Precise positioning using stand-alone GPS for maritime application

The geographical position of the sea floor, the depth of the water, and the heights of bridges, facilities, and vessel mainmasts are currently determined using tidal data that are time-dependent and not very accurate. Disasters due to global warming and rising sea levels have increased casualties as well. As such, a warning system is required for freak events such as tsunami. To avoid such accidents, safe maritime applications are needed to determine the overhead clearance of vessels and wave height in real time using precise positioning technology. This paper proposes architectures for secure safe maritime applications. It also evaluates a software platform for precise positioning using measurements acquired in a test bed.