A Review of Methods for Ship Detection with Electro-Optical Images in Marine Environments

Liqian Wang,Junliang Liu,Zhaojun Liu,Xian Zhao,Bohan Liu,Cheng Fei,Yakui Dong,Shuzhen Fan,Yunxia Liu,Yongfu Li

doi:10.3390/jmse9121408

Liqian Wang, Junliang Liu + Show 8 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse9121408

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Abstract

The ocean connects all continents and is an important space for human activities. Ship detection with electro-optical images has shown great potential due to the abundant imaging spectrum and, hence, strongly supports human activities in the ocean. A suitable imaging spectrum can obtain effective images in complex marine environments, which is the premise of ship detection. This paper provides an overview of ship detection methods with electro-optical images in marine environments. Ship detection methods with sea–sky backgrounds include traditional and deep learning methods. Traditional ship detection methods comprise the following steps: preprocessing, sea–sky line (SSL) detection, region of interest (ROI) extraction, and identification. The use of deep learning is promising in ship detection; however, it requires a large amount of labeled data to build a robust model, and its targeted optimization for ship detection in marine environments is not sufficient.

Highlights

Human activities in the ocean are becoming more frequent and include maritime transportation, maritime trade, marine fishing, and military activities [1]
This paper focuses on ship detection with electro-optical images in marine environments to meet the needs of ship management and flow monitoring in ports and coasts, as well as the unmanned and autonomous navigation of ships
This paper reviewed ship detection methods with electro-optical images in marine environments and mainly included two parts: electro-optical images and ship detection methods

Summary

Introduction

Human activities in the ocean are becoming more frequent and include maritime transportation, maritime trade, marine fishing, and military activities [1]. Ships are important carriers for human activities in the ocean, so the monitoring and management of maritime ships is critical. Some ships are equipped with automatic identification systems (AISs) and broadcast their own position and other information through radio signals, which can be received by surrounding ships to avoid collisions. Little marine crafts (canoes, kayaks, sailboats, small fishing boats, etc.) are often not equipped with AIS [3], and the signals emitted by AIS are vulnerable to interference. For ship management in the marine environment and the unmanned and autonomous navigation of ships, the ability to accurately detect ships is needed

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Discussion

Conclusion