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This article surveys the unsatisfying communication capabilities in the harsh Arctic regions. By melting of the ice caps, the undergoing change of the north polar area opens new opportunities and, therefore, increases the need for human and machine-to-machine communications. The emerging demands and challenges are reviewed. New satellite systems, a...
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... orbits currently utilized for satellite communication (SatCom) and satellite navigation (SatNav) are portrayed in Fig. 2, along with their major orbital characteristics [1]. SatCom systems utilizing polar LEO orbits serve the polar regions on a regular basis (e.g., approximately every 100 min). However, communication between a LEO and a ground station is yet to be granted for the Arctic. Therefore, multiple inter- satellite hops are needed to communicate ...
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Citations
... The economic development of the Arctic zone is largely determined by the development of natural resources, and scientists are closely focused on the study of the Arctic's oil and gas potential [3][4][5][6][7][8]. The Arctic's innovation potential is the subject of research in terms of technological development and the development of marine ecosystems [9], environmental protection [10], communication technologies [11], and other aspects of expansion. ...
The territory of the Arctic is of interest from the point of view of the strategic development of the economy. However, the industrialization of the Arctic zone is accompanied by both a positive and a negative influence on the country’s socio-economic development. An analytical review of the research which has been published previously allows us to discuss the issue of sustainable development in the Arctic through the prism of the theory of externalities. Considering this, the paper examines some relevant issues from the standpoints of the concept of sustainable development and scientific and technological progress. Against the background of the identified problems, the purpose of the research is to clarify management decisions in the field of internalization of the externalities of economic development of the Russian Arctic zone. As research methods, the authors have applied comparative analysis, dynamic analysis, the coefficient method, correlational analysis and cluster analysis. An analytical review of scientific works, research tooling and a statistical database concerning the development of the Russian Arctic zone provided the following scientific results: the category of “externalities” in the context of industrialization of the Arctic zone’s territories and their systematization in a number of areas (environmental, innovation, investment, infrastructure, social, etc.) has been clarified; some trends in the degree of neutralization of negative environmental externalities in terms of environmental problems (pollution capture, waste disposal, recycling and wastewater treatment) have been identified; the dynamics of investment per unit of environmental pollution in the context of environmental approaches have been elucidated; the efficiency of investments in environmental preservation measures in the territories of the Russian Arctic zone have been evaluated; positive innovative externality from the investment of own funds in the fixed capital of enterprises have been revealed; the typology of the subjects of the Russian Federation that form part of the Arctic zone, according to the criteria of the intensity of costs for neutralization of negative externalities (territories with high, moderate and low intensity of costs) have been suggested; and a package of measures in order to manage the external effects of economic development of the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation in the context of sustainable development has been proposed. The practical significance of the results obtained lies in the possibility of taking all of them into account in the implementation of the state program “Socio-economic development of the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation”, contributing to the qualitative development of the territories of the Russian Arctic and improving the well-being of the population of the corresponding constituent entities of the Russian Federation.
... A maritime broadband radio network has been tested to provide coverage in central parts (Gulbrandsen et al. 2017). Coverage from geo-stationary systems cannot be relied on for use above 76°N (Plass, Clazzer, and Bekkadal 2015). Thus, much of the Norwegian maritime area, including large parts of the sector above 65°N, is without adequate communication services both for oceanographic research and for Norwegian Search and Rescue (SAR) activities. ...
... The Arctic region is one of the leading developing prospects for various industries, including offshore extraction of resources and minerals, observational ecologies, such as Bentho-Pelagic monitoring [1], as well as one of the foremost maritime trading paths between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans [2]. It has been long observed that the shipping operations and the activities on the exploration of natural resources could be affected by poor navigational services and complex communication situations [3]. Furthermore, navigation in the Arctic is more demanding due to challenging weather conditions, ionospheric effects, complex properties of the The associate editor coordinating the review of this manuscript and approving it for publication was Hayder Al-Hraishawi . ...
The positioning systems’ high accuracy and reliability are crucial enablers for various future applications, including autonomous shipping worldwide. It is especially challenging for the Arctic region due to the lower number of visible satellites, severe ionospheric disturbances, scintillation effects, and higher delays than in the non-Arctic and non-Antarctic regions. In regions up North, conventional satellite positioning systems are generally proposed to be utilized, together with other situational awareness systems, to achieve the necessary level of accuracy. This paper provides a detailed review of the current state-of-the-art, satellite-based positioning systems’ availability and performance and reports high-level positioning requirements for the oncoming applications. In particular, the comparative study between three Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) constellations is executed to determine whether they are suitable for autonomous vessel navigation in the Arctics’ complex environment as the two most significant drivers for a reevaluation of the related satellite constellations. This work analyzes the ongoing research executed in different (inter-) national projects focused on Galileo, Global Positioning System (GPS), and GLObal NAvigation Satellite System (GLONASS). Based on the literature review and the simulation campaign, we conclude that all the convectional constellations achieve an accuracy of fewer than three meters in the analyzed Arctic scenarios. It is postulated that other complementary positioning methods should be utilized to improve accuracy beyond this limit. Finally, the study emphasizes existing challenges in the Arctic region regarding the localization and telecommunication capabilities and provides future research directions.
... A maritime broadband radio network has been tested to provide coverage in central parts (Gulbrandsen et al. 2017). Coverage from geo-stationary systems cannot be relied on for use above 76°N (Plass, Clazzer, and Bekkadal 2015). Thus, much of the Norwegian maritime area, including large parts of the sector above 65°N, is without adequate communication services both for oceanographic research and for Norwegian Search and Rescue (SAR) activities. ...
Norway has a large coastal industry and a strong motivation for developing systems to enable sustainable management of ocean resources. Recent advances in collaborating autonomous systems, Internet‐of‐Things, microsatellites, data fusion, and sensor development have led to initiatives for a more concerted and coordinated effort through the establishment of an ocean studies research project. Applying a System‐of‐Systems perspective on the project highlights the challenges in terms of interoperability and communication interfaces, as well as revealing the use‐cases stakeholders rely on to enable informed decision‐making.
... The particular interests include offshore extraction of resources and minerals, as well as the main maritime trading paths between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. However, the shipping operations and the activities on the exploration of natural resources are limited due to poor navigational services and complex communication situations [1]. Furthermore, navigation in the Arctic is demanding due to challenging weather conditions, complex properties of the ice surface, and movement. ...
Accuracy and reliability of major positioning systems is a crucial enabler for autonomous shipping worldwide and, in particular, in the Arctic region. Satellite positioning can be used in conjunction with other situational awareness systems that provide relative positioning information for decision-making. This work describes high-level requirements and concentrates on studying the current state-of-the-art performance of the satellite-based positioning systems. We provide a comparative study between three Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) constellations, namely Galileo, Global Positioning System (GPS), and GLObal NAvigation Satellite System (GLONASS) suitable for autonomous vessels operation in the Arctic Region. Simulation results show that all studied constellations achieve accuracy of fewer than three meters in the analyzed scenarios. The results also show that all GNSSs provide good visibility with low elevation angles, whereas with high elevation angles, which might be needed due to natural barriers, the GLONASS provides the highest number of visible satellites. The paper also outlines the main strategies applicable for improving the positioning accuracy as well as overviews active positioning projects specifically for the Arctic region.
... Most importantly, the fact that all the JRCCs are located at the far south of the country ( . Similarly, SAR ships could take days to arrive at a site and rescue people (e.g., Hanseatic incident) due to the vast area and because the average speed of vessels on Arctic routes is known to be around 7 to 13 knots, compared with 21 to 25 knots in open sea (Plass et al. 2015). The number of people who can be delivered by helicopter is also extremely limited and helicopters need frequent refuelling stops. ...
... The novelty of this paper is to define the whole connectivity concept, including these two main targets. The concept includes operation in the Arctic [6], coastal, and port areas [7] in addition to deep seas. Latency problems with current satellite solutions in the Arctic [8] are known and solutions to improve situation proposed. ...
... Satellite systems: Geostationary (GEO) satellite systems such as Inmarsat provide connectivity to the ships anywhere in the world, except Polar Regions [6]. However, the achievable capacity currently is in the range of hundreds of kilobits per second which is enough only for limited operations. ...
A critical component of any unmanned and autonomous ship is the wireless communication system supporting efficient and safe operations. This paper studies connectivity challenges of autonomous ships in different environments, including ports, deep sea, and Arctic regions. Data requirements for wireless transmission regarding the environmental sensors and remote maintenance as well as remote control needs are identified in the paper. Multiple wireless systems are needed for resilient operations to fulfill capacity, latency, and secure communication needs. A hybrid connectivity concept that integrates satellite and terrestrial system components is defined and its components described. An essential part of the concept is a connectivity manager that ensures quality of service (QoS) for communications. Finally, research challenges for future are given.
This chapter is a proactive risk exploration of hypothetical remotely operated search and rescue (SAR) ships in the Canadian Arctic. The harsh and remote environment in the region, combined with complicated coastlines and many uncharted or poorly charted traffic routes, makes it one of the most challenging SAR areas. Canada has committed itself to safety, environmental protection and sovereign presence in the area by maintaining joint SAR centres of federal government departments and mobilizing private volunteers. The characteristics of Canadian SAR response in the Arctic rest with its high dependency on heavy equipment such as aircraft, helicopters and icebreakers, entailing prolonged hours of response time. As recent climate change impacts and maritime traffic increase in the northern waters disclose safety gaps, innovation in SAR assets is anticipated. The safety gaps may be filled by state-of-the-art remote control technology. This chapter discusses remotely operated unmanned ships for SAR response, exploring their opportunities, risk dimensions and governance implications.
