Open AccessAn assessment of environmental data for a computerised ship weather routeing system
Author(s) -
Motte R,
Calvert S,
Wojdylak H,
Fazal R,
Epshteyn M
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
meteorological applications
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.672
H-Index - 59
eISSN - 1469-8080
pISSN - 1350-4827
DOI - 10.1002/met.5060010209
Subject(s) - range (aeronautics) , computer science , function (biology) , process (computing) , operations research , meteorology , order (exchange) , environmental science , mathematics , geography , engineering , finance , evolutionary biology , economics , biology , aerospace engineering , operating system
If the weather patterns that exist during an ocean crossing are known at the outset of a voyage the process of ascertaining an ‘optimal route’ would be precise and certain. The basis of advice to ship‐masters is the optimal route (related to a stated objective function of time, fuel or total cost); this is calculated for the weather predicted at the outset of a voyage and is updated as the ocean crossing proceeds. The hypothesis is that the accuracy of the optimal route calculated at the outset will be inversely proportional to the length of the voyage, as weather prognoses similarly deteriorate with time. This hypothesis is tested by analysing environmental data typically used in the routeing process. A brief description of the ORION automated system is given, with the implications that the attendant environmental data have for the optimal routeing algorithm. Data sources so used are listed, including the extended data (that in excess of ten days). A verification study of these data is described with comparisons of some of the products used, together with a brief analysis of the observed errors and accuracies, in order to indicate confidence levels in the routes provided. An example of a simple verification of moving average data is shown. A routeing study is included in order to illustrate the merit of using medium‐range forecast data and longer‐range extended data in the models.