A
navigational aid (also known as
aid to navigation, ATON, or
navaid) is any sort of marker which aids the traveler in navigation; the term is most commonly used to refer to nautical or aviation travel. Common types of such aids include
lighthouseA lighthouse is a tower, building, or framework designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire and used as an aid to navigation and to pilots at sea....
s,
buoyA buoy is a floating device that can have many different purposes. It can be anchored or allowed to drift. The word, of Old French or Middle Dutch origin, is now most commonly in UK English, although some orthoepists have traditionally prescribed the pronunciation...
s, fog signals, and
day beaconA day beacon is an unlighted nautical sea mark. Typically, day beacons supplement channels whose key points are marked by lighted buoys. Day beacons may also mark smaller navigable routes in their entirety...
s.
According to the glossary of terms in the
United States Coast Guard Light listThe United States Coast Guard Light List is an American navigation publication in 7 volumes made available yearly by the U.S. Coast Guard which gives information on lighted navigation aids, unlighted buoys, radiobeacons, radio direction finder calibration stations, daybeacons, racons, and LORAN...
, an Aid to Navigation is any device external to a vessel or aircraft specifically intended to assist navigators in determining their position or safe course, or to warn them of dangers or obstructions to navigation.
Red ATONs always have even numbers, and green ATONs have odd numbers.
A
navigational aid (also known as
aid to navigation, ATON, or
navaid) is any sort of marker which aids the traveler in navigation; the term is most commonly used to refer to nautical or aviation travel. Common types of such aids include
lighthouseA lighthouse is a tower, building, or framework designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire and used as an aid to navigation and to pilots at sea....
s,
buoyA buoy is a floating device that can have many different purposes. It can be anchored or allowed to drift. The word, of Old French or Middle Dutch origin, is now most commonly in UK English, although some orthoepists have traditionally prescribed the pronunciation...
s, fog signals, and
day beaconA day beacon is an unlighted nautical sea mark. Typically, day beacons supplement channels whose key points are marked by lighted buoys. Day beacons may also mark smaller navigable routes in their entirety...
s.
According to the glossary of terms in the
United States Coast Guard Light listThe United States Coast Guard Light List is an American navigation publication in 7 volumes made available yearly by the U.S. Coast Guard which gives information on lighted navigation aids, unlighted buoys, radiobeacons, radio direction finder calibration stations, daybeacons, racons, and LORAN...
, an Aid to Navigation is any device external to a vessel or aircraft specifically intended to assist navigators in determining their position or safe course, or to warn them of dangers or obstructions to navigation.
Lateral Markers
Red ATONs always have even numbers, and green ATONs have odd numbers. Under the
IALA BThe International Association of Marine Aids to Navigation and Lighthouse Authorities is a non-profit organization founded in 1957 to collect and provide nautical expertise and advice.-Background:...
standard used in North and South America, when you are going to sea, the red ATON is on your left, and the green on your right. Under the
IALA AThe International Association of Marine Aids to Navigation and Lighthouse Authorities is a non-profit organization founded in 1957 to collect and provide nautical expertise and advice.-Background:...
standard used in Europe, Africa and most of Asia, the colors are reversed.
In the IALA B system, the red ATONs are on your right when you return from sea (Red Right Returning) and the green on your left. Red daybeacons are triangles and green daybeacons are squares. All of these ATONs are Lateral Markers that mark traffic channels and where it is safe to travel.
Non-Lateral Markers
There are also Non-Lateral Markers that give information other than the edges of safe waters. Most are white with orange markings and black lettering. They are used to give direction and information, warn of hazards and destructions, mark controlled areas, and mark off-limits areas. These ATONs do not mark traffic channels.
On Non-Lateral Markers, there are some shapes that show certain things:
- Squares - show information, including places to find food, supplies, and repairs. They sometimes show directions.
- Diamonds - warn about dangers like rocks, construction, dams, or stumps.
- Circles - mark a controlled area such as no wake, idles speed, speed limit, or ski zone.
- Crossed diamonds - show areas off limits to all boats, like swimming areas and dams.
Junction Buoys
There are some special colored ATONs. When there are red and green horizontal stripes, you are at the junction of two channels. The ATONs indicate the primary channel. If the green is on the top, the preferred channel is to the right. If the red is on top, the preferred channel is to the left. The light matches the top stripe color. These ATONs are sometimes called "junction buoys."
AIS ATONs
ATONs are often integrated with
AISThe Automatic Identification System is a short range coastal tracking system used on ships and by Vessel Traffic Services for identifying and locating vessels by electronically exchanging data with other nearby ships and VTS stations. Information such as unique identification, position, course,...
, e.g. a lighthouse can be equipped with an AIS transponder. Sometimes it is impractical to equip the ATON with an AIS transponder; in this case an AIS shore station can be assigned to transmit AIS messages on behalf of the ATON. This is known as a
synthetic ATON.
In other cases, such as marking a wreck until a physical buoy can be deployed, a so-called
virtual ATON is created: A shore-based AIS system is configured to transmit AIS messages indicating the existence of an ATON at a specified location.
Further reading
See also
- Buoy
A buoy is a floating device that can have many different purposes. It can be anchored or allowed to drift. The word, of Old French or Middle Dutch origin, is now most commonly in UK English, although some orthoepists have traditionally prescribed the pronunciation...
- Daymark
A daymark is a structure such as a tower constructed on land as an aid to navigation by sailors. While similar in concept to a lighthouse, a daymark does not have a light and so can only be used during the day....
- Distance Measuring Equipment
Distance measuring equipment is a transponder-based radio navigation technology that measures distance by timing the propagation delay of VHF or UHF radio signals....
(DME)
- Foghorn
A foghorn or "fog signal" or "fog bell" is a device that uses sound to warn vehicles of hazards in foggy conditions. The term is most often used in relation to marine transport...
- Global Positioning System
The Global Positioning System is a U.S. space-based global navigation satellite system. It provides reliable positioning, navigation, and timing services to worldwide users on a continuous basis in all weather, day and night, anywhere on or near the Earth.GPS is made up of three parts: between 24...
(GPS)
- Instrument Landing System
An instrument landing system is a ground-based instrument approach system that provides precision guidance to an aircraft approaching and landing on a runway, using a combination of radio signals and, in many cases, high-intensity lighting arrays to enable a safe landing during instrument...
(ILS)
- landmark
This is a list of landmarks around the world.Landmarks may be split into two categories: natural phenomena and man-made features, like buildings, bridges, statues, public squares, and so forth...
- Lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or framework designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire and used as an aid to navigation and to pilots at sea....
- LORAN
LORAN is a terrestrial radio navigation system using low frequency radio transmitters that uses multiple transmitters to determine location and/or speed of the receiver. The current version of LORAN in common use is LORAN-C, which operates in the low frequency portion of the EM spectrum from 90...
- Non-Directional Beacon
A Non-Directional Beacon is a radio transmitter at a known location, used as an aviation or marine navigational aid. As the name implies, the signal transmitted does not include inherent directional information, in contrast to other navigational aids such as Low Frequency Radio Range, VHF...
(NDB)
- Racon
A Racon is a type of radar transponder commonly used to mark maritime navigational hazards. The word is an acronym for RAdar beaCON.When a racon receives a radar pulse, it responds with a signal on the same frequency which leaves an image on the radar display...
- Radio navigation
Radio navigation or radionavigation is the application of radio frequencies to determining a position on the Earth. Like radiolocation, it is a type of radiodetermination.The basic principles are measurements from/to electric beacons, especially...
- Range light
- Sea mark
A sea mark, also seamark and navigation mark, is a pilotage aid which identifies the approximate position of a maritime channel, hazard and administrative area to allow boats, ships and seaplanes to navigate safely....
- Tactical Air Navigation
TACtical Air Navigation, or TACAN, is a navigation system used by military aircraft. It provides the user with a distance and bearing from a ground or ship-borne station. It is a more accurate version of the VHF omnidirectional range/distance measuring equipment system that provides range and...
(TACAN)
- VHF Omni-directional Range
VOR, short for VHF Omni-directional Radio Range, is a type of radio navigation system for aircraft. A VOR ground station broadcasts a VHF radio composite signal including the station's identifier in morse code , and data that allows the airborne receiving equipment to derive a magnetic bearing from...
(VOR)
- International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea
The International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea 1972 are published by the International Maritime Organization , and set out the "rules of the road" to be followed by ships and other vessels at sea...