Similarly, there has been a move away from a description of simulator
facilities to discussions on consideration of design. Original research is reported in
areas varying from the investigation of casualties to assessment and evaluation of courses
and methods. It is germane that research is not the primary activity of most of those
involved with training of simulators. This development is therefore indicative of a
healthy evolution of the standards of training.
Principal Contributions
In many ways, the primary contribution of INSLC has been in providing a
forum for discussion, analysis, international feedback and support. The exclusion of
manufacturers from the events has been pertinent in the development of an intimate
informal style that permeates the regular meetings at venues that differ widely in
geographical location and therefore participant profile. In more specific terms, however,
there are two principal outputs which constitute a permanent record of contribution.
Specifications for Radar and Navigation Simulators
The first attempt at drawing up a specification was made at the first
meeting in 1977. This issue continued to be discussed in various papers right through to
1990, when the 6th. Conference at St.Malo finally approved a document which was the
culmination of several drafts which were produced by various authors at previous
conferences. This draft was forwarded to IMO when IMLA obtained consultative status.
Conference Proceedings
Proceedings have been produced for all sessions except the first one.
The latest set of Proceedings is for the 8th. Conference in Shanghai. These Proceedings
are available from IMLA. Attempts are being made to make available on CD ROM, in the next
twelve months, all those contributions in previous Proceedings that are still pertinent,
The Challenge of the Future
Simulation means many things to many people. To many of us it conjures
up visions of multi-million dollar investments in high technology with stunning visual
imagery. In fact, the mechanisms of simulation are less important than the process and the
outcome. Business simulations may require nothing more than a few pieces of paper. Role
play to simulate a given situation may require just two people. What simulation does
require however is interaction, whether it is with one or more machines and/or one or more
persons. It requires some objective and finally it carries the requirement to conclude
with a debrief or evaluation.
As modern industry and human activity move from a phase, where the
contribution of a human operator is data retention, to a phase where this contribution
moves towards data management, simulation as a medium can be expected to play a greater
role in the learning process. As our educational system objectives evolve from emphasising
teaching to emphasising learning, simulation will need to be more widely used. As
technology provides us more fulsome methods for re-creation of environments, simulation
can expect to become a more powerful tool for both learning and research.
The advent of technology has brought the maritime educator another
welcome capability. That is the freedom to develop ideas into applications without
dependence on manufacturers in respect of virtually anything that we have sufficient
motivation to do by ourselves. Shanghai and Hong Kong have both developed in-house
simulation systems independently for visual imagery and are trending toward the
development of fully integrated simulation systems. Hardware of many types can be
replicated by a processor, some software and the odd stepper
