the International Journal Volume 11 on Marine Navigation Number 1 http://www.transnav.eu and Safety of Sea Transportation March 2017 DOI: 10.12716/1001.11.01.17 Navigation Simulator: Professional and Academic Learning Tool for the Students of the Portuguese Naval Academy A.P. Lopes Ferreira, I.M. Bué & C.F. Lopes Portuguese Naval School, Lisbon, Portugal ABSTRACT: The Portuguese Naval Academy is a military school with an university status and is equipped with one modern navigation and maneuvering simulator. The Navigation Simulator (NAVSIM) plays an essential role in the academic training for the Naval Academy and for its cadets, that are using sthi capacity since their first academic year as a learning tool. Identifying the non‐technical skills that could be trained and focusing on the specific training of the technical skills is paramount, in order to maximize the training sessions for each cadet’s year. The assessment of statistical data referring to the last 6 years is important to identify where there are gaps in the exercises, as well as how the midshipman are prepared to perform functions of watch keeping on the ships fleet. 1 INTRODUCTION classrooms. Then, it allows to training in scenarios more similar to what will be found on board. And last The Portuguese Naval Academy as a military school but not least, it helps to improve the team building with an university status, is integrated in the and relationships among the members of the team framework of the public higher education system in that are training, which allows to achieve the sessions Portugal (Assembleia da República, 2014). Its main goals faster and more efficiently. objective is to prepare highly qualified graduates The NAVSIM is mainly used by the cadets of the students to the Portuguese fleet ships. The training Naval Academy, over 65%/75% of the time, excluding provided by sthi academy to the future Navy Officers the maintenance periods (see table 1) (Bué, 2016). The is not restricted to academic components. The Naval teams of the warships and some external entities to Academy students, the “cadets”, are endowed with the Portuguese Navy are also training in NAVSIM academic knowledge and with military and naval which is a crucial tool to leadership purposes and skills that are needed for the accomplishment of their team building improvement. The correct use of the future functions. maximum capacities of the NAVSIM allows the The Naval Academy have installed a modern training teams to expand their expertise and minimize radar, manoeuvring and navigation simulator since the errors associated with the lack of practice, with 2004/2005. The Navigation Simulator (NAVSIM) have benefits to their daily lives on board. an essential role for the academic and military training. First of all, it helps to consolidate all the theoretical knowledge previously learned, at the 141 Table 1. The users of NAVSIM. Source (Bue, 2016) The NAVSIM has immeasurable capabilities and is 2.2 Military and educational programs available 24 hours per day. Still, is vital to produce a model to clarify the academic and professional The Naval Academy offers an Integrated Masters training for the cadets. In this context, this study will Course (IMC) with five academic year duration, provide one conceptual basis, substantiated on 6 according to the provisions of the Bologna process, years of exercises records at the NAVSIM and in giving the graduate students a masterʹs degree in national references that address this issue. The Naval Naval Military Sciences in one of the following Academy historical context will be presented, as well courses: Navy, Naval Administration, Marines, as its educational military and civilian offers. Medicine and Naval Engineering, regarding the Mechanics and Electronics fields. The simulation as a training and learning tool will be discussed, followed by a more comprehensive During the IMC, the naval academy develops in its approach to the reality of the education in naval students several skills, such as: Naval Military academy. The military training in simulated Training, Sailor Training, Physical Education and environments will be presented, with specific Sports, Leadership Training, Cultural and Social definitions and models, which will conduct to the Activities and Sea Training. The specific training development of technical and non‐technical skills. areas are conducted at sea, during the weekends and Finally, the statistical data from the exercises in the summer classes dispersal, in the fleet ships. conducted in the NAVSIM for the last 6 years will be This institution is a subscriber of the ERASMUS letter, analysed and the results and conclusions of this study with more than 70 military and civilian teachers, who will be presented. have a wide professional experience. The Naval Academy made available some specific degrees and courses, and they are not exclusive for the military staff, such as: 2 NAVAL ACADEMY PhD in Naval History; Masters in Naval History, in association with the The Naval Academy is a Military higher education Faculty of Letters of the University of Lisbon; establishment, with the mission of teaching the cadets Master in Information, Security and Law in to be the future navy officers, enabling them to carry Cyberspace, in association with the Faculty of Law out the military duties assigned, conferring the of the University of Lisbon and Instituto Superior necessary competences to carry out the missions of Técnico (Civil Engineering Faculty); the Portuguese Navy and promote the individual Masters in Hyperbaric and Underwater Medicine; development for the exercise of the functions of Masters in Hydrographic Engineering; command, direction and leadership (Assembleia da Master in Navigation and Geomatics; República, 2001). Masters in Military History, in association with seven institutions (Escola Naval, 2016). Finally, the Navy Research Centre (CINAV (Centro 2.1 Historical context de Investigação Naval – Portuguese designation)), whose The first ʺschoolʺ of Portuguese navigators was the mission is to promote Research, Development and school of Sagres, which is a legendary institution that Innovation in the areas of interest to the Navy, is symbolizes all who studied the arts related to the sea physically installed in the Naval Academy. Its main and with maritime navigation (Salgado, 2013). Later, research lines are: signal processing, mobile robotics, in 1779, the “Academia Real da Marinha” (Royal decision support systems, maintenance management, Academy of the Navy) was established in Lisbon, with naval history, naval strategy and naval health academic training purposes for the military and (CINAV, 2015). merchant navies. Due to the not existence of a military framework for the future Navy Officers, the “Academia Real dos Guarda‐marinhas” (Royal 3 THE SIMULATION Academy of Midshipman) was established (Salgado, 2013). In the 23rd April of 1845 the Naval Academy was created by D. Maria II (Portuguese Queen), and According to the Interactive Learning Society and the later on, in 2001 is recognized as a military university International Association of Simulation and Games, (Sousa, 1945). the simulation is defined as ʺa working representation of reality; It may be abstracted, simplified or an accelerated 142 modelling of the process. It allows students to explore area with the possibility of be more advanced or not. systems where reality is too expensive, complex, dangerous, These training areas are navigation, communications, fast or slow. ʺ (LOPES & Oliveira, 2013). seamanship and tactics and operations. During the exercises, navigation techniques are trained, along From the perspective of Captain Roque, the with specific methods of positioning the ships, and simulation is a method of implementing a model for a the practice of the Naval and Technical language, real‐world phenomenon through training, analysis or normally in English. experimentation of objectives (Roque, 2010). A navigation simulator is a device, computer program During the 4th year of the IM, more specifically for or simulation system capable of reproducing on land the navy cadets, the training sessions at NAVSIM are and under controlled conditions some of the activities more regular and with a higher level of requirement, executed aboard the ship. The simulation allows to more less 150 hours of training just in the simulator. increase the training volume, improving the performance achieved in real operations and reducing The training at the NAVSIM take special attention the total time of learning and training, being able to to the duration of the exercises and to improvement of have a complete repetition of actions and procedures the difficulties and critical situations, which involves (Roque, 2010). the application of more advanced techniques and manoeuvres, most of the cases involving a greater number of ships in the same tactical scenario. The top areas that are trained are: coordinated exits and 3.1 Simulation at the Naval academy entrances of naval forces in ports, under different The first simulator in the Naval Academy was meteorological and oceanographic conditions implemented in 1984 and had only the radar (METOC); emergency procedures training; anchor component. Later on, the simulator TRANSAS 2000 and weighing anchor exercises; Replenishment at sea was installed. Despite of its small dimensions he (RAS) and RAS approaches; Towing operations already has two visual bridges. In 2002, the update (urgent and/or planned); Tactical operations; was made for the