24 February 2011
The conference was held aboard the M/S Crown of Scandinavia (Copenhagen-Oslo-Copenhagen) from 31st January to 2nd February as part of the INTERREG Baltic Region Project ‘EfficienSea’, to present results of various test-beds set up and run under the project. It was organised in conjunction with IALA and supported by the Nautical Institute and Comité International Radio Maritime (CIRM).
Presentations were given by IALA, IHO, NI, ICS2 and CIRM, in addition to those from the EfficienSea Project partners.
Two presentations given on behalf of the IALA e-Navigation Committee were well received and a third presentation for GLA R&RNAV about INTERREG proposals for e-Navigation test-beds attracted a lot of interest.
There was general agreement about the value of test-beds for the evaluation and demonstration of e-Navigation applications. There was also support for the formulation of
guidelines on test-beds and a clear recognition of the need to exchange results and harmonise the outcomes.
A good presentation was given by a manufacturer on user-led design and the importance of involving the user in the whole development and testing process, not just requirements analysis.
Concerns about the lengthy regulatory process causing delays to the introduction of e-Navigation led to a useful discussion about ways to overcome this problem. Three broad solutions were put forward: a completely open-systems, market-led approach; an overarching performance standard, referencing existing equipment standards; a complete review of the processes to speed them up and make them more flexible. This discussion is likely to continue in other fora, including the IALA e-Navigation Committee in March.
The report of the conference can be found via the following link: www.efficiensea.org
