Within the SMART-Navigation program KRISO is conducting research on further development and implementation of the e-Navigation concept by new and enhanced on-board and shore-based applications. The main purpose of SMART project is to improve safety navigation and the protection of the marine environment. A method, the so called Time Series Distance Graph method (TSDG) has been developed which is assumed to improve situational awareness of operators monitoring vessel traffic in a shore-based control centre. The method aims at the timely and reliable detection of developing dangerous traffic situations involving risk of collision or risk of grounding. The TDSG method helps to provide a unique visualization and risk-based categorization of traffic situations in any variable VTS area. Main hypothesis of applying this method is that provision of TSDG will have an impact on operator's behaviour when intervening with traffic. The project aims at studying this impact by series of simulation-based experiments. For this purpose simulation scenarios will be designed and trials are planned, conducted with various operators. Analysis of the trials are to provide basic data to derive recommendations for further research and development of the method and its implementation into daily practice.
