About the book
Alexander Artikis and Dimitris Zissis
In the last 25 years, information systems have had a disruptive effect on society and business. Up until recently though, the majority of passengers and goods were transported by sea in many ways similar to the way they were at the turn of the previous century. Gradually, advanced information technologies are being introduced, in an attempt to make shipping safer, greener, more efficient and transparent. The emerging field of Maritime Informatics studies the application of Information Technology and Information Systems to maritime transportation. Maritime informatics can be considered as both a field of study and domain of application. As an application domain, it is the outlet of innovations originating from Data Science and Artificial Intelligence, while as a field of study, it sits on the fence between Computer Science and Marine Engineering. Its complexity lies within this duality, as it is faced with disciplinary barriers while demanding a systemic transdisciplinary approach.
At present, there is a growing body of knowledge developing, which remains undocumented in a single source or textbook designed to ease students and practitioners into this new field. The objective of this book is to collect the material required for an undergraduate or postgraduate student to develop the core knowledge of this domain, in an analytical approach through real-world examples and case studies. The aim is to present our audience with an overview of the main technological innovations which are having a disruptive effect on the maritime industry, describe their principal ideas, methods of operation and applications, and discuss future developments. The book is designed in such a way as to first introduce required knowledge, algorithmic approaches and technical details, before presenting real-world applications.