Improved navigation through DGPS broadcasts via AIS

摘要

DGPS beacon stations and networks have been established along coastlines in many parts of the world to enhance navigation accuracy and to ensure integrity of the GPS position calculation onboard. Whilst these provide a robust aid to coastal navigation, they are subject to outages and interference from lightning storms and other sources. In addition, there is a growing demand for DGPS correction services into waterways currently without coverage, such as inland and river navigation. Many authorities have established or plan to establish Automatic Identification System (AIS) base station networks along their coasts and/or along inland waterways. In this paper, I discuss the feasibility of delivering DGPS correction messages through AIS coastal or river stations and networks. Such a solution will extend and augment the current DGPS broadcast systems and will also achieve operational cost reductions.