AIS PAtoN

VHF Marine Band radios, protocol, radio communication theory, practical advice; AIS; DSC; MMSI; EPIRB.
jimh
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AIS PAtoN

Postby jimh » Wed Apr 22, 2020 8:17 am

I recently came across a new acronym associated with the Automatic Identification System (AIS): AIS-PAtoN, or AIS Private Aid to Navigation. An AIS-PAtoN (or a conventional private Aid to Navigation) can be authorized by the U.S. Coast Guard for private entities to mark navigation objects that are privately funded and maintained.

In December 2019 a private party Space Exploration Technologies Corp., better known as SpaceX was authorized to use AIS-PAtoNs. They were authorized to AIS PAtoNs to inform mariners of non-charted and temporary restricted zones during space launch activities near the Cape Canaveral launch sites and extending into the Atlantic Ocean. The location of the restricted areas will vary with the launch trajectory. In this particular instance, the authorization was the first for dynamic or varying restricted areas.

A radio broadcast advisory of "Notice To Mariners" had been used to inform mariners of these restricted zones. One source mentions the AIS-PAtoNs will be Synthetic AIS-AtonNs.