4-Dimensional virtual aids to navigation for arctic maritime transits

Vast expanses of the Arctic are opening to exploration, natural resource acquisition and even tourism as the sea ice recedes. The setting for this research is between Alaska in the United States and Russia that has been the subject of a recent Port Access Route Study of the Bering Sea, Bering Strait and Chukchi Sea performed by the United States Coast Guard. Few, if any hydrographic surveys to modern standards have been performed in these areas other than along this specific route that was recently surveyed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Due to the large geographic areas involved and a lack of national assets, aids to navigation in the form of buoys, lights and other physical aids do not exist. This paper describes the creation of navigation infrastructure through a new concept for Virtual Aids to Navigation that enhances safety of navigation, requires no physical infrastructure and can be placed and maintained in remote marine environments hostile to physical and AIS radio-based aids to navigation.