ESABALT Enhanced Situational Awareness to Improve Maritime Safety in the Baltic
| Reference number | |
| Coordinator | SSPA Sweden AB - SSPA Göteborgskontoret |
| Funding from Vinnova | SEK 1 125 180 |
| Project duration | January 2014 - December 2015 |
| Status | Completed |
Purpose and goal
The main goal of the project was to explore ways of improving maritime safety in the Baltic through enhanced situational awareness. The strategy for reaching the goal was to develop a system that would; - increase the amount of maritime information being communicated (traffic and navigational information, weather information, environmental observations, etc.) - increase the number of users, by being available to broad spectrum of maritime stakeholders - provide a more aggregated information overview.
Results and expected effects
The outcome of the project is a further developed concept of a platform where real-time maritime information is crowed-sourced. Briefly explained, the system is based on a common communication protocol, defining which data can be communicated and how the data it is exchanged with a central server. The protocol is open and available to anyone, e.g. an electronics manufacturer incorporating the standards into a navigational plotter or a maritime research institute storing crowed-sourced information for a statistical historical purpose.
Approach and implementation
As mentioned, the strategy was to develop a system that aimed to increase the amount of information, increase number of users and provide a more aggregated information overview. In a survey conducted in the project among maritime professionals a large majority where positive to these ideas and answered that they would participate in such crowed-sourcing if the possibility were given. The project group, with additional new project members, are together forming a continuation project, where the aim is to implement the concept developed in this project, into a functioning system.