Advanced vehicle navigation based on the US Global Positioning Systems (GPS) will play a major role in future vehicle control systems. Contemporary vehicle navigation systems generally consist of vehicle positioning using satellites and location and orientation of the vehicle with respect to the roadway geometry using a digitised map on a CD-ROM. The standard GPS (with Selective Availability) enables positioning with an accuracy of at least 100 m and is sufficiently accurate for most route guidance tasks. More accurate, precision navigation can be obtained by Differential GPS techniques. A new light concept called Adaptive Light Control (ALC) has been developed with the aim to improve night-time traffic safety. ALC improves the headlamp illumination by means of continuous adaptation of the headlamps according to the current driving situation and current environment. In order to ensure rapid prototyping and early testing, the step from offline to online (real-time) simulation of light distributions has been successfully completed in the driving simulator. The solutions are directly ported to real vehicles to allow further testing with natural road conditions.

The normal Great Circle method of computing the shortest distance between two positions on the Earth – e.g. from an aircraft's present position (PP) to a waypoint (WP) – is not accurate enough to meet present-day requirements for aircraft Nav–Attack systems.

On the surface of an Ellipsoid (or Spheroid), the true ‘shortest distance’ is along a geodesic curve between the two points, but the computation of this curve is complex, and as shown by R. Williams at Reference, the difference between the geodesic and Great Ellipse distances between two points is negligible (<0·01 nm).

The Great Ellipse through two points on a spheroid is defined as the ellipse that passes through the two points and the centre of the spheroid; it therefore has a major axis equal to the Earth's, and a minor axis that is between the Earth's major axis (for two points on the Equator) and minor axis (for two points on the same, or diametrically opposite, longitudes). Thus the problem of deciding on which Great Ellipse the two points lie is equivalent to determining the magnitude of the minor axis β of the ellipse on which they both lie.

This paper describes an algorithm for evaluation of magnetic compass deviation based on the least squares method. An automatic system was built, coupled with a magnetic compass recording device, for fine estimation of the deviation curve on the basis of an incomplete compass swing circulation.

In this paper, the ship manoeuvring problems particular to maritime search and rescue are investigated. A solution to such problems is necessary for successful ship handling to save human life. A fuzzy gain scheduling Proportional Derivative (PD) controller, using a back-propagation algorithm, is developed to solve these maritime search and rescue problems. The parameters of the proposed PD controller are determined on-line by fuzzy rules and adjustable fuzzy reasons. The proposed controller is self-adaptive and can accommodate the effects caused by wave or wind disturbance. Some computer simulations are provided to illustrate the use of the main ideas.

With the assistance provided by the white cane or guide dog, most blind pedestrians can find their way to known destinations along familiar routes. Finding new or known destinations along unfamiliar routes is more challenging. Before such a journey is attempted, detailed instructions must be acquired. The difficulty of obtaining and then reliably following such instructions deters many blind pedestrians from travelling alone in unknown areas. This paper demonstrates a technological approach, by way of field trials, that supplements the existing aids and eliminates the need for sighted guides. The approach has the potential to offer greater independence to the blind person. The investigation suggests that the methodology used in personal navigation systems for the sighted is sub-optimal for guiding the blind pedestrian. Suitable extensions are introduced, and the results show the proposed methodology is efficient for guiding the blind individual to unknown destinations in the chosen field trial environment.

This paper reviews the history and the evolution of international ship collision avoidance research. The direction which research should take in the Chinese People's Republic is discussed and the authors recognize that new ideas may be needed to take account of the conditions in their country.

In 1989 the International Maritime Organization (IMO) published its Provisional Performance Standards (PPS) for ECDIS (Electronic Chart Display and Information Systems) and asked member governments to assess these standards and submit their findings to the Sub-Committee on Safety of Navigation. IMO intends to finalize the standards in 1993.