Launched earlier this year, the program aims to help start-ups and innovators develop new solutions that support safe, secure and thriving oceans. The program’s first innovation challenge focused on ‘Unlocking Autonomous Navigation’ and tasked participants with identifying how marine geospatial data can support the safe navigation of commercial autonomous ships.
For this challenge BMT created a new navigation system, which combines its field-proven REMBRANDT and TUFLOW simulation technologies to enhance autonomous operations planning and real-time navigation safety in busy waterways and ports.
The system successfully simulated the navigation of a 140m part-autonomous ferry in Plymouth port using multiple ADMIRALTY data sets, including bathymetry, tidal streams and heights, seabed composition and ship routing. This new application by BMT can also be linked to other external and environmental data sources, including satellite and automatic identification system (AIS) receivers, to ensure safety and efficiency.
As the challenge winner, BMT will collaborate with the UKHO, utilizing marine geospatial data and expertise, to develop an alpha product for the autonomous shipping sector. In addition, as part of this challenge, BMT has won a seat at the IoT Tribe Space Endeavour Accelerator to further develop technologies using satellite-derived data.