Strategic Route planning — A challenge for waterway crossing ferries
Project Overview
Within the project StRout, which is funded by the State Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania supported with funds of the European Union, a new method shall be developed to reduce the number of evasion maneuvers carried out by ferries. For that the actual traffic situation should be included into the process of the strategic route planning. The objective is an increased efficiency (lower emission) as well as the reduction of time delays during the passage. The final stage of the project is the experimental development of a prototype, which allows the demonstration of the technological readiness under simulated conditions.
StRout is a joint project of MARSIG GmbH (Lead), the Institute of Communications and Navigation of the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and the Schifffahrtsinstitut Warnemünde (SIW).
The goal of the subproject originating from the DLR is the provision of reliable acquisition and assessment of the actual traffic situation. This can be achieved when all relevant objects - mainly vessels underway within the reception area of the radar and AIS sensors - are acquired. In order to evaluate the object it is necessary to fuse the data from the two sensors with appropriate technologies. The main challenge is the association of the sensor representation of the targets during the fusion process. This process provides verified objects, which in the end lead to the final traffic situation.
Based on this reliable traffic situation it will be possible to provide valid input data for the work package “maneuver and route planning” of the SIW. This work package allows the derivation of recommended commands for course and speed of the vessel in order to pass the area as safely and efficiently as possible. In addition the solution will be provided with a system to visualize the results.
Funding
The project is funded by the German Federal State Mecklenburg-Vorpommern under grant number TBl-V-1 -045-VBW-015.
Duration
November 2015 – September 2017