International Journal

on Marine Navigation

and Safety of Sea Transportation

Volume 5

Number 3

September 2011

285

1 BACKGROUND

A number of institutions worldwide are taking ac-

tions to assure, improve and promote safety of navi-

gation and marine environment protection. Some of

them focus on legal issues, others on technical

standards and improvements of equipment quality,

communication systems or seafarers training stand-

ards.

These actions are usually not well coordinated,

whilst connection of individual elements in one co-

herent system, might result in positive influence on

reaching the goals: safety of navigation and marine

environment protection.

One of the international institutions which see the

need of integration of presently separately operating

systems or its elements is International Association

of Marine Aids to Navigation and Lighthouse Au-

thorities, (IALA). IALA has made an afford to de-

signing of complete system known as e-Navigation.

In short, one may say, that IALA defines e-

Navigation as gathering, integration, exchange and

projection of information on board of the ship and

shore station alike.

The main tasks of IALA e-Navigation concept are

following:

− to improve safety of navigation by providing hy-

drographic data, navigational warnings and in-

formation,

− to improve communication, data and information

exchange,

− to secure transport and improve logistics hinter-

land effectiveness,

− to support effective rescue action in distress, and

to collect and archive relevant data for future in-

vestigation,

− to integrate and present information on board and

on shore,

− to assure global range of coherent norms, compat-

ibility and interoperability of equipment, devices,

systems, operational procedures and symbols

used,

− to assure adequate accuracy, integrity and conti-

nuity so the system could be considered as safe in

critical conditions,

− to minimize number of autonomous ship and

shore based systems,

− to facilitate effective utilization of waterways for

vessels of different classes.

It is highly probable, that elaboration and imple-

mentation of uniform standards for e-Navigation

will take considerable period of time. Meanwhile,

the presently operating systems supporting safe nav-

igation will continue to develop. This considers also

the marine traffic monitoring research conducted by

Gdynia Maritime University from several years.

Congested Area Detection and Projection – the

User’s Requirements

T. Stupak & S. Zurkiewicz

Gdynia Maritime University, Gdynia, Poland

ABSTRACT: Shanghai Maritime University and Gdynia Maritime University have decided to join forces on

research program titled “Online detecting and publishing of congested zones at sea”. This research seems to

be in harmony with e-Navigation concept presented by IALA. The authors have attempted to identify the

Congested Area Detection and Projection System user’s requirements.

286

This research seems to be in harmony with e-

Navigation concept presented by IALA.

2 SMU-GMU JOINT PROJECT

2.1 Project Introduction

Recently, Shanghai Maritime University and Gdynia

Maritime University have decided to join forces on

research program titled “Online detecting and pub-

lishing of congested zones at sea”.

This scientific co-operation is based on Agree-

ment between the Government of the Republic of

Poland and the Government of the People's Republic

of China about technical and scientific co-operation,

signed in Beijing on 13th of April 1995.

2.2 Marine Traffic Monitoring System

In accordance to IMO requirements, maritime states,

including China and Poland have introduced Marine

Traffic Monitoring Systems utilizing shore based

and ships based devices of automatic identification,

(AIS). This system facilitates the real time move-

ment monitoring of the vessels fitted in devices of

AIS class A or B. AIS class A devices (dedicated for

ships), transmits with variable frequency infor-

mation which include: geographical position, vector

of movement as well as declared draught, port of

destination and voyage plan as option. Data declared

are entered manually by navigating officers. Class B

devices (dedicated for fishing vessels and small

crafts), transmits with much lesser frequency, infor-

mation about position and vector. Declared infor-

mation is not available in this system. In the case of

Poland, implementation of such system had been re-

quired by Copenhagen Declaration and EC Directive

2002/59, similarly as for remaining Baltic Sea EU

member states.

At present marine traffic monitoring is conducted

on the Polish waters by the passive mode, and con-

centrated mainly on data recording. The full use of

obtained information by processing them, making

available for other users and presenting in useful

form, in accordance with e-Navigation concept, may

have positive impact on safety of navigation and ma-

rine environment protection.

2.3 Marine Safety Information Exchange System

In addition to Marine Traffic Monitoring System,

Poland, similarly to the other EU maritime states,

has implemented Marine Safety Information Ex-

changing System in accordance with IMO COM-

SAR/Circ.15, form 9

of March 1998, utilizing AIS

PL network. This system facilitates transmission by

VTS operators of current marine safety information

and local warnings to the ships by means of AIS

base station. Polish AIS system, (AIS-PL), consists

of 11 land based stations (8 marine and 3 inland)

linked via a national server to HELCOM network.

Although stations spatial distribution was designed

to broadcast VHF signals in A1 zone, the whole

Polish responsibility area is not permanently covered

(Fig. 1).

Required levels of system performance were es-

tablished in order to satisfy traffic surveillance and

maritime safety requests. There is evidence that ef-

fective AIS coverage depends on propagation condi-

tions due to weather and pressure. However, anoma-

lous propagation which results in extended VHF

range is relatively rare, there are days when single

station range increases from 35 to 200 miles and op-

posite side of Baltic is accessible. Major traffic re-

gions, like VTS Zatoka Gdanska and VTMS Zatoka

Pomorska were designed to have extra coverage re-

dundancy in case of system outages or poor propa-

gation. For that purpose there are alternative base

stations and additional communication links.

2.4 Information available to Marine Traffic

Monitoring System users

The scope of AIS information obtained to ship in re-

lation to those available by VTS stations is basically

the same. However, number of ships providing such

information is different in both of the cases. This

difference in number is caused both by limit of ships

transmission range particularly of AIS class B de-

vices, as well as by additional VTS stations possibil-

ities to utilize own system of receiving antennas and

to obtain additional AIS information available from

the other VTS stations.

VTS centres have access to wider information

which is covering bigger area than ships have. Na-

tional Marine Safety System in Poland is currently

under reconstruction and additional information

from cameras, and shore radar stations would be

available to VTS.

The Figure 2 demonstrates current possibilities of

obtaining and recording traffic information by AIS

PL system.

Data recorded by AIS PL might be used for pur-

pose of joint SMU-GMU project.

In distinct to VTS stations, the ships might ob-

serve in close distance the objects not fitted in AIS

devices, which might remain to be not visible for

cameras and shore based radar stations. Therefore

possibilities of exchanging information are im-

portant as safety of navigation and environment pro-

tection is concern.

287

Fig. 1. AIS-PL base stations estimated signal ranges [3]

Fig.2. South Baltic Sea traffic flow pattern recorded by AIS PL form 1

to 7

August 2007 [2]

AIS-PL base stations ranges

288

2.5 SMU-GMU joint project description

The main goal of joint SMU-GMU research is to de-

sign identification, prediction, and real time projec-

tion algorithmic models of congested area.

The figure 3 presents basic idea of the system, as

proposed by the authors of this paper.

Figure 3. Congested Area Detection and Projection – VTS

Mode, Basic Idea

One of the first scientific problems will concern

defining and building of mathematical model of

congested areas. Due to specific traffic flow pattern

on Chinese and Polish waters, each team intends to

define congested area in a different way:

− Chinese research team, by utilizing DBSCAN al-

gorithm and the fuzzy modelling distance match-

ing criterion,

− Polish research team, by planning routes of

movement of vessels, on the basis of information

received from the Automatic Identification Sys-

tem, using a variant of evolutionary algorithms, in

accordance with treat of collision criterion.

The definition of congestion adopted by Polish

team might require prediction of vessel position in a

longer time horizon. This results in need to add pre-

diction option to basic concept of the system. See

figure 4.

Figure 4. Congested Area Detection and Projection – VTS

Mode, Prediction Option

Following tasks will to be performed by GMU re-

search team:

1 Conduct surveys on the movement of vessels in

Polish maritime areas and development of:

− Procedures for on-line tracking of vessels un-

der the AIS information.

− Assumptions algorithm modelling areas with

particularly high density of maritime traffic

through the planning of routes of movement of

ships.

2 Create models of passage routes of ships in an

environment with static and dynamic constraints

and develop and implement alternative evolution-

ary algorithms for planning paths of movement of

vessels on the basis of information from the AIS.

3 Develop heuristics analyzing changes in the envi-

ronment and reasoning on action, the selection of

operators, exploration and exploitation of a set of

solutions.

4 Investigate the simulation and test variants of

evolutionary algorithms of traffic flow on the ba-

sis of different variants of information from the

AIS in Polish maritime areas.

5 Analyze and elaborate results of evolutionary al-

gorithms of traffic flow and identification of con-

gested areas or with particularly high density of

maritime traffic.

The GMU project provides that traffic infor-

mation data would be obtained, processed and pro-

jected on the screen in a useable form by the VTS

station and VTS would be a primary user of the sys-

tem. However taking in to consideration e-

Navigation requirements, the authors suggest, that

system should also facilitate availability of selected

information addressed to all ships in the region as

well as information addressed to the single vessel.

This would require that system has to process da-

ta in both, VTS and Own Ship mode. See Figure 5.

289

Figure 5. Congested Area Detection and Projection – VTS &

Own Ship Mode.

The system for relying of processed data and in-

formation would provide for displaying of congested

area on the navigation bridge in a real time, as de-

fined according to selected criteria , as well as the

early warnings of the collision treats, which might

appear in the future on the selected region or single

vessel track.

3 USER’S REQUIREMENTS

Regardless of the aims of the SMU and GMU re-

search teams in connection to detection and projec-

tion of congested area, the authors have attempt to

identify the system user’s requirements, both VTS

operators and the navigating officers. Taking in to

consideration technical feasibility and scientific po-

tential of the partners, these requirements are possi-

ble to be met in the frame of the joint project.

3.1 VTS operators requirements

The authors have identified following VTS operators

requirements:

Feasibility of detection and projection of the con-

gested area on which, due to the traffic intensity, its

flow is reduced or constrained.

Feasibility of detection and projection of congest-

ed area on which, traffic intensity exceeds safe mar-

gins required to facilitate safe navigation, taking in

to account current hydro-metrological conditions.

Feasibility of early detection of collision treat for

a single vessel or common treat for group of ships

and presentation of potential collision area with in-

dication of time and number of ships involved.

Feasibility of short term prediction of changes in

location, shape, range and character of congested ar-

ea, and in case of collision impended area prediction

of time and number of vessels involved.

Detected area in course of time may smoothly

change its location, shrink, enlarge, change charac-

ter, divide, merge or vanish. In the future, the system

operators basing on above changes may learn to

draw conclusions concerning congestion level and

navigation safety.

Early detection of area impendent by the conges-

tion feasibility might be restricted in the case of lack

of voyage plan transmission by class A ships. This

data transmission is not obligatory at the moment.

Therefore authors postulate obligatory voyage plan

transmission on the area covered by VTS, on the

same base as obligatory VHF reports are required at

present.

The voyage plan information covering controlled

area obtained from all ships equipped in AIS class

A, would facilitate preparation of reliable forecasts

of areas impendent by congestion and would facili-

tate effective traffic management.

Scientific analyze of recorded changes of con-

gested area might open new prospects in long term

forecasting of congestion or collision treats. This an-

alyze would contribute to design new methods of

congested area traffic management and elaboration

of the new, presently unknown navigation aids, ded-

icated to voyage planning in the form of charts,

modelled on Pilot or Routing Charts.

3.2 Navigating officers’ requirements

The authors have identified following navigating of-

ficer’s requirements:

1 Feasibility of Internet access to real time presen-

tation of ship’s movements in selected VTS area

including detected congestion boarders and short

term prediction of the following:

− area of slow or constrained traffic flow,

− area with traffic intensity exciding safe mar-

gins,

− area impended by collision treat.

2 Feasibility of receiving facsimile transmission of

information described in point 1, in equal time in-

tervals, for example every one hour.

3 Feasibility of obtaining automatically, or by an

action of VTS operator of early SMS warning

about impendent situation on the ships track,

boarders of suspected area and time of reaching

these boarders.

4 Feasibility of receiving automatically SMS mes-

sage about treat diminishing due to own vessel

early action or action of the other vessels in-

volved.

290

The authors anticipate that both teams would ana-

lyze identified in this paper user’s requirements and

consider to implement them in the course of re-

search.

If presented proposals would meet the interest of

research teams, the authors are ready to engage in

preparation of detailed specification of the user’s re-

quirements which might facilitate including such re-

quirements in the joint project.

4 CONCLUSION

Implementation on the laboratory level of SMS early

warnings or messages related to collision impendent

area, after conducting required tests might in the fu-

ture be developed in the direction of Automatic Col-

lision Impendent Area Avoidance Advisory System.

As the next step, the scope of the automatic ad-

vices might be extended to Congested Area Avoid-

ance System.

Automatic massages related to congestion avoid-

ance might compose an element of that future Con-

gested Area Traffic Management System, which

seems to be in harmony with IALA e-Navigation

concept.

Authors express view, that present joint SMU-

GMU project could be a great opportunity as a start

point for future fruitful cooperation that would bene-

fit of all seafarers, marine environment and both na-

tions.

REFERENCES

[1] Król A., Stupak T: Dokładność rejestracji danych pozycyj-

nych statków w systemie nawigacji zintegrowanej. XIV In-

ternational Conference Transcomp 2010, Logistyka 6/2010

str. 1675 – 1681

[2] Duda D., Stupak T., Wawruch R.: “Ship movement and

tracking with AIS”. Polish Journal of environmental stud-

ies, Vol. 16, No 3C, 2007, pp. 18-25.

[3] www.umgdy.pl