2010 · 33 citations · 1 references
EngineeringNalog Vhf RadiosMaritime OperationsSatellite CommunicationAntennaSpace-air-ground Integrated NetworkComputer EngineeringSystems EngineeringCurrent Maritime SystemsSoftware RadioMaritime SafetyMaritime Wireless CommunicationsLegacy Vhf SystemSignal ProcessingSoftware-defined RadioMaritime CooperationSatellite Network
Maritime communications still rely on legacy analog VHF radios and low‑bandwidth satellite links, which are costly and insufficient for high‑data‑rate applications, leaving the sector behind terrestrial advances. The MarCom project, led by MARINTEK, seeks to develop a novel digital maritime communication platform that supports high‑data‑rate mobile network applications similar to those used on land. The project brings together universities, research institutions, public authorities, and industry partners, funded by industry and the Norwegian Research Council, to design and implement the new platform.
Current maritime systems are to a large extent based on legacy a nalog VHF radios for ship-to-shore communications near port waters, and relatively low bandwidth digital satellite communications (SatCom) for longrange ship-to-ship/shore communications. The cost of bandwidth f or Sat Com networks is expected to remain high due to the cost of launching satellites into orbit and also due to the stabilizers required for presently available on-board antennas. On the other hand, the legacy VHF system comprises low bandwidth radios incapable of supporting applications requiring high data rates. Unlike the terrestrial networks, advancement in maritime communication means is severely lagging behind its land counterpart. MARINTEK is the principle investigator of the MarCom project, a joint initiative between several national and international R&D institutions, Universities and Colleges, Public Authorities and Industry, funded by the industry itself and The Norwegian Research Council's MAROFF program, which is aiming at developing a novel digital communication system platform to ensure the proliferation of innovative mobile network applications presently being widely implemented on land-based wireless systems.
1