Loss of accuracy compensation in determining a vessel's location with a mixed distribution of position line measurement errors

Abstract

The objective of the investigation is to improve the accuracy of a ship’s position, based on navigational measuring equipment. The errors introduced into this process by key types of onboard equipment, including the GPS receiver, marine radar, and sextant, are analyzed. The errors of the sensors from which the measurement results are transmitted to the radar (gyrocompass, log, echo, etc.) are also considered. A multi-stage sequence in calculating the total positioning error from various navigational sources is also taken into account. The method for cumulative error compensation using redundant lines of position (LOPs) is proposed. The required measure of redundancy is determined based on derived analytic dependencies. The results of numerical experiments and natural observations are presented, confirming the appropriateness of using the proposed method. The proposed method and its results demonstrate its potential to improve positioning accuracy and ensure safe navigation.