Global Applications
DGPS Helps Map Boating Activity on Scotland's Loch Lomond

The Loch Lomond Park Ranger Service has begun a detailed analysis of boating activities on the Loch following the acquisition of a LandStar Differential GPS from Racal Survey. The scenic beauty of the world famous Loch has made it one of Scotland's premier tourist and recreational attractions and the Park Ranger Service has the task of ensuring that boat users adhere to the by-laws needed to protect the Loch's fragile environment. The Park Ranger Service is now using the 1- to 2-meter positioning accuracy provided by LandStar to create maps showing patterns of recreational boating activity on the 23 mile long Loch.
     The LandStar system has been installed aboard the park's 25 ft. patrol boat, The Brigadier Alistair Pearson, having been loaned to the park by the Scottish Sports Council as part of a project to use technology for recreation and sport. With around 1,000 moorings on the Loch and some 5,000 power driven craft registered to use the water from beaches and slipways, there is a need to control boating activity. During the summer, boat usage can be extremely heavy and the park authorities have counted up to 900 boats on the Loch in a single day. This has made it important to identify any patterns in by-law violation so that patrols and regulations can be adjusted to cope with the conditions.
     A speed restriction is applied within a zone extending 150-meters from the Loch's shore and its islands and violators can be liable to heavy penalties. The accuracy of the new LandStar DGPS now makes it possible for the park's patrol boat to be stationed precisely on the edge of the 150 meter zone so that violations within the zone can be accurately observed. The location of speeding, dangerous driving and other by-law violations can be logged so the patterns of misbehavior can be easily identified. The data logging software includes an automatic violation menu that enables the boat's registration, type, position and the nature of the violation to be easily recorded. Maps can then be created to show where the majority of offenses occur so these areas can be targeted or educational programs introduced. The LandStar system enables the boat's patrol routes to be accurately recorded so that it is now a simple matter to identify any areas of the Loch that may need more regular monitoring.
     Because Loch Lomond is surrounded by mountains, previous experiments with GPS had encountered problems which have now been overcome by the additional accuracy provided by LandStar's differential corrections. The system aboard The Brigadier Alistair Pearson is linked to a Fujitsu Stylistic 1000 pen computer and data are recorded on a digitized ordnance survey moving map display using an ISSYS data logging program. This was developed for the Park Service by Steanne Solutions Ltd., the Racal distributor specializing in GIS applications that supplied the LandStar equipment. Data collected during boat patrols are later downloaded into a shore-based PC equipped with Access and MapInfo software for the creation of reports and thematic maps.
     A secondary application for the LandStar system involves a monthly birdlife survey. Using the DGPS, the boat's crew can accurately follow a per-set patrol route and record the numbers and distribution of birds on the Loch. That data are now being used to create thematic maps displaying icons representing the numbers and location of the various species and clearly showing their distribution and movement around the Loch over a prolonged period.
     The LandStar DGPS service operated by Racal Survey can provide positioning accurate to 1-meter depending on the quality of the GPS receiver used. This is available anywhere in Europe, North and South America, central and southern Africa, the Middle East, Australia, New Zealand and Indonesia. A network of carefully positioned reference stations continuously monitors the errors present in the signals received from U.S. operated GPS satellites. Any corrections needed to counteract the errors are relayed to LandStar users via powerful spot beam communications satellites. The strength of the satellite transmissions enables corrections to be received using a compact new combined GPS and LandStar antenna.

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