A marine radar with automatic radar plotting aid (ARPA) capability can create tracks using radar contacts. The system can calculate the tracked object's course, speed and closest point of approach (CPA), thereby knowing if there is a danger of collision with the other ship or landmass.

Development of ARPA started after 1956, when the Italian liner SS Andrea Doria collided with the MS Stockholm in dense fog and sank off the east coast of the United States. ARPA radars started to emerge in the 1960s, with the development of microelectronics. The first commercially available ARPA was delivered to the cargo liner MV Taimyr in 1969 and was manufactured by Norcontrol [no], now a part of Kongsberg Gruppen. ARPA-enabled radars are now available even for small yachts.

The availability of low cost microprocessors and the development of advanced computer technology during the 1970s and 1980s have made it possible to apply computer techniques to improve commercial marine radar systems. Radar manufacturers used this technology to create the Automatic Radar Plotting Aids. ARPAs are computer assisted radar data processing systems which generate predictive vectors and other ship movement information.

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has set out certain standards amending the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea requirements regarding the carrying of suitable automated radar plotting aids. The primary function of ARPAs can be summarized in the statement found under the IMO Performance Standards. It states a requirement of ARPAs: "to improve the standard of collision avoidance at sea: Reduce the workload of observers by enabling them to automatically obtain information so that they can perform as well with multiple targets as they can by manually plotting a single target". As we can see from this statement the principal advantages of ARPA are a reduction in the workload of bridge personnel and fuller and quicker information on selected targets.

A typical ARPA function gives a presentation of the current situation and uses computer technology to predict future situations. An ARPA assesses the risk of collision, and enables operator to see proposed maneuvers by own ship.

While many different models of ARPAs are available on the market, the following functions are usually provided:

The initial development and design of ARPAs were stand-alone units. That is because they were designed to be an addition to the conventional radar unit. All of the ARPA functions were installed on board as a separate unit, but needed to be interfaced with existing equipment to get the basic radar data. The primary benefits were cost and time savings for ships already equipped with radar. This of course was not the ideal situation and eventually it was the integral ARPA that replaced the stand-alone unit.

The majority of ARPAs manufactured in the 21st century integrate the ARPA features with the radar display. The modern integral ARPA combines the conventional radar data with the computer data processing systems into one unit. The main operational advantage is that both the radar and ARPA data are readily comparable.