Pattaya boats must install GIS by the end of 2008
Pattaya boats must install GIS by the end of 2008
Sawittree Namwiwatsuk
City Hall has announced that more than 180 million baht has been allocated for the installation of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in more than 1000 passenger and speedboats operating in and around Pattaya.
Deputy Mayor Ronakit Ekasingh said that at present it is very difficult for the authorities to keep track of the comings and goings of every sea vessel plying the waters off Pattaya.
He said that boats transporting tourists on holiday trips to the outer islands regularly encounter difficulties out in the open sea, such as running out of gasoline or taking in water and sinking.
Presently the sea rescue unit would not have their coordinates, so it would take a long time to locate the vessels, which at times could be too late resulting in loss of life and property. “We have had to ask the Royal Thai Navy many a time to assist in search and rescue operations,” he said.
He went on to say that, “in the worse case scenario, if a boat sank, the GIS would help locate the wreckage to make it easier to conduct salvage operations. “Therefore it was decided to implement the GIS system whereby every boat would have their own tracking code and signals would be sent to control centers via satellite.”
Ronakit said that there would be two control towers, not unlike the ones at airports, but these would be for the purposes of keeping track of sea traffic. The two centers will be set up at the Sea Rescue Post in South Pattaya and at Samae Beach on Koh Larn. Specialists would be hired to man the stations, which will be on watch 24 hours a day. The stations would be able to monitor all boat traffic in Thai territorial waters.
The deputy mayor said he expects the system to be operational by the end of 2008.
Pattaya Mail
