The preliminary research experiments described herein were aimed to choose an appropriate mixed reality technology for the construction of navigational information display method to be used onboard ships in restricted waters. The method assumes a possibly faithful representation of the environment and the actual navigational situation on a spatial decision support system (SDSS) interface during ship navigation and maneuvering in restricted waters. The paper also presents the architecture and process of building a SDSS, where the method of navigational information display using augmented virtuality was applied.

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The article presents a method of scaling up existing simulation tests results from ships with parameters L1, B1 (length and breadth) determining a safe waterway bend width (d1) to specify a width (d2) safe for ships with other dimensions L2, B2. This method enables accurate determination of the safe fairway width (d) in case it has been planned to increase maximum length and width of vessels without carrying out relatively expensive simulation tests. The method was used in designing the parameters of the modernized Swinoujscie-Szczecin fairway.

Modern Integrated Navigation Systems (INS) integrate information obtained from various sensors and functions. Processed data are presented on the computer display generally with the aim to increase navigator’s situation awareness and to reduce his/her workload. The investigations described in the paper were carried out to assess the advantages of the new functionality of the test INS (e-Navigation enhanced Integrated Navigation System ee-INS), developed in the EU financed EfficienSea Project, that looks and works like a standard ECDIS. This new functionality implements ‘Exchange of Intended Route’ service. The experiment was conducted in a full mission ship simulator environment with 20 experienced mariners. The bridge layout without ECDIS ‘Exchange of Intended Route’ functionality, and bridge layout with this functionality implemented, was applied in research and its results enabled to carry out their comparison. The navigators’ workload was measured by NASA-TLX method. Navigators’ situation awareness in respect to other ship’s state and the final passing distance were utilized to evaluate safety of navigation process.

The known navigational systems in use and methods of navigational decision support perform information functions and as such are helpful in the process of safe conduct of a vessel. However, none of these known systems provides a navigator with ready solutions of collision situations taking account of all the vessels in the proximity of own ship, where the Collision Regulations apply. Another shortcoming of these systems is that they do not explain the assessment of a navigational situation and proposed manoeuvre parameters. Results of testing in simulation condition of NAVDEC -new Navigational Decision Supporting System developed by research team of prof. Pietrzykowski [Pietrzykowski et al., 2012a], [Pietrzykowski et al., 2012b] -were presented in this paper.