“The use of new technologies has had a positive impact on the improvement of safety systems at sea”
Technological challenges for maritime safety
In an on-line conference on 3rd March 2023, we learned about the technological solutions developed by start-ups in response to challenges posed by the Jovellanos Integral Maritime Safety Centre (SASEMAR),within the framework of the European AT VIRTUAL project.
These technological solutions were aimed at improving the operability and performance of this Asturian centre, taking into account technologies related to Industry 4.0: internet of Things (IoT), data analytics y vision technologies.
Development of solutions
The first challenge faced by the Jovellanos Centre, as stated by Covadonga Suárez, Head of the Training Service, was to define and contextualise the needs of the start-ups. They had to understand the scope of the situation, and come up with innovative solutions to fit the technical and economic premises. In order to carry out this task, the Jovellanos Centre was assisted by TECNALIA.
Eneko Álvarez, TECNALIA researcher, showcased the technology centre’s work in this project, which focused on the development of a technological self-diagnosis tool for maritime safety centres.
Covadonga Suárez presented the solution related to sensors and monitoring: a system for tracking and sending alarms and/or support messages to mobile devices(smartphones and/or wearables) used by students during their training internships. She also described the solution for emergency training in the cockpit of a helicopter by means of a virtual reality system. It is an ambitious challenge that hybridises the virtual and the real so that students can interact safely.
José Cristóbal Maraver, Head of the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre in Tarifa, was in charge of explaining the need and the solution using data analytics. The objective was to design a platform that would enable users to have a single map to obtain a real vision of all available data (AIS, bathymetry, cartography, densities, etc.), and of all latent risks in a specific maritime area, as well as to manage more than 400,000 data per hour to help controllers in their work of analysis and study.
Technologies 4.0 at Maritime Training Centres: AT-Virtual
These approaches and the development of their practical solutions have been made possible thanks to the European AT VIRTUAL project.
The initiative fulfils the objective of accelerating the digitisation process of Maritime Safety Training Centres (MSTCs) in the Atlantic Area through the introduction of enabling technologies: improving capacity, preparedness and response in maritime emergency operations.
