Accuracy in Fixing Ship's Positions by CCD Camera Survey of Horizontal Angles

Navigator identifies beacons being within his sight visually when conducting maritime coastal navigation. He measures angles and distances in respect to the beacons. Then, based on the measurements’ results, he determines coordinates of the ship position with analytical or graphical methods applied. In general, it may be concluded that, in this process, he acts as a measuring device processing visual signals with information about the beacons coming from nautical publications onto coordinates of the position. So far, attempts at automating navigators’ activities have not been undertaken, however there has been such equipment available as: high-resolution visual cameras – capable of performing identification and measurements, electronic navigational charts – containing information about the beacons in digital form, computers of high processor capacities – allowing processing of visual images in real time. However, from scientific point of view, this new situation implicates interesting questions. Is it possible to elaborate digital methods for automatic identification of beacons based on a sequent of coast’s images and of the electronic navigational chart? What accuracy of determination of the ship’s position coordinates can be obtained from results of measurements of horizontal angles executed with the high-resolution CCD cameras? Answers to these questions may justify purposefulness of further research conduction with a use of optical systems for automation of the maritime coastal navigation performance.