The ultimate objective of this research effort is the development of a ship maneuvering simulation software package for shipboard use in maneuvering assessment, passage planning and training. The software must operate in a stand alone mode and/or integrated with the ship's navigation and control system. The Phase 1 effort includes the initial determination of the requirements for this software package, design features and the development of a limited capability demonstration prototype that will operate in a stand alone mode. The Phase 2 effort may include further refinement of requirements based on demonstrations with the phase 1 prototype, development of an operational prototype and shipboard or simulator based evaluation of this prototype. The phase 1 demonstration prototype software will be developed from AME's existing ship maneuvering software and will utilize a well proven mathematical model and available ship hydrodynamic coefficients. Particular attention will be given to ultimate requirements related to user interface, displays and integration with ship navigation and control systems. The software will be written in Fortran and "C" and will initially run under the Unix operating system.
