The Japan Marine Recreation Association (JMRA) and Fujitsu Limited have announced to deploy a cloud-based emergency position reporting system. This system is aimed to be utilized for JMRA’s pleasure boat rescue service, the Boat Assistance Network (BAN). The service will begin in the fall of 2017. 

 

BAN is a rescue service operated by JMRA to offer 24/7 support to pleasure rescue boat owners who run into minor troubles. However, it’s often a challenge to track the confirmed location of the crafts that are in trouble. Owing to the lack of reference points on the sea and the tidal waves carrying everything away, it’s difficult for those requesting help to convey their exact position. 

 

 

The newly developed technology by Fujitsu enables owners to access the online emergency position reporting system through their smartphone or other internet-enabled device and their position is automatically transmitted to the JMRA using a GPS information service.

 

With the help of these GPS coordinates and an automatically updated map, the rescue ship can obtain constant positional details of the craft. The craft owner also gets real-time map updates regarding the position of the rescue boat.

 Through this system, the Rescue Operation Center, the rescue boat, and the craft requesting help- all can see the movement of the boats on the same map. This reduces the time taken to rescue and prevents the risk of secondary accidents that may arise while the craft drifts.

 

 Those in trouble can easily access the emergency position reporting system on the internet, generating an urgent report to the Rescue Operations Center while transmitting necessary information including location and contact details. 

Fujitsu is the leading Japanese information and communication technology (ICT) company offering a full range of technology products, solutions, and services. Approximately 155,000 Fujitsu people support customers in more than 100 countries.