It used to be one the larger GPS markets–maybe the largest at one time–but increased competition and regulatory issues have made recent commercial and consumer marine market growth one of the most perplexing segments in the industry.

Although the company has scaled down its GPS product line, Eufala, Ala.-based Techsonic Industries is still marketing its products with sonar capability. The GPS product line, which used to be the Hummingbird GPS, is now down to a single product, the NS-10. The big push is sonar fish-finding products, said Larry Colombo, Techsonic communications manager.

The industry has not heard much lately from Techsonic, which was purchased by a New York-based investment group. However, the company, which competes with Tulsa, Okla.-based Lowrance Electronics [LEIX] for both sonar and GPS customers, has been seeing big sales in its fish-finding equipment.

Other strong marine consumer market competitors such as Olathe, Kan.-based Garmin International are diversifying its product line to keep up with increased competition. Earlier this year, Garmin put its GPSMap 130, a dual GPS receiver and chartplotter, on the market. Garmin will compete with companies such as Micrologic Inc. in the chartplotter market.

Another innovative product was introduced this year by Leica Inc. The product, an automatic lifesaving feature, will go on all of its differential GPS marine navigators. The product features include a man overboard button on the receiver’s front panel and an automatic interface with an emergency transmitter called Alert. Leica, along with Trimble Navigation [TRMB] and Pacific Crest Corp. are finding profit in differential GPS marine beacon markets.

In marine antenna market innovations, San Diego-based Applied Ocean Systems offers an antenna that can be attached to objects that submerge to depths of 2,000 meters.

Issaquah, Wash.-based Nobeltec Inc. is one of several manufacturers finding profits in marine navigation software for small to large pleasure craft.

The company’s NavTrek 2.0 software is being sold in retail marine stores on the West Coast. NavTrek allows boaters to use digital charts and GPS receivers for full marine navigation. (Larry Colombo, Techsonic, 334/687-6613 ext. 293.; Suzanne Cole, Garmin, 913/397-8200; Jay Phillips, Nobeltec, 206/391-9131; Applied Ocean Systems, 619/566-3572; Trimble, 800/Trimble; Ajay Seth, Leica Inc., 310/791-5300.)

…Commercial Marine Markets to Grow in 1997

Commercial marine positioning and navigation markets are contingent on worldwide standards, the U.S. Coast Guard’s rollout of vessel tracking service (VTS) infrastructure and the availability of regulations for Electronic Chart Data and Information Systems (ECDIS).

The Coast Guard is testing vessel traffic services in New York harbor and has one in place and operational in Prince William Sound in Alaska. The Coast Guard plans to have its own VTS infrastructure, which would complement its nationwide differential GPS (DGPS) beacon system, by the early 2000s. The Alaska system, which was built and funded in response to the 1989 Exxon Valdez disaster, is the world’s first operational VTS.

Because of congestion in the nation’s harbors and waterways, the Coast Guard has wanted a system similar to the nation’s air traffic control system for years. Developing a nationwide infrastructure for VTS will take big government expenditures–and may mean decent-sized contracts in the next five years, industry observers say.

In total VTS and commercial marine market sales, several companies are taking big steps to equip sea-going vessels with the latest navigation and satellite communication equipment.

Although there has not been a major study conducted on VTS markets in recent years, incorporating GPS marine products, digital maps and charts, antennas, satellite communication and other sensors could make this a billion-dollar market in the early part of the 2000s.

Mountain View, Calif.-based Frost & Sullivan mentions marine market connectivity in most of its industry reports for sensors and antennas. In marine military markets, Frost & Sullivan say that there will be steady growth in electronic components for the world’s naval forces through 2000.

United Kingdom-based Racal Survey is tailoring its Tracs 2000 DGPS radio data systems to both vehicle and vessel monitoring markets. With its GPS receiver and radio transceiver, Tracs 2000 applications include controlled waters and harbor vessel tracking, offshore oil and gas exploration and undersea activities.

Another company also is leveraging its land-based fleet management expertise to worldwide VTS markets. Boatracs, a subsidiary of San Diego-based Qualcomm Inc.’s Omnitracs division, is finding VTS sales worldwide.

Boatracs offers a two-way communications device with GPS capability for vessel tracking and communication. The system allows for ship-to-ship communication and also base station monitoring.

Currently, Boatracs has distributors on both U.S. coasts, the Gulf of Mexico, Mexico, Canada and Europe.

…ECDIS Standards Fight Slow Markets Growth

As far as ECDIS development is concerned, the future of digital maps that will replace paper maps will be brighter if international standards are created. With organizations such as the Washington, D.C.-based Navigational Electronic Chart System Association (NESCA) seeking to fight proposals which would make raster charts, which they call "dumb" charts, an international equivalent to paper charts (GPNN, Aug. 22, p. 8).

Because of the international standards fights, the marine electronic chart market, which includes GPS positioning as its main component, has been stalled in the last few years. NESCA wants international organizations to adopt the more capable vector map charts–maybe not as a standalone system, but one they say is not a safety hazard like the raster-based charts. (Paul Eastaugh, Racal Survey, Phone: 011/01734-669969; Marilyn Jordan, Qualcomm, 619/658-5884.)