A microcomputer based shipboard surface-subsurface contact plotter system Pt.2

Abstract

Today, in most shipboard Combat Information Centers, true motion plots of own ship's motion and or surface/subsurface contacts are provided with the aid of electromechanical devices like the dead-reckoning tracer ("DRT") or the NC-2 plotter. These devices suffer a variety of drawbacks, such as inflexibility and the need to "track" the light-spots manually. This thesis has developed a flexible, Iabor-saving, true-motion plotter using contemporary microcomputer and plasma display technologies. An automatic display of contact data analysis, analogous to the plexiglass "surface status board" is also provided. Contact course, speed and CPA information are computed automatically and, unlike the DRT or the NC-2 plotter, both the geographic and tabular displays can be easily duplicated on the bridge and elsewhere.