KANAtoN 3 AIS Transponder chosen by General Lighthouse Authorities
- Published on Monday, 31 October 2011 16:28
The Kanaton 3 AIS (Automatic Identification System) Transponder (type 3 transmitter/receiver) has won a competitive bid to supply the General Lighthouse Authorities (GLA) for three years.
The General Lighthouse Authorities comprise the Northern Lighthouse Board, Trinity House and the Commissioners of Irish Lights, and is responsible for delivering a safe and cost-effective network of Aids to Navigation for the benefit and safety of all mariners in UK and Irish waters. McMurdo Systems’ Kanaton 3 (AIS transmitter/receiver) was put through a number of live and laboratory tests by the GLA prior to the contract award. Pierre Jean Jannin the McMurdo Systems Business Unit Manager comments “The GLA extensively pre-tested the Kanaton 3, so the team at McMurdo Systems are extremely pleased to have been selected to work with the GLA on this project.”
McMurdo Systems' AtoNs system currently comprises two main beacons; the Kanaton 1 (AIS transmitter) and the Kanaton 3 (AIS transmitter/receiver) plus various interfaces. This particular contract was for the new Kanaton 3 beacon plus interface, which boasts a number of exciting features including; being able to control remotely a number of functions on the navigation structure, including the activation of emergency equipment, control and activation of spare equipment, remote monitoring of the onboard system and malfunction detection, plus the transmission of meteorological and hydrological data. This data is controlled and monitored via a network of land based servers, or ‘Shore Stations’, relaying data exchanges between Aids to Navigation and the Supervision & Control Centre. The Remote Monitoring System operates via a specially developed web-based application that is placed on a server to receive the AIS messages relayed ashore. The Kannad interface system has been specially designed to be fully compatible with existing Aids to Navigation communications systems.
The Kanaton 3 will be used by the GLA as an Aid to Navigation for marking and remotely monitoring and controlling the real-time status of their AtoN installations (lighthouses and buoys). The Kanaton 3 provides mariners with relevant and up to date information required for safe navigation.