The Next Generation of Submarine Planning

Sailfish is a maritime software product designed for use in submarine navigational planning and safety. It uses Digital Nautical Charts (DNC) and automatically parses or generates standard Navy planning and asset assignment messages (e.g., SUBNOTEs, OPSKEDs) with 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional graphic renderings for enhanced navigational awareness.

Detects and Alerts During Planning Phase

The software automatically evaluates a submarine’s waterspace assignments for mutual interference, terrain safety violations, and alerts the user to such hazards. Computer-aided renderings allow submarine operators and planners to visualize the surface and subsurface operational areas that individual platforms are being assigned, in both space and time, thus allowing for rapid identification of safety infractions and the pin-pointing of hazards due to geography or conflicts with other platform assignments.

Provides Different Projections, Map Layers, 3D and 2D View

Sailfish can quickly and accurately generate a formatted message by use of a shape editor and a Digital Nautical Chart (DNC) overlay. The DNC overlay includes a variety of map views, such as: Mercator, Polar and Globe projections. It also dynamically loads nautical charts as the operator pans and zooms to the area of the world a submarine mission will originate. As the operator zooms into a specific body of water or coastline, Sailfish will automatically adjust from one chart boundary to another, and go from “general” to “harbor” DNC map resolutions in seconds. Moreover, by using a “mouse,” the operator can “click” on areas of the chart to create voyage way points, connect them to track lines, associate these track lines with course and speed information, and assign submarine moving havens. Sailfish synchronizes this information to a message editor that dynamically generates the formatted SUBNOTE or OPSKED message.

The Future of Waterspace Management

Sailfish performs the function of three separate Program of Record systems currently in use at command centers today and combines them into one application. Sailfish uses open-architecture (OA) standards for external communication, including Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) compliance and Keyhole Markup Language (KML). The application also uses a modular software design which allows it to be used either as a stand-alone system, or integrated with existing legacy systems as operational needs may require.

See and Plan Mulitple Operations at the Same Time

Sailfish’s appeal lies in the fact that operators and planners can draft messages, visualize the surface and subsurface operational areas against different map projections, and use its unique time analysis tool to view how multiple submarine platform assignments “play-out” in an operational area. This process is done in a fraction of the time it currently takes operators performing these tasks with present day methods, and greatly improves situational awareness and voyage safety. Capabilities

  • Provides real-time generation and syntax validation of message text
  • Evaluates route safety against bottom topography and DNC data
  • Displays Mercator, globe and polar projections, KML, OGC imagery
  • Significantly reduces watchstander/planner workload while maintaining safety checks
  • Performs safe navigation checks, route planning and message writing – three separate functions – in one application
  • Provides automatic safety of navigation alert notifications
  • Calculates recommended “Reds and Yellows” based on Submarine Operator’s Manual specifications

Call the Sailfish program manager at 360.782.2500 ext. 102 to find out what Sailfish can do for you.