Reyes, Arvin Christian P. Engr.

Mechizedek Alipio
ECE149 – A25 September 26, 2018
Critique Paper for

A Study on the Method of IoT-based Navigation Aids Management

Minje Cho, Hyung Rim Choi, and Choul Hoon Kwak

The paper introduced several problems on the current management system being followed by
several maritime transportation companies which has insufficient solutions on fast and large
vessels, especially when encountering maritime accidents. Cho and company suggested the
implementation of Internet of Things (IoT) on navigational aids to improve the efficiency on its
operation and to make real-time management a possibility. They have created their solutions
based on literary works about navigational aid management and conducted some interviews with
maritime navigation experts. Using this information, they have integrated a system which utilizes
the Internet of Things (IoT) in order to improve the existing methodologies concerning maritime
navigation.
The paper indicated several problems concerning maritime transportation. Maritime traffic
becomes more complex due to the increase of size and volume of ship spaces and cargoes. This
situation requires a large number of people on managing the vessel. The given scenario also
contributes to environmental damages since it occupies larger space. Management of
navigational aids has been continuously improved since maritime accidents and safety of the
ships are a serious issue. The study recommended a simpler method for the management of
navigational aids using IoT Technology. The recommendation was established due to the
inefficiency of the current management system of maritime navigational aids. (Cho, 2015)
Internet of Things involves built-in sensors in gathering data and taking action on that data across
a network. An IoT technology usually comprises of sensors, actuators, IoT gateways, network
technologies, and an IoT platform. Sensors and actuators are transducers which converts a
specific signal in a specific form of energy (such as heat energy for a temperature sensor) into
another signal in a different form of energy (in this example, heat is converted to electricity).
(Gubbi, 2013) IoT gateways play a significant role with the encryption, decryption, pre-processing
and even analysis of data. Clouds or any destinations and network technologies are needed to
transmit data between devices and from devices to platforms. (Weber, 2010)
 Figure 1: The Internet of Things (IoT) technology which consists of sensors, actuators, IoT
gateways, network technologies, and an IoT platform.
Navigational aids play an important role in ensuring the safety of maritime transportation, thus
providing higher navigation efficiency. Navigational aids are also utilized in preventing maritime
accidents such as ship collision between ships or between an enormous object. Installation of
navigational aids should follow two basic conditions. First, the navigational aids must be properly
installed provided that navigators can easily trace them. Second, access to their conditions should
be available in case urgent inspection will be conducted. (Streeter, 1985) Since maritime
navigational aids are installed on bodies of water, keeping them stable is very difficult. Light buoys
are often misplaced due to ship collisions and high winds. The current management on repair and
maintenance of navigational aids are generally dependent on lighthouses and buoy tenders,
which checks the condition of the navigational aids for repair or replacement. (Burigat, 2007)
This method, however, is incapable of monitoring the condition of the navigational aids in real-
time. Monitoring is only done upon conducting management on the navigational aid, which takes
a long period of time. A solution introduced uses a Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS)
receiver in gathering data using wire and wireless devices where monitoring can take place.
However, this is rarely used due to communication problems and requires higher costs. (Ishikawa,
2008)
Figure 2: Different Navigational Aids introduced in the paper namely, lighthouses, buoy tenders,
light buoys, etc.
The study take into consideration the information they have gathered from different literatures
about navigational aids and interviews from several maritime navigational aids experts. The
technological aspects of IoT and the environmental characteristics of the area to be deployed
were also taken in consideration in designing the IoT management system. The study manifested
a scenario wherein two aspects take place specifically, the identification and tracking of
navigational aids which pertains to location management, and state information collection which
pertains to equipment management. An IoT network can be deployed where it can sense the
exact location of each navigational aid and its movement. Because it performs real-time
monitoring, the manager of the vessel can easily track and access any information about the
navigational aid from the IoT equipment. Since the navigational aid is remote-controlled, its
movement can be altered easily. Using different sensors, the current state of the navigational aid
can be accessed and be transferred to the device of the manager on a real-time basis.

Figure 3: The Internet of Things (IoT) network proposed by Cho and company which is applied
on navigational aids.
The IoT equipment is installed on each navigational aid. A network is constructed on coastal
waters as a system which can be used on different situations such as vessel traffic control and
aqua farm management. A public cloud can be used in accessing several maritime information.
A more accurate maritime state and weather information can be available through analysis of the
gathered data. Furthermore, the data can be transmitted directly to a navigational aid
management office, or a trusted vessel company and can be managed in a real-time basis.
Application of IoT Technology on maritime navigational aids can reduce the time and expense
used for repair and maintenance since the new management method does not require labor and
transportation cost. Reliability and stability of the navigational aid will noticeably improve since
the information can be accessed on a real-time basis, thus reducing maritime accidents and
improving vessel safety. (Cho, 2015)
Me and my groupmates are currently working on our thesis project which uses a process and
technology that is very similar to what was discussed in the paper. Our study has implemented
the same technology, which is Internet of Things or IoT, on determining the potability of water
from different water sources. Based on the system of IoT, we have developed a network which is
composed of three sensor nodes that transmit data on an established base station which is similar
to the IoT equipment installed on the navigational aids that transmits data on the maritime
management office. However, our study utilized a prediction model which predicts the potability
of water for the succeeding day. In my opinion, a prediction model can also be applied on the
network suggested by Cho and company which can forecast the weather or predict the movement
of the navigational aid for the following days since prediction can be made based on the data
gathered on real-time monitoring.

Figure 4: System Overview of our Thesis Project entitled: “An IoT-Based Water Quality
Monitoring Device With Potability Prediction For Philippine Rural Areas”.
Last month, we have also attended the launching of a new company called Packetworx. It is
known to be the first IoT technology hub in the Philippines. During the talk conducted after the
launching, different companies were willing to invest in implementing an IoT network to their
system. I remembered one company that would like to make use of IoT in identifying the location
of their vessel which is similar to the application on the paper presented by Cho. The said
company would also like to use the technology in counting the number of fish that the vessel
contains and the information can be remotely access on their base station, in this instance, their
office. For me, there are a great number of possibilities where IoT can be applied. Whether it is
only for monitoring, management, or other services, implementation of IoT can improve any
existing systems, including its reliability and efficiency. IoT is seen to boom in the near future
since the use of Internet has been widely spread.

Figure 5: Company launch of Packetworx, the first IoT Technology Hub in the Philippines,
References
Burigat, S., & Chittaro, L. (2007). Navigation in 3D virtual environments: Effects of user
experience and location-pointing navigation aids. International Journal of Human-Computer
Studies, 65(11), 945-958.
Cho, M., & andChoulHoon Kwak, H. R. C. (2015). A Study on the Method of IoT-based
Navigation Aids Management.
Gubbi, J., Buyya, R., Marusic, S., & Palaniswami, M. (2013). Internet of Things (IoT): A vision,
architectural elements, and future directions. Future generation computer systems, 29(7), 1645-
1660.
Ishikawa, T., Fujiwara, H., Imai, O., & Okabe, A. (2008). Wayfinding with a GPS-based mobile
navigation system: A comparison with maps and direct experience. Journal of Environmental
Psychology, 28(1), 74-82.
Streeter, L. A., Vitello, D., & Wonsiewicz, S. A. (1985). How to tell people where to go:
Comparing navigational aids. International Journal of Man-Machine Studies, 22(5), 549-562.
Weber, R. H. (2010). Internet of Things–New security and privacy challenges. Computer law &
security review, 26(1), 23-30.