Interactive Visualization Applications for Maritime Anomaly Detection and Analysis

A study of maritime surveillance operations revealed that visual analytics could enable better maritime situation analysis. For that purpose, we designed the Maritime Visual Analytics Prototype, which is detailed in this demo paper. It supports the detection of marine anomalies and the detailed analysis of vessels of interest through a series of specialized tools. First, the Analysis Set Manager acts as the central repository and starting point for tools launching. The Animated Map and Timeline enable visual anomaly detection related to vessel tracks using Route Ribbons and Close Encounter Icon visualizations added to an interactive geo-temporal display. The Visual Summary Cards presented in the Record Browser display the key vessel characteristics for rapid visual scanning. The Magnets Grid enables a multidimensional exploration of factual vessel information, while temporal analysis is performed using the Multi-Timelines. This prototype was tested with operational maritime surveillance data and evaluated through user jury trials with real potential users. Comments from the users indicate that the visual widgets proposed could be valuable to their daily operations.