--- title: Resources | History description: History | White Papers and Case Studies featuring Inertial Labs Navigation, Orientation and Positioning Sensor Solutions --- [![InertialLabs](https://resources.inertiallabs.com/hubfs/InertialLabs_December2019%20Theme/Images/logo.svg)](https://inertiallabs.com/) [**Configure Unit](https://resources.inertiallabs.com/inertial-labs-product-selector) [**Technical Support](https://inertiallabs.atlassian.net/servicedesk/customer/portals) [**Contact Us](https://inertiallabs.com/sales/) ## [Marine Navigation and the Development of the Motion Reference Unit](https://resources.inertiallabs.com/resources/marine-navigation-and-the-development-of-the-motion-reference-unit) Posted by [Will Dillingham](https://resources.inertiallabs.com/resources/author/will-dillingham) on Jun 18, 2020 3:22:54 PM - [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share)   [![](https://resources.inertiallabs.com/hubfs/MRU-PD%20Featured%20Picture.png) ](https://resources.inertiallabs.com/resources/marine-navigation-and-the-development-of-the-motion-reference-unit) ### ### History of Marine Navigation #####                 The Stars Early sea-fairing explorers utilized the stars as their navigational aid. Celestial navigation, or otherwise known as astronavigation utilized devices such as the gnomon, Kamal, sea astrolabe, quadrant, cross-staff, back-staff and sextant. #####                Magnetic Compass Dating back as early as 200 BCE in China during the reign of the Qin dynasty, the Chinese originally used magnetism to construct fortune-telling boards, which turned out to be used for following directions in more than one way (1). Early magnetic compasses began to be commonly used as navigation aids in the 11th century. [Read More](https://resources.inertiallabs.com/resources/marine-navigation-and-the-development-of-the-motion-reference-unit) 2 Comments [Click here to read/write comments](https://resources.inertiallabs.com/resources/marine-navigation-and-the-development-of-the-motion-reference-unit#comments-listing) Topics: [GPS Denied Navigation](https://resources.inertiallabs.com/resources/tag/gps-denied-navigation), [GPS-Aided Navigation](https://resources.inertiallabs.com/resources/tag/gps-aided-navigation), [Navigation](https://resources.inertiallabs.com/resources/tag/navigation), [Marine](https://resources.inertiallabs.com/resources/tag/marine), [History](https://resources.inertiallabs.com/resources/tag/history) [All posts](https://resources.inertiallabs.com/resources/all) --- ### **Inertial Labs Inc.** ## Solutions for all PNT Applications Established in 2001, Inertial Labs is a leader in position and orientation technologies for commercial, industrial, aerospace and defense applications. Inertial Labs has a worldwide distributor and representative network covering 20+ countries across 6 continents and a standard product line spanning from Inertial Measurement Units (IMU) to GPS-Aided Inertial Navigation Systems (INS). With application breadth on Land, Air, and Sea; Inertial Labs covers the gambit of inertial technologies and solutions. What makes us different: - Custom Solutions Based on [Applications](https://inertiallabs.com/applications/) - Knowledgeable Team of [Supporting Engineers](https://inertiallabs.com/about/) - Extensive Resources such as [Knowledge Base](https://inertiallabs.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/ILKB/overview), Support Documents, White Papers and Integration Tools ### Subscribe Here! ### Recent Posts ### Posts by Tag - [GPS-Aided Navigation (9)](https://resources.inertiallabs.com/resources/tag/gps-aided-navigation) - [Stabilization (9)](https://resources.inertiallabs.com/resources/tag/stabilization) - [Surveying (9)](https://resources.inertiallabs.com/resources/tag/surveying) - [orientation (7)](https://resources.inertiallabs.com/resources/tag/orientation) - [Aiming (6)](https://resources.inertiallabs.com/resources/tag/aiming) - [Navigation (6)](https://resources.inertiallabs.com/resources/tag/navigation) - [Pointing (6)](https://resources.inertiallabs.com/resources/tag/pointing) - [GPS Denied Navigation (5)](https://resources.inertiallabs.com/resources/tag/gps-denied-navigation) - [Mapping (5)](https://resources.inertiallabs.com/resources/tag/mapping) - [Industrial (4)](https://resources.inertiallabs.com/resources/tag/industrial) - [LiDAR (4)](https://resources.inertiallabs.com/resources/tag/lidar) - [Remote Sensing (4)](https://resources.inertiallabs.com/resources/tag/remote-sensing) - [UAV (4)](https://resources.inertiallabs.com/resources/tag/uav) - [Insider (3)](https://resources.inertiallabs.com/resources/tag/insider) - [Motion Capture (3)](https://resources.inertiallabs.com/resources/tag/motion-capture) - [Development (2)](https://resources.inertiallabs.com/resources/tag/development) - [GNSS (2)](https://resources.inertiallabs.com/resources/tag/gnss) - [IMU (2)](https://resources.inertiallabs.com/resources/tag/imu) - [INS-D (2)](https://resources.inertiallabs.com/resources/tag/ins-d) - [INS-P (2)](https://resources.inertiallabs.com/resources/tag/ins-p) - [Marine (2)](https://resources.inertiallabs.com/resources/tag/marine) - [Point Cloud (2)](https://resources.inertiallabs.com/resources/tag/point-cloud) - [RESEPI (2)](https://resources.inertiallabs.com/resources/tag/resepi) - [autonomy (2)](https://resources.inertiallabs.com/resources/tag/autonomy) - [#AUV (1)](https://resources.inertiallabs.com/resources/tag/auv) - [Army (1)](https://resources.inertiallabs.com/resources/tag/army) - [Avia (1)](https://resources.inertiallabs.com/resources/tag/avia) - [DVL (1)](https://resources.inertiallabs.com/resources/tag/dvl) - [Dynamic Positioning (1)](https://resources.inertiallabs.com/resources/tag/dynamic-positioning) - [GPS (1)](https://resources.inertiallabs.com/resources/tag/gps) - [History (1)](https://resources.inertiallabs.com/resources/tag/history) - [Kalman Filter (1)](https://resources.inertiallabs.com/resources/tag/kalman-filter) - [Kernel (1)](https://resources.inertiallabs.com/resources/tag/kernel) - [Livox (1)](https://resources.inertiallabs.com/resources/tag/livox) - [MRU (1)](https://resources.inertiallabs.com/resources/tag/mru) - [Magnetometer (1)](https://resources.inertiallabs.com/resources/tag/magnetometer) - [Military (1)](https://resources.inertiallabs.com/resources/tag/military) - [NovAtel (1)](https://resources.inertiallabs.com/resources/tag/novatel) - [OptoWOM (1)](https://resources.inertiallabs.com/resources/tag/optowom) - [PNT (1)](https://resources.inertiallabs.com/resources/tag/pnt) - [Photogrammetry (1)](https://resources.inertiallabs.com/resources/tag/photogrammetry) - [Pixhawk (1)](https://resources.inertiallabs.com/resources/tag/pixhawk) - [Position (1)](https://resources.inertiallabs.com/resources/tag/position) - [Precision Agriculture (1)](https://resources.inertiallabs.com/resources/tag/precision-agriculture) - [Sensor Fusion (1)](https://resources.inertiallabs.com/resources/tag/sensor-fusion) - [Simulation (1)](https://resources.inertiallabs.com/resources/tag/simulation) - [Spoofing (1)](https://resources.inertiallabs.com/resources/tag/spoofing) - [Tactical (1)](https://resources.inertiallabs.com/resources/tag/tactical) - [calibration (1)](https://resources.inertiallabs.com/resources/tag/calibration) - [maritime (1)](https://resources.inertiallabs.com/resources/tag/maritime) - [miniAHRS (1)](https://resources.inertiallabs.com/resources/tag/miniahrs) - [passive sonar (1)](https://resources.inertiallabs.com/resources/tag/passive-sonar) - [receiver (1)](https://resources.inertiallabs.com/resources/tag/receiver) [See all](https://resources.inertiallabs.com/resources/tag/history#) Copyright © 2026 Inertial Labs - All Rights Reserved ![Clicky](https://in.getclicky.com/101352691ns.gif)