Marine Safety AI
Navigating the high seas safely: custom thermal and multi-spectral datasets for maritime AI.
The Challenge
A maritime technology firm was developing an AI-powered collision avoidance system for large cargo vessels. Traditional visual data was insufficient due to ocean fog, nighttime darkness, and extreme weather, making object detection incredibly difficult.
Our Solution
Dserve AI deployed specialized teams to capture multi-spectral and thermal imagery across open-sea scenarios, complex port operations, and coastal navigation routes. We annotated vessels by class, heading, and AIS compliance status. Crucially, we layered in weather metadata and wave-condition tags to give the model environmental context.
The Impact
"The resulting system became highly adept at identifying hazards in zero-visibility conditions. During independent maritime authority trials, the AI system was certified to improve route safety and reduce collision risks by 40% compared to traditional radar alone."
Maritime Data Modalities
Overcoming Ocean Clutter
Open water is never flat. Sun glare, whitecaps, and sea spray create massive amounts of visual noise that trigger false-positive object detections. Our annotation teams were trained by maritime experts to differentiate between rogue waves and small, non-AIS emitting vessels (like wooden fishing boats). By combining SWIR imagery with thermal signatures, we created a dataset that completely eliminates sun-glare false positives.