Sensor Systems

A bridge or vehicle control cockpit must have a number of different sensor systems to allow for the safe control and navigation of the spacecraft. Because vehicles capable of subspace travel in New Diasporia face vastly different environments depending whether or not they are being used along subspace highways, in open subspace or in real space the kinds and sophistication of instruments is very dependent on the particular vehicle.
For a structured review of the systems we will look at the individual types of sensors, which will enable us to systematically describe the various systems.
We will start with planetary navigation systems. Even the most economical brake or HUV will have an extensive communication suite to allow the craft to communicate with air and space traffic control. Some worlds have extensive automatic traffic control systems, which a visiting craft will have to be able to interface to in order to be allowed to operate in that airspace. This is done through the use of an automatic piloting computer.
GPS systems are so cheap and useful that it will be a backward world indeed which does not have such a system. This is not likely anywhere in the Highlands, and rare even in the Midlands.
An Inertial Navigation System (INS) is a navigation aid that uses a computer, motion sensors (accelerometers) and rotation sensors (gyroscopes) to continuously calculate via dead reckoning the position, orientation, and velocity (direction and speed of movement) of a moving object without the need for external references. Though not as accurate as radio direction systems INS can help compensate for situations when GPS and VORN systems are unable to receive data.
VORN, the Vehicle Omnidirectional Radio Navigation system is a beam based navigation system that can be used in both real space and subspace to allow a vehicle to plot its position in reference to a number of transmitters using radio direction finding. In real space satellites provide beacons which in conjunction with a computer database of system planetary locations allow the automatic pilot of most craft to plot courses between real space locations. In subspace VORN is used to lock onto the beacons on the portal gate structures as well as the route marking beacons to allow the automatic pilot to keep the craft on the subspace highway between gates.
Off the network grid in subspace a ship must navigate by plotting the gravitational structure of subspace topology. Most importantly the gravitational shear planes which result from real space objects which form plateaus on the subspace surface must be plotted and avoided. The changing topology of subspace is typically plotted using a gravscanner. A computer then attempts to compare the topology to its corresponding real space structure. Gravscanners can also be used to detect force fields and operating Barnes-Gutierrez Hyperspace Engines. They can also be used in conjunction with astrometric and planetary arrays for real space navigation.
Astrometric and Planetary Arrays are long range systems which can augment other sensor systems to allow the mapping of planetary systems.
Proximity detectors use the mass of other structures to detect their presence and mass using gravitic technology.
Passive Electromagnetic Scanned Array (PESA) and Active Electromagnetic Scanned Array (AESA) systems are very useful in real space and also in subspace. They can be used to locate and determine the range to other vehicles, structures and objects, through the use of electromagnetic radiation, primarily radar, visible light, infrared, Ultraviolet, THz radiation, laser and LADAR principles.
A Radscanner is capable of picking up all manner of electromagnetic and particle radiation. Radscanners can be used to detect the neutrino  emissions of a fusion plant, the ion stream of a particle beam weapon or the radiation coming from either a star or radioactive debris.
Any spacecraft which expects to be traveling to possibly inhospitable worlds will also include a Multiscanner among its equipment. A multiscanner includes the operational capability of a radscanner, as well as the capability of a chemscanner and a bioscanner. Combined with the gravscanner which can determine the surface gravity of a world and the radscanner which can report on the safety of the local radiation field these instruments are primarily used to determine the safety of excursions into external environment by the crew of the vehicle.