Vessel Trajectory Prediction Using Vessel Influence Long Short-Term Memory with Uncertainty Estimation

Vessel trajectory prediction plays a crucial role in ensuring the safety and efficiency of maritime transportation. This study proposes an innovative sequence-to-sequence model, called the Vessel Influence Long Short-Term Memory (VI-LSTM), which introduces a novel Vessel Influence Map (VIM) to quant...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Zhiyuan Guo, Huimin Qiang, Xiaodong Peng
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-02-01
Series:Journal of Marine Science and Engineering
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1312/13/2/353
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Summary:Vessel trajectory prediction plays a crucial role in ensuring the safety and efficiency of maritime transportation. This study proposes an innovative sequence-to-sequence model, called the Vessel Influence Long Short-Term Memory (VI-LSTM), which introduces a novel Vessel Influence Map (VIM) to quantitatively model the dynamic effects of surrounding vessels. To enhance reliability, VI-LSTM incorporates Gaussian distribution predictions combined with Monte Carlo dropout techniques to estimate prediction uncertainty. Additionally, a temporally weighted hybrid loss function is designed to balance prediction accuracy and uncertainty. Furthermore, this study systematically categorizes and models factors influencing vessel trajectory prediction. Experimental results demonstrate that VI-LSTM achieves a mean distance error of 330.66 m on the standard test set and 480.30 m on an unseen subject test set, outperforming other comparative models, particularly in complex navigation scenarios and high-density maritime environments. These innovations significantly improve the accuracy and generalizability of vessel trajectory predictions, leading to enhanced safety, increased efficiency, and more effective collision avoidance in maritime navigation.
ISSN:2077-1312