| The EDD project aims to deliver
environmental data to the Rescue Control Centres (RCC's). RCC's like
the `Kustwachtcentrum' (Coastguard Centre) under control of the Dutch
Coastguard in Den Helder cover a large service area.
Environmental
data such as local ocean currents, local wave height and wind speed for
this service area are currently only sparsely available. The
availability of this kind of data is of utmost importance for selecting
the appropriate rescue method. Based on these data EDD can provide the
RCC with a drift forecast of a ship in distress, a lost container or an
oil spill. |
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A demonstration system has been developed that can show
drift predictions of objects floating in the sea. The demonstration
system was used in a real-life test. Environmental data is generated
with the use of real-time Earth Observation (EO) satellite data. The
net result was that EDD gives better situational awareness with an
increased drift prediction accuracy compared to the currently available
systems.
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| EDD increases the situational
awareness by providing wind, wave and current nowcast and forecast
information at the current and future predicted locations of an alert.
It furthermore decreases the size of the search area, not affecting the
prediction accuracy, a valuable improvement in search and rescue
operations. By continuing to increase the accuracy and
resolution of the used environmental data, higher accuracy can be
achieved in the future. |
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With assistance of the Dutch Coastguard and the
lifeboat association KNRM a field test of EDD was performed. At a known
position at sea, five miles south-west of IJmuiden, two objects (a
humanoid dummy and a lifeboat) were set adrift for two hours. EDD
predicted their respective drift paths and end positions , which were
also calculated using the International Aeronautical and Maritime
Search and Rescue Manual (IAMSAR) and by the Search and Rescue
Information System (SARIS) currently in use by the Dutch Coastguard.
Impressive accuracy was achieved in comparison to the standard systems. |
The following open standards and
technologies were used to describe and store the data, and to exchange
data over a (secure) network between the different subsystems developed
by the consortium:
• Web Feature Service (WFS) for serving
the alert information. The information is stored in a PostGIS data
store;
• Web Map Service (WMS) for serving the
map data;
• Web Services (and related technologies
WSDL and SOAP) for the communication between the subsystems;
• Network Common Data Form (NetCDF) to
exchange the environmental conditions and drift prediction data;
• The man-machine interface was created
using the MapBuilder toolkit that uses AJAX technology for a rich and
interactive user experience;
• Custom software components have been
developed in the Java and Perl programming languages.
Using EDD
The following videos show EDD in action. Please select
the
full screen button at the bottom right of the window to view the videos
full screen. Use the menu on the right hand side of the player to
select different parts of the video.
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