An affordable, ruggedized personal computer (PC) based subsystem which expertly validates, filters, and fuses navigation data inputs from individual sensors not only will yield highly accurate and reliable navigation vectors, but also will present a coherent display to assist ship's bridge operations. The Phase 2PC Based Automated Computer Aided Integrated Navigation(PC-ACAIN) development program will yield a low cost, integrated navigation monitor and display subsystem designed to be installed in surface ship environments. During Phase 1 PC-ACAIN efforts, NOAA navigation equipment will be studied for suitability of commercial or custom PC interface boards. The requirements for PC-ACAIN implementation of a digital mapping database will also be investigated. Also during Phase 1efforts, previously developed ACAIN navigation integration/filtering software and simulation test bed software will be modified to operate in a personal computer (PC)environment. ACAIN Kalman filter algorithms will be enhanced to improve execution speed in a PC based system by incorporating a Potter square root formulation (also known as the U Dfactorization method). Phase 1 PC-ACAIN software will be tested and evaluated using theACAIN test bed which simulates navigation instrument failures, spurious data, and device faults within user defined, variable equipment, variable dynamic scenarios. During Phase 2 efforts, a modular, plug in PC-ACAIN subsystem will be developed and tested on board candidate NOAA vessels identified during Phase 1.Commercial Applications:An affordable, plug in personal computer based integrated navigation monitor and display subsystem will support not only the marine navigation requirements of NOAA research and survey vessels, but also the marine navigation environments of commercial shipping, the Coast Guard, and other civilian agencies involved in drug interdiction and maintenance of safe commercial shipping lanes.
