# The Technology of Team Navigation - Hutchins

**URL:** <https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/the-technology-of-team-navigation-hutchins/60071>\
**Category:** Marine Safety\
**Created:** [July 21, 2021, 12:49pm UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/the-technology-of-team-navigation-hutchins/60071 "2021-07-21T12:49:39Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Kennebec\_Captain](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.gcaptain.com/kennebec_captain/32/13_2.png) [@Kennebec\_Captain](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/Kennebec_Captain)\
**Post date:** [July 21, 2021, 12:49pm UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/the-technology-of-team-navigation-hutchins/60071/1 "2021-07-21T12:49:39Z")

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I first encountered this document about 15 years ago.

> **[the\_technology\_of\_team\_navigation1.pdf](https://towmasters.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/the_technology_of_team_navigation1.pdf)**
>
> 3.18 MB

It’s very similar to a chapter in the book [“Cognition in the Wild”](https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/cognition-wild)

Instead of using the “digital-to-analog” metaphor which was discussed in [this thread](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/one-knot-could-have-been-equal-about-1-5-degrees/59911/6) there’s a section called "_Propagation of Representational State Across External Media"_.

It’s based on the exact same example, the piloting of a Navy ship by a navigation team but using more technical terms instead of the metaphor.

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**Author:** ![ocnslr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/54ee81/32.png) [@ocnslr](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/ocnslr)\
**Post date:** [July 21, 2021, 4:40pm UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/the-technology-of-team-navigation-hutchins/60071/2 "2021-07-21T16:40:21Z")

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Excellent article, and it clearly explains the way I saw it done on the bridges of USN ships from 1972 through 1987.

It doesn’t mention, however, that another team in CIC is doing radar plotting of position at the same time, both for comparison and immediate back-up if visibility should suddenly decrease and impede the visual bearing team.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Kennebec\_Captain](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.gcaptain.com/kennebec_captain/32/13_2.png) [@Kennebec\_Captain](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/Kennebec_Captain)\
**Post date:** [July 21, 2021, 4:47pm UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/the-technology-of-team-navigation-hutchins/60071/3 "2021-07-21T16:47:35Z")

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Yes, it’s not mentioned in that article but CIC is described and then mentioned several times in the book Cognition in the Wild.

The paper in the OP is very similar to a single chapter in the book.

![Hutchins_10](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/gcaptain_maritime_forum/original/3X/2/1/2143a174bf3941b11b4f20602c8f9f6627732ba0.png)

![Hutchins_11](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/gcaptain_maritime_forum/original/3X/9/6/96102253bbfc145ac4688807d4afa1f055841c51.png)