backdrop of extraordinary technological development, particularly in the area of radio navigation and information systems. There is a pressing need for a national and international dialog on how the revolution in navigation and information systems will affect the maritime backbone of an increasingly global economy. To promote this dialog, The Institute of Navigation (ION), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the U.S. Coast Guard Academy (USCGA) Center for Advanced Studies sponsored a one day workshop on May 22, 1998 in Washington, D.C. The conference assembled leaders from academia, industry and government in a policy-oriented discussion about navigation and information systems developments and their implications for assuring America's waterways are efficient, safe, and secure will into the 21st century. This paper summarizes the presentations from that conference and details the conference results. In addition, a plan of action that advances the Institute's role in sustaining an ongoing conversation between policymakers and technology users to ensure that our intermodal transportation system can adapt to the uncertainties of the next century is presented.