5-Year Investment of 27 Billion KRW for Developing High-Precision Marine Positioning Technology with Error Margin Below 10cm

Service Provision Target for 2025

Conceptual Diagram and Application Areas of Marine PNT Advancement Technology Development Project.

[Asia Economy Reporter Joo Sang-don] The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries announced on the 22nd that, as part of the 'Marine and Fisheries Smartization' leading the 4th Industrial Revolution era, it will develop a 'next-generation marine positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) service' from this year through 2024, reducing the margin of error to less than 10 cm to enhance precision.

As international discussions on autonomous ships continue recently, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the International Association of Marine Aids to Navigation and Lighthouse Authorities (IALA) recommend reducing the margin of error of satellite navigation systems (GPS) for autonomous navigation from the current 10 meters to less than 10 cm, which is one-hundredth of the current level. They also recommend ensuring a margin of error within 10 meters using auxiliary navigation systems when satellite navigation systems like GPS cannot be used due to radio interference.

In response, countries around the world including the United States, the European Union, China, and Japan are actively promoting the commercialization of centimeter-level positioning information services using satellite navigation systems and stable positioning information provision technologies using terrestrial navigation systems.

Accordingly, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries will invest 27 billion KRW over five years starting this year to carry out a project for developing advanced next-generation marine positioning information technologies. Through this project, it plans to provide high-precision positioning information with a margin of error less than 10 cm along the Korean coast and develop an integrated terrestrial navigation technology that guarantees a margin of error within 10 meters even during GPS signal interference, with services starting in 2025.

To efficiently carry out the project, the ministry will establish the 'Marine PNT Research Group' at the Korea Research Institute of Ships and Ocean Engineering (KRISO) and hold a plaque ceremony on the 24th. The Marine PNT Research Group will focus on developing core technologies for next-generation marine positioning information services, enhancing technological completeness through real-sea demonstrations, and promoting international standardization of the developed technologies.

A ministry official stated, "The next-generation marine positioning information service will provide accurate positioning information, which can be utilized in various marine fields such as autonomous ship berthing and unberthing, automated port cargo handling, hydrographic surveying, and dredging. It is also expected to be used as a positioning information auxiliary system across national industries, contributing to strengthening public safety functions."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.