Automatic Traffic Monitoring through Visualization and AI in Swedish Waters (AUTO MON)

The occurrence of ship accidents and incidents, with potentially major consequences for the individual and the environment, demonstrates the need for increased monitoring of maritime traffic in Swedish waters, in order to enable proactive measures to minimize accident risks at sea. This research project investigates how a high level of automation can be used to detect and manage traffic deviations in Swedish waters. There is also risk for manipulation of a so-called AIS system (Automatic Identification System) and its position-indications around the world. This may have an impact on safety at sea and a problem that is likely to increase in Sweden as well

The project goals are to:

• map and define operational concepts for automatic monitoring of Swedish waters with handover to a human operator,
• technically describe and demonstrate how a robust AI system with continuous monitoring and visualization of all merchant ships in Swedish waters, with an algorithm for traffic anomaly detection, can be designed,
• study how automatic traffic monitoring, and use of associated transponder data and data describing waterways can be used to develop power relations and, in the long run, improve the socio-economic calculations for measures taken in the maritime transport area, and study legal aspects of data use,
• design and evaluate how visualization for complex traffic monitoring can contribute, based on a number of key performance indicators produced within the project,
• investigate technical methods and solutions to counteract intentional manipulation of the AIS system for Swedish waters and,
• C-arify solutions for how contact can be made with vessels in need of support, outside the established VTS areas, with minimal effort by the operator.