Introduction of new technology into safe navigation requires strategic leadership from organisations such as Irish Lights to ensure that both the development and introduction of such systems is well informed by user requirements.

The contribution of ever improving technology to safety at sea has been immense. Countless lives have been saved, property protected, and environmental catastrophes averted, due to ever improving construction material and techniques, stability tools, lifesaving equipment, and positioning and sensor equipment. The pace of change will continue to accelerate. Recent advances in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning are likely to be a catalyst for very significant change. These developments will be both on board vessels and ashore.

Introduction of new technology into safe navigation requires strategic leadership from organisations such as Irish Lights to ensure that both the development and introduction of such systems is well informed by user requirements. Thought leadership and knowledge leadership are essential requirements for successful delivery of this strategy. Irish Lights is staffed by professionals who are experts in their field and who continually advance that expertise through collaboration with other professionals and the research and development community. We work closely with our GLA colleagues who provide R&D expertise and support for our developing activities. This thought leadership extends beyond AtoN provision to understanding how combinations of navigation systems and associated data and information are used by mariners and the risks associated with each use case. Irish Lights responsibilities cover all vessels, and our focus is the safety of all mariners.