ASVTrafficSim: A simulator for Autonomous Surface Vehicle and Manned Vessel Collisions

At present there is only limited data about the probability of collisions
between autonomous surface vehicles (ASVs) and manned vessels. This
paper describes a simulator for calculating the probability of collisions
between them. It is intended to help formulate safety advice and policy
on where and when ASVs can and can't be safely used. The simulator
tests hypothetical courses of the ASV against real trac data recorded
from automatic identication system (AIS) transponders. This allows
simulated missions to be tested against real world trac patterns. The
simulator has successfully simulated example missions using a small
set of example AIS data based in San Francisco bay. Future work will
involve running simulations from large AIS datasets and with a variety
of ASV types, as well as covering diering weather scenarios.