A Field Study of Multi-User Augmented Reality to Facilitate Collaborative Ship Navigation

OCCUPATIONAL APPLICATIONSCollaboration is crucial in safety-critical operations like ship navigation. Augmented Reality (AR) has the potential to facilitate collaboration through supporting communication, team situation awareness, and team decision-making. Results from our study, based on a prototype test, suggest AR features to facilitate collaboration during ship navigation. Situation awareness can be improved by supporting information gathering, getting an overview of the surroundings, mental mapping between 2D charts and the outside world, and head-up time with point of interest (POI) pins. Multi-user AR can facilitate visual communication for team situation awareness by sharing crosshairs and POI pin highlights. Team decision-making depends on team situation awareness. Other advantages include operator mobility and simplicity. Disadvantages include overreliance, cognitive overload, and medium usability and technology acceptance. AR may be particularly useful in time-critical operations in medium-busy waterways. With further development in accuracy, usability, and unobtrusiveness, AR can facilitate collaboration and increase safety in ship navigation.