GPS jamming: keeping ships on the 'strait' and narrow

The University of Nottingham and Royal Norwegian Naval Academy (RNoNA) are investigating how to prevent shipping Global Positioning Signals (GPS) being jammed in potential cyberattacks that may cause vessels to go off course and collide or run aground. Big, modern ships are highly automated with networked navigational systems, including differential GPS (DGPS) which offers more accurate positioning (to one metre) than conventional GPS. However, previous research has found that these highly-sensitive maritime DGPS receivers, are easy to disrupt, using ¢50 jammer devices, which are widely available on the market. DGPS signal disruption, particularly when ships are navigating through narrow inshore waters, could result in inaccurate positional information, leading to more maritime accidents. For the study, academics from the Nottingham Geospatial Institute (NGI) and RNoNA Navigation Centre tested DGPS disruption in the busy shipping lanes of the Norwegian straits where navigational errors account for half of accidents. Dr Lukasz Bonenberg , senior technical officer at the NGI, said: "Main factors behind maritime accidents in this part of Norway are an influx of foreign vessels, coupled with quickly changing weather conditions and the dangerous nature of the narrow inshore waters. "In these difficult conditions, with a need for high-accuracy navigation, there tends to be an over-dependence on DGPS technology which can lead to a false feeling of security.