sensors-logo

Journal Browser

Journal Browser

Intelligent Optimization for Marine Vehicle Navigation and Positioning

A special issue of Sensors (ISSN 1424-8220). This special issue belongs to the section "Navigation and Positioning".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2026 | Viewed by 1098

Special Issue Editors


E-Mail
Guest Editor
School of Maritime Economics and Management, Dalian Maritime University, Dalian 116026, China
Interests: marine vehicle systems; dynamic positioning; navigation planning; optimized control; intelligent control
Department of Intelligence, China Waterborne Transport Research Institute, Beijing 100088, China
Interests: intelligent navigation; autonomous decision-making and control; collision avoidance for autonomous ship; risk analysis of ship collision
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

During the actual operation of marine vehicle systems, the navigation and positioning functions are highly susceptible to interference from multiple complex factors. These disturbances include not only environmental disturbances such as wind, wave, and current loads, but also internal perturbations like sensor measurement noise and actuator hysteresis, with a significant strong coupling effect existing among various types of disturbance.

These constraints directly affect the operational stability of navigation and positioning systems, reduce the accuracy and reliability of sensor data acquisition, further restrict the operational efficiency of marine vehicles, and threaten the operational safety of related tasks such as offshore exploration and maritime transportation. Therefore, it is imperative to develop intelligent optimized navigation and positioning strategies integrated with advanced sensor technologies.

Currently, solutions such as learning-driven optimal trajectory planning schemes and sensor adaptive calibration control strategies have been gradually applied in this field. In addition, the practical implementation of these optimized schemes can promote the integration and lightweight development of navigation and positioning systems and sensors, reduce equipment deployment, operation and maintenance costs, and yield remarkable engineering value and economic benefits. The call for papers for this Special Issue aims to establish an academic exchange platform for researchers and practitioners in related fields worldwide, focusing on the latest theoretical research, technological breakthroughs, and engineering application achievements in the field of sensor-enabled intelligent optimized navigation and positioning for marine vehicle systems so as to facilitate technological innovation and achievement transformation in this field.

Dr. Xiaoyang Gao
Dr. Ke Zhang
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sensors is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • marine vehicle systems
  • dynamic positioning
  • navigation planning
  • optimized control
  • intelligent control

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

20 pages, 2324 KB  
Article
A System Identification Approach to Motion Model Based on Full-Scale Ship Maneuvering Data
by Yanfei Tian, Wuliu Tian, Ke Zhang, Lin Hua, Jie Wen and Fangyang Zhu
Sensors 2026, 26(10), 3199; https://doi.org/10.3390/s26103199 - 19 May 2026
Viewed by 227
Abstract
The paper concerns motion modeling for full-scale ships under the frame of system identification (SI) principles. Several groups of full-scale ship maneuvering experiments have been implemented to collect research data. On structure identification, as an innovation, a nonlinear integrating ship motion model is [...] Read more.
The paper concerns motion modeling for full-scale ships under the frame of system identification (SI) principles. Several groups of full-scale ship maneuvering experiments have been implemented to collect research data. On structure identification, as an innovation, a nonlinear integrating ship motion model is identified and established. The concerned model includes 21 parameters. Under the premise of error criterion, a batch least-squares (BLS)-based parameter estimation process is used to estimate the 21 parameters. The strategy is verified for feasibility and availability by using a pragmatic case study. The accuracy of the estimated parameter values is checked by comparing the track in simulation with the trial trajectory. Research indicates that the technical process proposed in the paper from the perspective of SI principles can be applied to the modeling of ship maneuvering motion. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

21 pages, 4632 KB  
Article
An Enhanced Event-Based Model for Integrated Flight Safety of Fixed-Wing UAVs
by Xin Ma, Xikang Lu, Hongwei Li, Xiyue Lu, Jiahua Li and Jiajun Zhao
Sensors 2026, 26(7), 2058; https://doi.org/10.3390/s26072058 - 25 Mar 2026
Viewed by 494
Abstract
To address the issues of safety risk analysis and conflict assessment for integrated flight of manned aircraft and fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in low-altitude mixed-operation airspace, this study enhances the foundational Event model. By incorporating UAV characteristics such as geometric features and [...] Read more.
To address the issues of safety risk analysis and conflict assessment for integrated flight of manned aircraft and fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in low-altitude mixed-operation airspace, this study enhances the foundational Event model. By incorporating UAV characteristics such as geometric features and aerodynamic mechanisms, alongside design dimensions and onboard performance metrics, an improved collision risk model is developed—the Enhanced Event-Based Framework for Multidimensional Geometry and Quasi-Monte Carlo Analysis of Flight Performance (EMGF-M). This enhancement rectifies the limitations of the basic model regarding parameter coverage and scenario adaptability, thereby improving the reliability and validity of the computational results. Experimental results demonstrate that, in accordance with the target safety level for airspace conflicts set by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the application of the improved Event collision model yields quantifiable assessments of safety risks and safe separation distances for integrated operations in low-altitude mixed-use airspace. Utilizing these computational results for integrated flight procedure design at a general airport in Southwest China, the study shows that the air traffic flow in the low-altitude mixed-operation airspace increased from 9.2 to 20.9 operations per hour. The practical significance of this method lies in its guidance for accurately assessing safety risks in mixed airspace operations and for determining quantifiable separation minima for integrated flight trajectory planning. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop