Promoting the World's First Offshore Demonstration of Digital Navigational Aid Information Service

Leading the commercialization of international standards through technology demonstration with IALA

 The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (MOF; Minister Kang Do-hyung) announced on Friday, March 7 that the International Organization for Marine Aids to Navigation (IALA) and its major member countries including the UK, Canada, Norway, and India will be demonstrating the international standard digital navigation aid information service developed by Korea in actual waters at the Busan Port.

 The digital navigation aid information service is an international standard technology that digitizes information provided in the form of lights and shapes from navigation aids such as lighthouses in keeping with the digitalization of ships. It can also reflect changes in navigation aid locations and lights—which seafarers use for navigation—to electronic charts in real time.

 Previously, information on changes to navigational aids was transmitted through documents or faxes, taking about a week for ship users to receive. With the commercialization of this service, however, such information can now be accessed directly on ships in real time.

 MOF signed the MOU for technology development with IALA in 2018. It has jointly developed the technology to transmit digital navigation aid information and has assumed a leading role in establishing related international standards.

 The demonstration will showcase the world's first implementation of an international standard digital navigational aid information service developed by Korea. IALA officials and participants from member countries will board a ship to navigate Busan Port to check the service functionalities such as data generation, reception, and display through the ship's installed navigation system monitors.

 “This maritime demonstration will be an opportunity to strengthen cooperation with IALA and demonstrate Korea’s navigational aid information management and service technologies to major member countries. We will do our best to lead the global market with the technologies we have acquired and foster related industries,” Minister Kang Do-hyung said.