Search Results (21)

The S-100 standard for Electronic Chart Display and Information Systems (ECDIS) uses Lua scripts to render electronic charts, yet lacks security specifications for script execution. This paper evaluates automated Static Application Security Testing (SAST) tools versus expert manual review for S-100-compliant software. Four SAST tools were applied alongside an expert review of OpenS100, a reference implementation for next-generation ECDIS. While automated tools identified numerous defects, they failed to detect 83% (19/23) of expert-identified vulnerabilities, including an unrestricted Lua interpreter flaw with a Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) score of 9.3. This vulnerability enables Remote Code Execution (RCE) via malicious portrayal catalogues, verified through Proof of Concept (PoC) development. The analysis demonstrates that SAST tools are constrained by limited maritime domain knowledge and challenges in analyzing cross-language semantic risks at the C++–Lua interface. The findings establish that identified vulnerabilities stem from specification gaps in the S-100 standard rather than isolated coding errors. These results indicate that functional safety certifications require supplementation to address design-level security risks. The evidence supports that the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) incorporate security controls, such as script sandboxing and library restrictions, into the S-100 framework before the 2029 mandatory adoption deadline. Full article

Maritime transportation accounts for approximately 80 percent of global trade volume, with modern vessels increasingly reliant on Software-Defined Radio (SDR) technologies for communication and navigation. However, the very flexibility and reconfigurability that make SDRs advantageous also introduce complex radio frequency vulnerabilities exposing ships to threats that jeopardize vessel security, and this disrupts global supply chains. This survey paper systematically examines the security landscape of maritime SDR systems through a threat modeling lens. Following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines, we analyzed 84 peer-reviewed publications (from 2002 to 2025) and applied the STRIDE framework to identify and categorize maritime SDR threats. We identified 44 distinct threat types, with tampering attacks being most prevalent (36 instances), followed by Denial of Service (33 instances), Repudiation (30 instances), Spoofing (23 instances), Information Disclosure (24 instances), and Elevation of Privilege (28 instances). These threats exploit vulnerabilities across device, software, network, message, and user layers, targeting critical systems including Global Navigation Satellite Systems, Automatic Identification Systems, Very High Frequency or Digital Selective Calling systems, Electronic Chart Display and Information Systems, and National Marine Electronics Association 2000 networks. Our analysis reveals that maritime SDR threats are multidimensional and interdependent, with compromises at any layer potentially cascading through entire maritime operations. Significant gaps remain in authentication mechanisms for core protocols, supply chain assurance, regulatory frameworks, multi-layer security implementations, awareness training, and standardized forensic procedures. Further analysis highlights that securing maritime SDRs requires a proactive security engineering that integrates secured hardware architectural designs, cryptographic authentications, adaptive spectrum management, strengthened international regulations, awareness education, and standardized forensic procedures to ensure resilience and trustworthiness. Full article

Digitalization has revolutionized the maritime industry, particularly in navigation systems. The use of advanced tools such as the Electronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS) has increased the need for information processing. However, the complexity of these systems can be overwhelming for navigators. To address the concern of usability of these complex navigation systems, training with simulator data allows the crew to familiarize themselves with these systems, handle complex navigation scenarios effectively, support the transition from paper-based systems to digital systems, and help in improving their situational awareness (SA) at sea. We propose a tool that provides optimal conditions for assessing situational awareness and informing the development of intuitive systems and user interfaces. In the maritime safety domain, there is an inverse correlation between situational awareness and scenario/system complexity, highlighting the importance of effective training and assessments to improve SA. The proposed tool utilizes the Situational Awareness Global Assessment Technique (SAGAT) method, widely used in other domains, to calculate an individual’s SA score. It evaluates participants’ situational awareness in different navigational scenarios on Ship Handling Simulators, using dynamic questionnaires and contextual maps. Additionally, it integrates a rule-based system to assess participants’ performance and calculate a situational awareness score in real time, offering possibilities for assessing the SA of navigators. Full article

Automatic Identification System (AIS) data offer essential insights into maritime traffic patterns; however, effective visualization tools for decision-making remain limited. This study presents an integrated visualization processing method to support ship operators by identifying maritime traffic behavior information, such as traffic density, direction, and flow in specific sea navigational areas. We analyzed AIS dynamic data from a specific sea area, calculated ship density distributions across a grid lattice, and obtained visualizations of traffic-dense areas as heat maps. Using the density-based spatial clustering of applications with a noise algorithm, we detected traffic direction at each grid point, which was visualized in the form of directional arrows, and clustered ship trajectories to identify representative traffic flows. The visualizations were integrated and overlaid onto an S-57-based electronic nautical map for Mokpo’s entry and exit routes, revealing primary shipping lanes and critical inflection points within the target area. This integrated visualization method simultaneously displays traffic density, flow, and customary routes. It is adapted for the electronic nautical chart (S-101) under the next-generation hydrographic information standard (S-100), which can be used as a tool to support decision-making for ship operators. Full article

The maritime sector is increasingly integrating Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies to enhance safety, environmental protection, and operational efficiency. With the introduction of the MASS Code by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), which regulates Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships (MASS), ensuring the safety of AI-integrated systems on these vessels has become critical. To achieve safe navigation, it is essential to identify potential risks during the system planning stage and design systems that can effectively address these risks. This paper proposes RA4MAIS (Risk Assessment for Maritime Artificial Intelligence Safety), a risk identification method specifically useful for developing AI-integrated maritime systems. RA4MAIS employs a systematic approach to uncover potential risks by considering internal system failures, human interactions, environmental conditions, AI-specific characteristics, and data quality issues. The method provides structured guidance to identify unknown risk situations and supports the development of safety requirements that guide system design and implementation. A case study on an Electronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS) with an AI-integrated collision avoidance function demonstrates the applicability of RA4MAIS, highlighting its effectiveness in identifying specific risks related to AI performance and reliability. The proposed method offers a foundational step towards enhancing the safety of software systems, contributing to the safe operation of autonomous ships. Full article

Considerable technological progress has been made in ship handling and mooring in recent years, especially progress generated by the needs imposed by the introduction of ever larger ships. These advancements exploit the economic scale and environmental efficiency of larger vessels, but also present unique challenges, particularly in narrow waterways and harbour approaches. Precise navigation in these environments requires highly accurate hydrographic measurements, high-quality electronic charts, and advanced navigation systems, such as modern electronic chart display and information systems (ECDIS). Safe and efficient port operations also depend on the optimised allocation of port resources and comprehensive queuing strategies. Modern ships are increasingly susceptible to interference with Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) and Automatic Identification Systems (AIS), necessitating the development of resilient technologies and procedures to ensure navigational safety. In addition, climate change is exacerbating the challenges of ship handling in ports, as larger vessels are particularly vulnerable to sudden gusts of wind and have difficulty maintaining their position in the quay in strong crosswinds. Training and simulation are crucial to overcoming these challenges. Ship-handling simulators are invaluable for training purposes, but development is still needed to accurately simulate tilt and lean effects, especially when ships are sailing in narrow channels with following currents and changing winds. Improving the accuracy of these simulators will improve the preparation of seafarers for real-life conditions and ultimately contribute to safer and more efficient ship operations. Full article

The obligated implementation of the Electronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS) began ten years ago, and during this time, we could observe different types of familiarization with the system through its users. The incorrect use of the ECDIS is a problem recognized by the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO), and it is caused by disparate levels of education and the quality of courses. Another aspect of the recognized problem is the unequal length of the ECDIS specific course training period through which users acquire type-specific familiarization with the system. Switching between different types of ECDISs makes users more prone to errors until they become fully familiar with the new product system. This paper analyzes seafarers’ knowledge and ECDIS usage over a 6-year period. Based on obtained data, models that enable risk analysis based on conditional probability were created. This paper presents the use of Bayesian modeling to reduce errors in maritime accidents caused by inadequate use of the ECDIS. Full article

Electronic navigational charts (ENCs) are geospatial databases compiled in strict accordance with the technical specifications of the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO). Electronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS) is a Geographic Information System (GIS) operated by ENCs for real-time navigation at sea, which is one of the key technologies for intelligent ships to realize autonomous navigation, intelligent decision-making, and other functions. Facing the urgent demand for high-precision and real-time nautical chart products for polar navigation under the new situation, the projection of ENCs for polar navigation is systematically analyzed in this paper. Based on the theory of complex functions, we derive direct transformations of Mercator projection, polar Gauss-Krüger projection, and polar stereographic projection. A rational set of dynamic projection options oriented towards polar navigation is proposed with reference to existing specifications for the compilation of the ENCs. From the perspective of nautical users, rather than the GIS expert or professional cartographer, an ENCs visualization idea based on multithread-double buffering is integrated into Polar Region Electronic Navigational Charts software, which effectively solves the problem of large projection distortion in polar navigation applications. Taking the CGCS2000 reference ellipsoid as an example, the numerical analysis shows that the length distortion of the Mercator projection is less than 10% in the region up to 74°, but it is more than 80% at very high latitudes. The maximum distortion of the polar Gauss-Krüger projection does not exceed 10%. The degree of distortion of the polar stereographic projection is less than 1% above 79°. In addition, the computational errors of the direct conversion formulas do not exceed $10^{-9}$ m throughout the Arctic range. From the point of view of the computational efficiency of the direct conversion model, it takes no more than 0.1 s to compute nearly 8 million points at $1^{\prime }\times 1^{\prime }$ resolution, which fully meets the demand for real-time nautical chart products under information technology conditions. Full article

Fishing boat laws in Korea require fishing boats to be equipped with a location transmitter. Approximately 91% of registered fishing boats have V-pass terminals, whereas those with a gross tonnage of 10 t or more have either V-pass or automatic identification system (AIS) terminals (or use both). Most navigators, including the fishing boat location transmitter, rely on the satellite signals provided by the global navigation satellite system (GNSS) without considering the accuracy of the navigation instruments that indicate ship location. Many scholars are conducting research to analyze the accuracy of GNSS locations through continuous experiments; however, few of them focus on fishing boat location transmitters. Particularly, the location accuracy of V-pass equipment is unknown. Notably, the V-pass and AIS terminals used in fishing boats are mainly designed to locate fishing boats in need of assistance following a marine accident rather than to provide information on approaching ships and preventing collisions. Therefore, this study aimed to compare GNSS location storage data extracted from the location transmitter (V-pass and AIS terminal) of the accident fishing boat with the DGPS location information from the Electronic Chart Display and Information System to check the position error and use it for accident analysis and investigation. Full article

The COVID-19 pandemic is the first major pandemic of the digital age and has been characterised by unprecedented public consumption of spatial and temporal disease data, which can enable greater transparency and accountability of governments to the public for their public health decisions. A variety of state and non-state actors have collated and presented maps, charts, and plots of data related to the pandemic in both static and dynamic formats. In particular, there has been a proliferation of online dashboards presenting data related to the pandemic. The sources and types of information displayed have evolved rapidly during the pandemic, with a general trend towards providing more specialised information pertinent to specific aspects of epidemiology or disease control, as opposed simply to disease and death notifications. Limited evaluation of the quality of COVID-19 data visualisation tools has been conducted and significant effort now needs to be spent on standardisation and quality improvement of national and international data visualisation systems including developing common indicators, data quality assurance mechanisms and visualisation approaches, and building compatible electronic systems for data collection and sharing. The increasing availability of disease data for public consumption presents challenges and opportunities for government, media organisations, academic research institutions, and the general public. A key challenge is ensuring consistency and effectiveness of public health messaging to ensure a coordinated response and public trust in intervention strategies. Capitalising on opportunities for greater government accountability for public health decision-making, and more effective mobilisation of public health interventions, is predicated on the provision of accurate and timely information. Full article

The Automatic Identification System (AIS) is a kind of navigation equipment that exchanges a wealth of essential information among vessels and between ships to shore through Very High Frequency. Currently, identification and other navigational information can be obtained in real time with AIS data integrated into other shipborne systems, such as the Electronic Chart Display and Information System and radar. However, at present, AIS information is represented in a two-dimensional (2D) way, which is not the same as the three-dimensional (3D) world people perceive visually. In this paper, we introduce RedNavi, a sustainable computer 3D scene building system that visualizes the current sea, specifically the environment and traffic conditions around the ownship, using received AIS data. RedNavi has a wide range of application scenarios. Applying to the maritime education and training field, it can serve as a bridge between the 2D and 3D worlds, helping less experienced trainees build up their capabilities. Applying to actual navigation, it can provide the deck officer with another visual aid to their lookout in addition to existing 2D information systems. In addition, given the microservices architecture RedNavi adopts, the development, deployment, and maintenance processes become relatively lighter, faster, and easier, and therefore more sustainable than traditional monolithic systems. Full article

Traditional methods of marine navigation are undergoing a revolution brought about by the almost universal adoption of the Automatic Identification System (AIS). AIS exchanges a wealth of navigational information among vessels and between ships to shore through Very High Frequency (VHF). With AIS data integrated into the Electronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS), the identification and navigational information of surrounding vessels as well as aids to navigation can be reflected on the electronic charts in real time, despite some problems such as the low AIS carriage rate on small vessels where it is not mandatory and the high cost of ECDIS preventing such vessels from installing it. In this paper, we introduce BlueNavi, a lower cost but sustainable maritime information providing platform built with microservices architecture allowing flexible on-demand scalability and cross-platform adaptability. Applications served by BlueNavi can provide users with data either stored in a remote data center through the internet or received locally by devices connected to the station without the need for the internet. From our land test, we show that users with only an internet connection but without any AIS equipment can also obtain live AIS data collected by other stations. Conversely, with access to the internet, BlueNavi can also send data back to the land stations, enabling other ships to identify non-AIS ships as well. Through the live-ship test, we demonstrate that BlueNavi works well offline in cooperation with shipborne AIS equipment. We also look at some possible application scenarios for BlueNavi with other data sources and means of communication other than AIS and VHF that can be expanded to the platform. BlueNavi will enable inexpensive ship identification for small vessels and provide an extension of functionality to ECDIS for large ships. Full article

Along with the development of ship navigational equipment, ship operators have to process a larger amount of information than before and be exposed to more alarm sounds. These ships’ bridge environment increases burdens to ship operators. One of the methods proposed to solve this problem is the audible voice alarm method. However, there is a lack of studies that objectively prove the efficacy of the method. Therefore, in this study, a comparative experiment was performed to confirm the effect by applying the method to an electronic chart display and information system (ECDIS), a representative navigation instrument. We analyzed collected data according to a data-driven process and confirmed the difference between a traditional alarm method and the audible voice alarm method by distinguishing groups through clustering. Full article

In the maritime sector, the integration of radar systems, Automatic Identification System (AIS) and Electronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS) through digital technologies enables several benefits to maritime operations, but also make ships prone to cyberattacks. In this context, this work investigates the feasibility of an attacker using a radar system or AIS as open door to remotely send commands to a cyber threat hosted on a ship, even if the ship’s systems are air gapped—i.e., are not connected to other networks. The received commands are intended to trigger a cyber threat located in the ship. Although the literature covers several analyzes on cyber risks and vulnerabilities in naval systems, it lacks exploiting mechanisms capable of acknowledging attack commands received through radar and AIS. To this end, this work proposes a triggering mechanism that uses a template matching technique to detect specific patterns transmitted by the attacker to the ship’s radar or AIS. The results show the effectiveness of the proposed technique as a tool to acknowledge the received attack commands and activate a malicious code previously installed on the ship. In the case of attacks on a radar system, the accuracy achieved by the proposed method is 0.90. In the case of attacks on an AIS/ECDIS setup it presents an accuracy of 0.93. In both cases the proposed mechanism maintains the due safety against accidental attack activations. Full article

In 2019, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) prescribed guidelines to standardize the user interface (UI) of navigation equipment such as radio detection and ranging (RADAR) and the electronic chart display and information system (ECDIS), which mandate the unification of various terminologies and icons to improve usability. However, comprehensive studies on the operability and standardization of global positioning system (GPS) plotters, which are auxiliary equipment installed across various domestic and commercial vessels for navigational purposes, have not been conducted. Therefore, we performed a case study to identify the user requirements for standardizing the UI of GPS plotters in South Korea. Additionally, we conducted a survey to ascertain the frequency of use of the navigational functions in a GPS plotter, in which, several deck officers and captains participated. The frequently used navigational functions that were subsequently identified confirmed the need for standardization of the UI. Furthermore, the users requested the standardization of the menus of these functions using Korean terminologies. Hence, we attempted to derive standardized items that can be applied to both the functions of the GPS plotters and the navigation information obtained, which can contribute to the improvement of the UI across the different types of plotters. Full article