During recent decades it has been common to hear that visual aids could easily disappear from our maritime landscape without affecting navigation: modern positioning systems were there to replace these friends from the old days.They were (wrongly) considered as archaic structures mat remained outside technological developments. This approach did not take into account two major factors: many, diverse technologies have been used continuously to improve these aids to; and the mariner will always count on visual aids, the use of which just needs the best tool a human being can rely on: the eye. Visual aids always existed on land and at sea. A dead tree of a particular shape, a white cliff, any object that could be easily identified, was a visual aid. These aids evolved with human creativity applying different shapes and colours, to become more conspicuous and identifiable. This evolution has not been overtaken by the digital tsunami and satellite navigation systems will not supersede visual aids. Contrary to common thinking of the late 20th century, visual aids still benefit from the progress made in every discipline. In the last issue of the IALA Bulletin we explored the way ahead to mark the northern routes in Polar Regions.Visual aids come first in meeting this challenge. In the following articles readers will also see how developments in physics, chemistry and engineering benefit visual aids to navigation and how digital, radio and management techniques are used to improve the service to the mariner, while making the design, maintenance and management easier.
展开▼
