Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Electronic Marine Systems - Better Sea Travel Ensured By GPS Technology

By Aaron Kato


Past civilizations didn't know much information about the entire of the world. Then, sea voyages started and the West saw the Easterners. Because of past maritime travels, the picture of the world evolved and became more precise. Nevertheless, because navigation equipment were still primitive those times, these discoveries came at a high cost. Sunken ships because of tough weather and marine catastrophes were prevalent then.

Now, due to technological inventions created in recent decades, marine expeditions is less risky. Navigation has shifted from utilizing manual instruments to electronic. These technological changes is a welcome development. Currently, the use of electronic marine systems, particularly GPS (Global Positioning Satellite) technology, is very popular for sea vessels.

How does GPS help? Car owners, most especially the techie ones, may have GPS in their vehicles. Digital maps become more helpful with the help of GPS. Satellites trace your location, then the digital map with GPS points you the roads you can traverse from one place to another.

GPS technology in ships functions just like those in automobiles. It lets seamen pinpoint their precise position at sea. Moreover, they are also able to pinpoint if other ships are close to them; thus, they are able to prevent possible collisions ahead.

Electronic marine systems, like GPS, are also advantageous to shipping companies. When there was no GPS yet, ship owners had no idea where their ships were when it was at sea. They only knew when the ship left the place of departure and when they were expected to arrive at the port of destination. They had no information where the ship is during its trip. Through GPS, the ship owners can now check where their ship is at any given time.

Certainly, marine travel will continue to be more secure and even faster as electronic marine systems become more high-tech. Who knows, in the future, maritime accidents will be completely prevented.




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