GROUP ALPHA

MEMBERS

Abad, Michael G.
Bautista, Zyrone C.
Bernaldez, Daylan Jude T.
Cariaso, Mark Glen V.
Cimafranca, Robert Kervin
What is ARPA?
• ARPA (Automatic Radar Plotting Aid) is a computerized additional
feature to the Radar. ARPA takes feed of the own ships course and
speed, and target's course and speed, and calculates the collision
avoidance data and simplifies the need for the users to calculate the
data themselves.
Automatic radar plotting aid (ARPA)
• A marine radar with automatic radar plotting aid capability can create
tracks using radar contacts. The system can calculate the tracked
object's course, speed and closest point of approach, thereby
knowing if there is a danger of collision with the other ship or
landmass
Basic Principle of ARPA
• The Basic Principle of ARPA Operation. When an operator
gives a current position to ARPA and enters a track
number, the computer searches in its track database for
this track. If it finds a match it displays ownship symbol at the
appropriate position on the map. The operator checks if it is
correct or not.
• When it works properly, ARPA is a fantastic tool in the hands of a
qualified navigator with proper training. One prime requirement for all
users of ARPA is to have good knowledge of the principle of manual
plotting in order to understand the information given by the ARPA.

• If the entered data are wrong, he does not have to re-enter all of them.
He can delete the last digit of the x coordinate and enter a new
position. ARPA computer will calculate correct x coordinate value, y
coordinate value is corrected automatically too.
ARPA Capabilities:
 It can track targets much faster and requires less plotting interval.
 Twenty or more targets can be tracked at a time.
 Vectors are displayed and constantly updated, so the situation is
graphically displayed with the latest information.
 Full details regarding each target being plotted can be displayed on
command.
ARPA Capabilities:
 The history of each target’s movement can be graphically displayed.
 It automatically acquires targets for tracking, which otherwise might
have been missed by the officer of the watch.
 It provides a warning in the event of collision risk, loss of target, target
entering a guard zone, etc.
 It provides a facility to predict the outcome of a manoeuvre under
consideration.
ARPA DISPLAY SYSTEM
• ARPA features display of a traffic lane, buoys, dangerous
points, and other important reference points. On-screen
digital readouts of range, bearing, course, speed, CPA, TCPA,
BCR (Bow Crossing Range) and BCT (Bow Crossing Time) of
two targets out of all tracked targets.
Display of plotting data.
• Apart from the basic display of bearing and range of each target
normally displayed by the radar, additional information is required to
determine risk of collision and the avoiding action to be taken. ARPA
can provide this information automatically. When graphic information
is displayed, risk of collision will become apparent with the use of
relative vectors. If more detailed information is required for decision
making, then true vectors can be used. ARPA will start plotting targets
either if acquired manually through the use of a joystick or similar
pointing device, or by any target entering a predetermined zone.
Once a target is acquired, it will continue to be plotted until it is
removed by the operator. ARPA will display the following information:
• Relative vectors. This information is displayed relative to the
observer’s vessel. The length of the vector relates to a time interval
and it’s direction will indicate it’s closest point of approach. The
relative vector is therefore the OA line in a plotting triangle. If the
direction of the vector points towards own ship, then risk of collision
exists. Both the time interval represented by the vector and the
length of the vector can be altered by the operator.
• True vectors. True vectors represent the WA line of a plotting triangle.
The length of each vector represents the distance the target will travel
during the selected interval and its direction represents the true
course of the target. In true vector display, the observer’s own ship
also displays its own true vector. Risk of collision in this mode can be
recognized if the end of the target’s vector lies in a direction which
points to the end of the observer’s own true vector.
• History of the target. The progress of the targets on the screen can be displayed
by invoking a history analysis (time-spaced dots representing past positions of the
target). It should be noted that various inputs of the data to the ARPA cause the
short term display to alter continuously. For this reason, any change in the
target’s course or speed might not be immediately apparent. The history analysis
is of importance in this case.
• Potential collision points. Some manufacturers feature Points of Potential
Collision (PPC’s) or predicted Areas of Danger (PAD’s) which are locations or areas
highlighted on the screen where collisions could occur, thus prompting the officer
of the watch to avoid them.
• Numerical data of each target. A full report of each target can be
called up, giving details of the target’s CPA, TCPA, course and speed. It
is continuously being updated by the computer, so it will always be
recent and valid.
• Trial manoeuvres. It is possible to display a hypothetical situation on
the radar screen (either in true vectors or relative vectors) resulting
from an alteration being contemplated involving the course and/or
speed of the observer’s own vessel. In this way a rapid decision can
be reached and executed in confidence. This does not mean however,
that further close monitoring after performing the manoeuvre would
no longer be necessary.
Other ARPA facilities:
• Guard zones. Ares on the screen which can be considered to be more important
by the operator can be demarcated in order to alert the officer to the presence of
previously undetected targets that have entered this zone.
• Area rejection boundaries. Areas can be selected where automatic acquisition is
inhibited. In congested traffic, this has the advantage of allowing more room in
the processor’s memory for plotting target’s elsewhere.
• Alarms. Also called operational warnings. The operator is alerted:
• whenever a target presents a danger of collision or close quarters situation;
• if a target enters a guard zone;
• whenever a target is lost;
• if data is incorrectly entered by the operator; and
• it can sound an alarm to indicate system malfunctions.
• Ground referencing. The secret of accurate plotting and forecasting is the accuracy
of the ship’s own speed and course fed into the processor. One option is to feed the
data in manually, based on the observation of the navigator. However this can be
burdensome. The facility of linking the velocity computations to a fixed target, such
as a buoy or an identifiable prominent stationary topographical feature, will provide
the computer with a known zero speed reference. With a ground reference display,
land echoes will seem to drift.
• Navigational lines. Lines and mapping details can be prepared and stored for future
use which delineate channels, course lines, traffic separation schemes, navigational
hazards, approach limits, etc. When ground referencing is invoked, the coast
appears to drift and maps become displaced relative to the coastline.
• Integrated navigation. The digital data from the ARPA can be fed via NMEA
connectors to a fully integrated navigation system such as ECDIS on the bridge.
Thus electronic charts can be superimposed on the radar screen and acquired
targets can be represented on electronic charts. Other systems such as AIS can also
be connected to the integrated system, providing information regarding the
identification, course, speed, intentions, destination, etc can also be displayed.
Principal ARPA System
• GENERAL FEATURES
• Daylight-bright high-resolution display
• 28 inch diagonal CRT presents radar picture of 360mm effective diameter
with alphanumeric data area around it
• User friendly operation by combination of tactile backlit touch pads, a
trackball and rotary controls
• Audio-visual alert for targets in guard zone
• Echo trail to assess target’s speed and course by simulated afterglow
• Electronic plotting of up to 10 targets in different symbols ( this function is
disable when ARPA is activated)
• ARPA FEATURES
• Acquires up to 20 targets automatically
• Movement of tracked targets shown by true or relative vectors
• Setting of nav lines, buoy marks and other symbols to enhance
navigation safety
• On-screen digital readouts of range, bearing, course, speed, CPA and
TCPA
• BCR (Bow Crossing Range) and BCT (Bow Crossing Time) of two
targets out of all tracked targets.
• Audible and visual alarms against threatening targets coming into
operator-selected CPA/TCPA limits, lost targets, two guard rings, visual
alarm against system failure and target full situation
Performance Standards
• Connection with other equipment
• The connection of the ARPA to any other equipment should not
downgrade the performance of that equipment. The failure of an
input from other equipment, such as log or compass, should activate
an alarm.
• Performance test and warnings
• Self diagnosis should activate a warning in the event of ARPA
malfunction. Also means shall be available to check the correct
interpretation of data against a know solution.
• Automatic Acquisition
• It is permissible for targets to automatically, as well as manually
acquired. But where automatic acquisition is provided, the operator
must be able to select the areas in which it operates.

• Manual Acquisition
• The operator specifies the target to be subsequently tracked. To do
this, a joystick and screen marker or tracker ball and screen marker
are used. The target is entered into or removed from the computer
memory when the acquire or cancel button is pressed.
• Tracking and Acquisition Limits
• There will may be times when targets are close to own ship but
present no real threat, and whose vectors may well clutter up the
center of display. It may be possible therefore to set limits on the
ranges at which targets are acquired and to which they are tracked.

• Potential Points of Collision (PPCs)

• From the basic plot of a target, it is possible to determine the course
to steer in order a collision or interception will take place. It is
possible to have these PPCs Appear on the display and in this way,
allow the navigator avoid them.
• Predicted Areas of Danger (PAD)
• It is logical step from PPCs to indicate areas around these points into
which vessel should not do in order to ensure that some specified
clearing range is maintained. These predicted areas of danger are
feature of the Sperry Collision Avoidance System. Earlier models as
appear as ellipse is not necessarily the PPC.

• Methods of Testing an ARPA for malfunction

• These usually take the form of self-diagnostic routines with some
indicator of the unit or Printed Circuit Board which is found to be
faulty.
Errors and problems of an ARPA.
1. Radar errors. These could be:
• bearing errors;
• range errors;
• gyro errors,
• course errors; and
• speed errors.
2. ARPA errors. These could be:
• Random track errors. These are caused by input errors from the radar which
causes unstable computations and erratic target behaviour.
• Target swap. When targets become very close to one another it could confuse
the ARPA computer and cause it to swap the data computed for one to the
other vessel.
• Target loss. The target data may be transferred to a transient echo (sea
clutter) which then disappears.
• Missed targets. Weak echoes might miss the attention of the automatic
acquisition facility.
• Ground referencing problems. When a vector is computed from ground
referenced data, the track relates to the ship’s and the target’s movement
over the ground. There is no way therefore to gauge the effect of the current
on the vectors and the aspect of the target could be affected.
3. Interpretational errors. These could be:
• Misreading a relative vector to indicate a true course and speed, or trying to
obtain a CPA from a true vector.
• Relying too much on presented data can be dangerous. All machines can have
faults and if this is not taken into account, the consequences could be
dangerous.
Types of ARPA
• In the early days, ARPA of broad categories existed and were generally
referred to as stand alone and integral.
• Stand-Alone ARPA
• These were primarily intended as additions to conventional radars.
They provided all of the ARPA facilities but derived their data from
host radar. This was an attractive means of upgrading ship’s radar
system without incurring the expense of removing the existing radar
and installing a new ARPA system.
• Stand-Alone ARPA works in two ways, The radar system receives all
the raw data and transmits all these data to ARPA for processing. This
may work, but having these two units doing the work of a single one
convinced the ship owners that the dawn of new age in the electronic
navigation has come and they must be able to adapt to the new
system provided by the advancement in science.
• Integral ARPA
• In the modern Integral ARPAS, a computer, usually referred to as the
processor, is incorporated in the radar/ARPA system so that the ARPA
data can be displayed on the same screen as the conventional radar
data.
• The main operational advantage is that the RADAR and ARPA data are
readily comparable. In practical terms, it is much better than the same
manufacturer is responsible for the design, testing, installation and
functioning of the system.
X-BAND RADAR
• X-band radar systems can scan the ocean surface at a range of a few
kilometers, with sufficiently high temporal and spatial resolution to
resolve individual waves, and can relay the signals in real time. An
area of sea surface of several square kilometers can therefore be
continuously monitored. X-band radar systems can be installed on
moving vessels or on fixed platforms offshore or at coastal sites. X-
band radars can be used to measure waves and currents.
S-BAND RADAR
• S-band radars utilize microwave bands in the electromagnetic spectrum, which range
from 2GHz to 4GHz.
• S-band frequency radars produce estimates at high spatial and temporal resolution.
• S-band radar offers a long-range view and helps engineers plan during difficult weather
conditions.
• S-band radar systems possess a high amount of radiated power and are suitable for wide coverage
over land and water.
• The low attenuation of S-band radars makes them widely-used, commercially-available long-range
weather detection radar. 
Dangers of Over-reliance to ARPA

• Risks of over- reliance on ARPA

• Appreciation that ARPA is only navigational aid and that’s its
limitations, including those of its sensors, make over-reliance on the
ARPA dangerous in particular for keeping a look-out, the heed to
comply at all times with the basic principles and operational guidance
for officers in-charged of a navigational watch.
• Errors and Precautions
• A. Errors in sensors (radar, log, gyro, etc.)
• B. Errors in ARPA software
• C. Errors in ARPA hardware
• D. Errors in interpretation of the actual display

• Errors in Interpretation Display

• Raster scan ARPA display “lock up”
• Mixing trial and real time information
• Wrong speed input or overlooking type of speed input to the ARPA
• No correction for gyro course error before input to ARPA
• Misinterpretation of display symbols may cause severe problems
• Automatic Acquisition Precaution
• The majority of ARPA systems manufactured today provide an
automatic acquisition feature. This feature may reduce the operator’s
workload during busy periods and thus contributing possibility to safe
sailing. However, the operator should be aware of the fact that most
ARPA systems are less sensitive in auto-acquisition mode than in
manual acquisition mode. This is one good reason not to rely on the
new target warning only, but at regular intervals visually observe the
ARPA screen to make sure that all targets are acquired.
• Factors affecting system performance and accuracy
• Knowledge of ARPA sensor input performance radar, compass and
speed inputs, effects of sensor malfunction on the accuracy of ARPA
data.
• Effects of the limitations of radar range and bearing discrimination
and accuracy, the limitations of compass and speed input accuracy on
the accuracy of ARPA data.
• Knowledge of factors which influence vector accuracy.

• Processing Delay
• The delays inherent in the display of processed ARPA information,
particularly on acquisition and re-acquisition or when target
maneuvers.
QUESTION AND ANSWER
1. What is ARPA stands for?
a. Automotive radar plotting aid
b. Auto radar plotting aid
c. Automatic radar plotting aid
d. Automatic radar plot aid
ANSWER
C. Automatic radar plotting aid
2. This information is displayed relative to the observer’s vessel.
a. X band Radar
b. S band Radar
c. Relative Vectors
d. True Vectors
ANSWER
2. C. Relative Vectors
3. Represent the WA line of a plotting triangle.
a. True Vectors
b. Relative Vectors
c. S band Radar
d. X band Radar
ANSWER
A. True Vectors
4. The progress of the targets on the screen can be displayed by
invoking a history analysis (time-spaced dots representing past
positions of the target).
a. Potential collision points
b. History of the target
c. S band Radar
d. X band Radar
ANSWER
b. History of the target
5. A full report of each target can be called up, giving details of the
target’s CPA, TCPA, course and speed.
a. S band Radar
b. X band Radar
c. Potential collision points
d. Numerical data of each target
ANSWER
d. Numerical data of each target
TRUE OR FALSE
1. X band Radar can’t detect SART.
2. Stand-Alone ARPA works in two ways, The radar system receives
all the raw data and transmits all these data to ARPA for processing.
3. ARPA features display of a traffic lane, buoys, dangerous points, and
other important reference points.
4. ARPA capabilities: only 1 to 2 targets can be tracked at a time.
5. There are 2 types of Radar S band and X band Radars.
ANSWERS
1. FALSE (Can)
2. TRUE
3. TRUE
4. FALSE (TWENTY OR MORE)
5. TRUE
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