An integrated approach to U.S. Navy shipboard navigation

This paper explores how a state-of-the-art integrated shipboard navigation system significantly supports the U.S. Navy´s effort to consolidate resources, reduce manning, and eliminate isolated systems aboard its ships. The Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command and Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center, San Diego has embarked on a spiral development and shipboard installation of the Navigation Sensor System Interface (NAVSSI) to meet this need. NAVSSI collects, processes, integrates, and distributes navigation data and precise time to weapon systems, combat support system, C4ISR systems, and other information systems users. The integration philosophy of NAVSSI has been one of continued growth towards a single source of navigation for a platform. NAVSSI analyzes multiple sources of data from a variety of sensors such as a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver and the ship´s Inertial Navigation System (INS) and integrates that data into a near optimal navigation solution. These data are distributed to shipboard user systems by a combination of point-to-point and local area network connections. Discussions here covers how the integration of navigation sensors such as a standardized GPS receiver reduces logistics requirements, saves extensive efforts in repeated topside design, more readily incorporates emerging technologies (multichannel receivers, AntiJam antennas, etc.), and reduces design efforts and costs. Examples would be given from at sea tests that show how the integration of ship sensors in NAVSSI provide a more accurate and robust solution to current position than any particular sensor alone could do. As a result, an integrated shipboard navigation system such as NAVSSI is able to distribute a common navigation and time solution to modern weapons and combat support systems with the precise accuracy that is critical in maintaining the war-fighting edge.