3D Simulation of Ship Motions to Support the Planning of Rescue Operations on Damaged Ships

AbstractThe paper describes a software system to simulate the ship motions in a crisis situation. The scenario consists of a damaged ship subjected to wave excitation forces generated by a random sea state. The simulation is displayed in an interactive Virtual Environment allowing the visualization of the ship motions. The numerical simulation of the sea surface and ship motions requires intensive computation to maintain the real-time or even the fast-forward simulations, which are the only ones of interest for these situations. Dedicated tools to analyse the ship behaviour in time are also described. The system can be useful to evaluate the responses of the ship to the current sea state, namely the amplitude, variations and tendencies of ship motions, and help the planning and coordination of rescue operations

Data-driven storytelling to support decision making in crisis settings: a case study

Data-driven storytelling helps to communicate facts, easing comprehension and decision making, particularly in crisis settings such as the current COVID-19 pandemic. Several studies have reported on general practices and guidelines to follow in order to create effective narrative visualizations. However, research regarding the benefits of implementing those practices and guidelines in software development is limited. In this article, we present a case study that explores the benefits of including data visualization best practices in the development of a software system for the current health crisis, as well as the impact of not doing so. The system had high volatility in its requirements and short development cycles, prioritizing the delivery of functionality and real-time visualizations. This meant that narrative and visual aspects were set aside and that only some best practices were followed by the development team.Sociedad Argentina de Informática e Investigación Operativ