An AIS-based deep learning framework for regional ship behavior prediction

This study presents a deep learning framework to support regional ship behavior prediction using historical AIS data. The framework is meant to aid in proactive collision avoidance, in order to enhance the safety of maritime transportation systems. In this study, it is suggested to decompose the historical ship behavior in a given geographical region into clusters. Each cluster will contain trajectories with similar behavior characteristics. For each unique cluster, the method generates a local model to describe the local behavior in the cluster. In this manner, higher fidelity predictions can be facilitated compared to training a model on all available historical behavior. The study suggests to cluster historical trajectories using a variational recurrent autoencoder and the Hierarchical Density-Based Spatial Clustering of Applications with Noise algorithm. The past behavior of a selected vessel is then classified to the most likely clusters of behavior based on the softmax distribution. Each local model consists of a sequence-to-sequence model with attention. When utilizing the deep learning framework, a user inputs the past trajectory of a selected vessel, and the framework outputs the most likely future trajectories. The model was evaluated using a geographical region as a test case, with successful results.