Implementation of Virtual Reality (VR) simulators in Norwegian maritime pilotage training

With millions of tons of cargo transported to and from Norwegian ports every year, the maritime waterways in Norway are heavily used. The high consequences of accidents and mishaps require well-trained seafarers and safe operating practices. The normal crews of vessels are supported by the Norwegian Coastal Administration (NCA) pilot service when operating vessels not meeting specific regulations. Simulator training is used as part of the toolset designed to educate, train, and advance the knowledge of maritime pilots in order to improve their operability. The NCA is working on an internal project to distribute Virtual Reality (VR) simulators to selected pilot stations along the coast and train and familiarize maritime pilots with the tool. There has been a lack of research on virtual reality simulators and how they are implemented in maritime organizations. The goal of this research is to see if a VR-simulator can be used as a training tool within the Norwegian Coastal Administration's pilot service. Furthermore, the findings of this study contribute to the understanding of VR-simulators in the field of Maritime Education and Training (MET). The thesis is addressing two research questions: 1. Is the Virtual Reality training useful in the competence development process of Norwegian maritime pilots? 2. How can the Virtual Reality simulators improve training outcomes of today’s maritime pilot education? The data gathered from the systematic literature review corresponds to the findings of the interviews. Considering the similarities with previous study findings from sectors such as healthcare, construction, and education, it is concluded that the results of the interviews can be generalized. For maritime pilots, the simulator offers recurrent scenario-based training and a high level of immersion. Pilots can learn at home, onboard a vessel, at the pilot station, and in group settings thanks to the system's mobility and user-friendliness. In terms of motivation and training effectiveness, the study finds that VR-simulators are effective and beneficial. The technology received positive reviews from the pilots. The simulator can be used to teach both novice and experienced maritime pilots about new operations, larger tonnage, and new operational areas, according to the findings of the research. After the NCA has utilized VR-simulators for some time, additional research may analyze the success of VR-simulators using a training evaluation study and investigate the impact of VR-training in the organization

ErgoShip 2021 – Maritime artikler

Welcome to the special issue dedicated to the conference Ergoship 2021! The editorial committee are proud to present a selection of papers from Ergoship 2021 and a few invited papers within the topic of maritime Human Factors. The first Ergoshipwas held in Gothenburg in 2011 to create a meeting place for researchers in maritime Human Factors. The conference has lived on and was held in Australia 2016, in Haugesund 2019 and in South Korea 2021. We wish we could all have met in person, but this time it was not to be. Nevertheless, we look forward to sharing these papers with you and hope we can drive this field forward together. Enjoy the papers from a small but passionate group of contributors. The authors and the audience make this recurring conference special

Skylab mission report, second visit

An evaluation is presented of the operational and engineering aspects of the second Skylab flight. Other areas described include: the performance of experimental hardware; the crew's evaluation of the flight; medical aspects; and hardware anomalies

Configural Scoring of Simulator Sickness, Cybersickness and Space Adaptation Syndrome: Similarities and Differences?

From a survey of ten U.S. Navy flight simulators a large number (N > 1,600 exposures) of self-reports of motion sickness symptomatology were obtained. Using these data, scoring algorithms were derived, which permit examination of groups of individuals that can be scored either for 1) their total sickness experience in a particular device; or, 2) according to three separable symptom clusters which emerged from a Factor Analysis. Scores from this total score are found to be proportional to other global motion sickness symptom checklist scores with which they correlate (r = 0.82). The factors that surfaced from the analysis include clusters of symptoms referable as nausea, oculomotor disturbances, and disorientation (N, 0, and D). The factor scores may have utility in differentiating the source of symptoms in different devices. The present chapter describes our experience with the use of both of these types of scores and illustrates their use with examples from flight simulators, space sickness and virtual environments

Towards new technology : computerization for maritime education and training at the Philippine Merchant Marine Academy

The key to success of any maritime education and training programs in achieving its goals and objectives will depend upon how well various new technology is being used toward the learning process by every educator. This dissertation looks at the use of new technology in maritime education and training such as computer aided learning, to provide basic knowledge and understanding of the functions of the different parameters of computer systems. The paper describes the potential use of computer technology in MET, particularly in a developing country. Some models of computer aided learning (CAL) and computer based training (CBT) are also examined. It describes the overall process of learning and the use of different high-technology instructional materials. The dissertation also considers the integration of computers to new curricula and discusses the implementation of the same. The different models of CAL are studied to improve the system of teaching in the maritime field. In addition, the dissertation evaluates two leading maritime training software programs currently available in the market. Other maritime software programs are also investigated and discussed. In conclusion, proposals and recommendations are made to improve the training facilities and the teaching method at Philippine Merchant Marine Academy (PMMA) for every student in the field of maritime education and training. The use of computer technology at PMMA for education and training is a method of ensuring that the skills and ability of the trainees are vastly improved

A Framework for Delivering Contextually Appropriate Opportunities for Warfighter Practice

Computer-based modeling and simulation has been a training staple in the military domain since the first aircraft simulators were adopted. More recently, virtual environments based on modeling, simulation and serious games, have introduced relatively low-cost, yet high value additions to the learning environment. As these virtual environments have proliferated, many researchers have investigated the relationship between theoretical foundations of learning, learner development and content delivery, and applied their findings in an attempt to bolster learning, yet performance deficiencies continue to exist. This study asserts that performance deficiencies exist in part because of insufficient contextually appropriate opportunities to practice. This work is multi-disciplinary in nature. Its foundation is modeling and simulation engineering; the use of technology to deliver training. Educational psychology and human factors concepts explain the theoretical basis for modeling and simulation as an effective training delivery agent. The study\u27s thesis is that a framework for delivering contextually appropriate opportunities for warfighter practice can be applied to discover whether modeling, simulation and game-based virtual environments have the potential to improve individual performance for learners beyond the Novice Stage (e.g., Competent Stage) of skills acquisition. Furthermore, this conceptually appropriate practice (CAP) framework can be used to assess the potential of low fidelity virtual environments to provide targeted practice and to improve individual performance, not only during training in high-fidelity virtual environments (near transfer) but also in the live environment (far transfer). To evaluate the thesis, this study investigates the relationship of technology and learning science, and features an empirical evaluation of training effectiveness afforded by delivering additional training repetitions using both low-fidelity virtual environment simulator systems and high-fidelity aircraft simulators

Terrain Representation And Reasoning In Computer Generated Forces : A Survey Of Computer Generated Forces Systems And How They Represent And Reason About Terrain

Report on a survey of computer systems used to produce realistic or intelligent behavior by autonomous entities in simulation systems. In particular, it is concerned with the data structures used by computer generated forces systems to represent terrain and the algorithmic approaches used by those systems to reason about terrain

Realidad aumentada y realidad virtual

La línea de investigación y desarrollo presentada consiste en estudiar, desarrollar y evaluar aplicaciones de realidad virtual, realidad aumentada e interfaces avanzadas. Uno de los principales objetivos es la formación de recursos humanos y fortalecimiento de la investigación mediante el trabajo intergrupal entre diferentes instituciones nacionales y extranjeras. El proyecto concluido Formación de Recursos Humanos e Investigación en Visión e Informática Gráfica (FRIVIG) de la AECI posibilitó la compra de equipamiento, el intercambio de investigadores, la formación de recursos humanos, y la creación de una carrera de post grado en la temática.Eje: Computación Gráfica, Imágenes y VisualizaciónRed de Universidades con Carreras en Informática (RedUNCI