TOP Software Technology

V I I A 
Vessel Information Integrating Application

12Worldwide, almost 100,000 ships are in operation every day, 20,000 of them in European coastal waters.

VIIA is a web-based client-server application designed and developed by TOP Software Technology in close collaboration with the Dutch Coast guard, using our  Task-Oriented Programming tooling ( iTasks) and techniques.

VIIA uses a large number of different Vessel Information tracking streams (AIS, radar) and other sources, and combines all information in a smart way, such that end-users can be automatically warned when certain situations occur, for instance when a vessel is at risk or poses a risk.

Special Features of VIIA

VIIA runs on a server and administrated end users can simply use it online with any HTML5 compatible browser.

VIIA automatically warns end users on the basis of criteria (business rules) and fully customizable risk profiles. 

Based on the triggered alerts, one can take proper actions, e.g. warn ships that are at risk. 

VIIA supports information-driven situation awareness, and guides people with the tasks necessary for handling the situation.

VIIA uses a large number of different static information and real-time tracking sources.
It combines all this information in a smart way, such that designated users are alarmed automatically when certain situations occur. 
One can think of vessels approaching forbidden areas or acting in a strange way.

  • Domain-specific user interface

    VIIA’s user interface is very user-friendly and intuitive, it has been developed in close collaboration with end users and domain experts. 

  • Realistic risk description

    The domain knowledge and the experience of the end users are essential for achieving a realistic risk assessment.

    In VIIA, end users can define precisely which kind of situations require attention.
    VIIA's specification language is the most powerful in the field and actively helps users formulate meaningful risk profiles.

    Using dropdown menu's an end user can only choose relevant options, given the choices made so far.
  • Complex alert situations can be described by combining criteria, for instance about the sailing behaviour in the past, the type of ship, the cargo, and relationships between ships and companies.
    One can search for situations which happened in the past, or one can use situations in the past as criteria for warnings in the future.

  • Real-time

    VIIA can process a large quantity of information in real-time.
    Each day, tens of millions of position reports are sent by ships, satellite and radar.
    VIIA consults all of these sources in a smart way to reliably and rapidly determine whether there are any risks.





     











    VIIA can also handle real-time Radar information to detect vessels without transponders in dangerous situations, e.g. when they are to close to windmill farms at see.

  • Integration of several sources of information 

    Relevant information, such as position, heading, speed, cargo, destination and port of departure, cannot always be trusted from a single source of information.
    Some sources are reliable but incomplete and not up-to-date, while others are up-to-date but not yet verified.
    VIIA combines streams of information from several real-time sources, e.g. Radar, Satellite-AIS, Terrestrial-AIS, EMSA, VMS, LRIT, ...
    This real-time information is combined with static information about ships, ports, cargo's and companies, e.g. from IHS Fairplay, Dirkzwager ..
    In this way VIIA is able to provide users with highly reliable real-time information.  

  • Clear Presentation

    Data from one source may contradict data from another.
    When an end user receives an alert, a clear overview of the reliability of the different data sources which triggered it, is given. 
    The end users can then make a judgement whether further action is required based on a clear overview of the trustworthyness of the different sources.   
  • Storage of sailing history  
    The sailing behaviour and other data from the past can be of major importance in estimating possible risks.
    Examples in this regard include ports that a ship has called at before, or areas where it has been.

    VIIA      stores all sailing data, and one can define sophisticated queries to search for certain specific situations which happened in the past.
    One can also identify future risks on the basis of past behaviour. 
  • New Features are Under Development

    VIIA     is developed by TOP Software Technology with iTasks Task-Oriented  P rogramming ( TOP ) using the pure functional language Clean .
    iTasks is specifically designed for the development of distributed, web-based, multi-user applications. 
    It allows us to rapidly add new functionality.

    We work in close collaboration with you to add new functionality to VIIA based on your exact needs. 

If you are interested in VIIA, 
please contact us at info@top-software.nl