Data fusion techniques for sea state estimation using the measured motions of multiple vessels

Description

Sea state estimation (SSE) refers to methods and techniques used to characterize the properties of the sea-surface wave at a given time and position. Ocean waves represent the most important (compromising) met-ocean phenomenon for ships and offshore structures dominated by wave loads. The scarcity of in-situ wave data from vast areas of the world’s oceans is yet an ongoing problem. Enhancing safety and efficiency at sea through quantification and mitigation of the inherent uncertainties to environmental description is increasingly recognized by the shipping, offshore, and renewable energy industries, as well as in coastal engineering.

Fusing data from multiple and heterogeneous observation platforms enables reducing the uncertainties inherent to the measurements from individual platforms. In this framework, the ship-as-a-wave-buoy method shows high relevance, simply by accounting for the huge (and growing) number of ships in transit on the open sea. Many of them have their wave-induced motions, and sometimes also other responses, monitored, constituting a massive set of data, which, combined with data from other observation platforms (buoys, shipborne radars, remote sensing, etc.), can be the input to a networked procedure to
estimate – with greater confidence – the encountered wave systems.

In this study, the functionality of a heterogeneous network of wave recorders, including ships as ‘sailing wave buoys’, is investigated. New network-based methods are introduced for sea state estimation using measured ship motions. The study considers on-site wave data fusion in near real-time, as well as spatial estimation methods with a larger geographical horizon. Some sample results from numerically simulated – as well as real-life – case studies, are analyzed in terms of accuracy, precision, and robustness of the produced wave estimates. Several areas of focus for future work are finally highlighted, emphasizing the expected outcomes of the thesis.

Period	26 Jan 2023
Event title	23rd Nordic Maritime Universities Workshop: 23rd DNV Workshop
Event type	Conference
Location	Göteborg, SwedenShow on map