Current Applications

Our current applications

• Observation of maritime traffic
• Provision of services to support coordination, cooperation and communication to increase safety in maritime transport
• Simulative validation and verification of highly automated maritime assistance systems
• Physical validation and verification of highly automated maritime assistance systems
• eMIR: Provision of the combined virtual and physical validation and verification platform for externals
• Support to build digitisation skills for maritime SMEs 

Observation of maritime traffic

Large-scale observation of maritime traffic including prevailing environmental conditions. Here at OFFIS an extensive database and server infrastructure is operated, by means of which Big Data analyses and learning systems are trained.

Several NaviBoxes along the German coast are used to measure maritime traffic and environmental conditions in the German Bight and lower Elbe.

• The European project HANSA (https://www.emaritime.de/projects/hansa/) is currently using these data to derive route corridors for safe navigation in the North Sea and Baltic Sea.
• In the project IntelliMar systems for anomaly detection will be validated and trained.

Provision of services to support coordination, cooperation and communication to increase safety in maritime transport

The provision of holistic services for maritime safety is intended to support the players and open up new fields of application. These include methods and services for the temporary and mobile use of maritime security solutions and for the comprehensive exchange of data and information (e.g. Maritime Connectivity Platform) as well as new usage concepts for widely available infrastructures.

• In the Kei.POP project, land-based services (e.g. land-based radar) are being developed via the MCP to support pilots.
• In the STM project, the integration of external services into navigation systems is being tested via mobile bridges.

Simulative validation and verification of highly automated maritime assistance systems

Using the virtual simulation platform HAGGIS, assistance systems can be tested virtually in simulations before their physical implementation. For this purpose, the traffic simulation tools developed at OFFIS can be used to create realistic traffic situations and to play them back automatically in many different forms and much faster than in real time. The simulation environment has common interfaces and protocols for the generation of AIS data and simple radar images. At the moment we are also working on the more comprehensive consideration of environmental information (e.g. wind, weather, waves and currents), as well as on the integration of common ship dynamics.

• In the project ACTRESS (https://www.emaritime.de/projects/actress/) the consideration of currents in the simulation is worked on.
• For the MTCAS project (https://www.emaritime.de/projects/mtcas/), in which an assistance system for collision avoidance was developed, validation scenarios were derived using simulative methods.

Workflows of the interplay of virtual simulation environments and

mobile bridge systems for testing Shore-Based Bridge and Remote Pilotage Assistance systems

Physical validation and verification of highly automated maritime assistance systems

In our physical test platform LABSKAUS the research vessel 'Zuse' serves as a test vehicle for experiments at sea.

New systems and components are tested in practice and further developed on the reference and test track between Helgoland and Brunsbüttel.

Using two ship bridges integrated in sea containers, new functions of high automation can also be tested as a "second" bridge on a ship or simulated as a shore-side VTS.

eMIR: Provision of the combined virtual and physical validation and verification platform for externals

The eMIR research platform is open and can be used by companies, research institutes and project consortia. Depending on the requirements of the project, specific validation infrastructures and test setups can be offered from the individual components, but personnel can also be flexibly provided to support the engineering or operation of the infrastructure.

Possible services with eMIR are e.g:

• Simulation of the traffic flow in the German Bight
• Testing and validation of novel maritime assistance systems both simulatively and in situ with our own Zuse research vessel and, if required, larger vessels (via partners).
• Simple testing of new HMI concepts and exemplary integration into a ship bridge and possibly into VTS systems. We have access to all common ECIDS and VTS systems through our partners.
• Use of our reference waterway with the Zuse in Jade/Weser/Elbe Approach
• Ship-to-ship and ship-to-shore communication also via satellite
• Systematic derivation and generation of verification and validation scenarios
• Access to database with historical traffic and weather in the German Bight
• Laser-based measurement of objects and systems

Support to build digitisation skills for maritime SMEs

We currently offer SMEs active support in increasing their digitisation skills within the framework of the Mittelstand 4.0-Kompetenzzentrum Bremen (https://www.offis.de/offis/projekt/mittelstand-40-kompetenzzentrum-bremen.html).

Within the framework of the Mittelstand 4.0-Kompetenzzentrum Bremen, we gladly demonstrate the possibilities of digitization in the maritime environment to SMEs with the eMIR technology development platform. Furthermore, in an exchange with us or with you (e.g. within the framework of a workshop), specific opportunities for digitisation can be identified and jointly analysed, how their implementation could be supported with the eMIR technology platform.

We also offer support:

•  In the analysis of maritime systems and their modelling.

• Through engineering / product development support, in particular through continuous monitoring of the product development process (V&V) for safety-critical and highly automated maritime systems.
• During the testing and demonstration of maritime systems.