Integrated system keeps ports in touch

The voice communications system, built for Sydney Ports Corporation in NSW as part of a larger system, has been completed.

The project was finalised in August 2011 and focused on providing an integrated voice command and control management system for boating and shipping traffic in and around Port Jackson and Botany Bay.

VCS, by c4i, allows operators within the VTS centre to monitor and communicate with traffic around Sydney's various harbours and shipping channels via a network of fixed radios. Standard Internet protocol is also used to enable operators in the VTS centre to converse with all devices which would not have been possible over radio frequency alone, due to the geography of the area.

As an added complexity to the project, where a vessel is in range of more than one radio, the system must be capable of selecting which device will be used for transmission.

To overcome this problem, C4i introduced a function called 'voting' - a term used to describe a system operation that determines which radio has better quality reception in each instance and then directs that audio to communicate with the ship. This ensures the best audio signal available is always presented to operators.