Lydia has a professional and academic background spanning the museum, heritage and maritime sectors
Royal College of Art Aids to Navigation research project
The Royal College of Art is leading a project - funded by Lloyd’s Register Foundation with the International Foundation for Aids to Navigation (IFAN), and delivered in partnership with Hawkshill Consulting and the International Organisation for Marine Aids to Navigation (IALA) -to co-design sustainable, low-cost marine aids to navigation for Small Island Developing States and Least Developed Countries.
This page is approximately a 2 minute read
This page was published on
Duration
This project's duration was 3 years
Value of grant
1.1 million
Partner info
The project is led by the Royal College of Art, in partnership with Hawkshill Consulting, the International Organisation for Marine Aids to Navigation (IALA), and the International Foundation for Aids to Navigation (IFAN), with funding provided by Lloyd’s Register Foundation.
Currently, vessels at sea rely on aids to navigation (AtoN) that must conform to global standards set by IALA. While these industrially manufactured tools are essential for mitigating maritime risks, the cost, logistical challenges, resources and lack of local technical knowledge often creates a significant barrier for developing regions, leaving critical waterways underserved.
The aim is to co-design and develop low cost aid(s) to navigation suitable for sustainable local construction and maintenance. This will involve engaging with local communities to collaboratively design and build AtoN solution/s that leverage local expertise in materials and making through a co-design process to exchange knowledge between the project partners.
Learn more about the Aids to Navigation project
Addressing safety gaps makes people safer, and this project will help address those gaps by developing and testing low-cost, co-designed marine aids to navigation.
Jan Przydatek Director of Technologies
Pointing to the future
These prototypes will undergo extensive testing and validation to ensure they provide the same high-level reliability as current alternatives, even in the most challenging maritime climates. The project's findings will be documented in a joint publication, providing a roadmap for future implementation.
The ultimate goal is a significant reduction in maritime risk in SIDS and LDCs ensuring that the oceans remain a safe and productive space for all nations, regardless of their economic standing.
In its capacity as a UNESCO Ocean Decade Implementing Partner, the RCA leverages its world leading expertise in co-design and participatory research to drive innovation and secure a resilient and sustainable future for our oceans.