AI to encourage emission reduction in maritime transportation

Maritime transport is a pillar of the global economy, but also one of the largest greenhouse gase emitters. Although in recent years technological improvements have been implemented, the reduction of emissions in this sector is a challenge. A new research project led by the DASCI Institute of the UGR proposes to design more effective and fair incentives that promote the adoption of wind technologies in the maritime industry. For this, researchers have used artificial intelligence.

The research focuses on wind -assisted propulsion, a technology that combines energy efficiency with a lower environmental impact. The authors of this work have generated a model of agents simulations. These evaluate how different incentive policies influence the adoption of technologies. The simulations analyze different factors: technological knowledge, economic and dynamic costs of creating social networks among shipowners.

The study emphasizes that selective incentives, aimed at a strategic adopter group, are significantly more useful than uniform subsidies policies. The simulations made have shown that guiding aids based on criteria such as energy consumption and social activity of the receptors (in this case, the maritime transport sector) can multiply adoption rates, optimizing the impact of the available budgets.

“Our approach not only seeks to accelerate the adoption of green technologies, but also ensure that decisions on the allocation of resources are more objective and fair,” says UGR professor and researcher Sergio Damas.

Agent -based simulations: a key tool for objective decisions

The developed model uses a three -phase process to simulate the interactions and decisions of the actors involved, integrating data on economic, social and technological behavior. This approach allows to explore different implementation scenarios and optimize incentive strategies based on the results obtained.

The experiments carried out confirm that selection policies based on social and energy data are more effective and facilitate structural change in technological adoption networks, creating waterfall effects that benefit the sector as a whole. This work has resulted from the investigation of the doctoral thesis of Elena Romero, “explained artificial intelligence techniques for agents based on agents.”

Bet on sustainability

This project, which combines science, innovation and sustainability, opens new opportunities to transform maritime industry. Promoting the use of wind -assisted propulsion technologies reduces greenhouse gas emissions and drives the transition to a more efficient and responsible transport.

“The future of maritime transport depends on the implementation of policies that not only encourage innovation, but also sustainable from the economic and social point of view,” concludes UGR professor Manuel Chica.

The Interuniversity Andaluz Institute in Data Science and Computational Intelligence, known as the Dasci Institute, is an entity of collaboration between the universities of Granada, Jaén and Córdoba. It is dedicated to advanced research and training in the field of artificial intelligence, with a particular approach to data science and computational intelligence. The Institute brings together an outstanding group of researchers who work on joint projects, promoting the development and application of innovative technologies in various sectors. With the aim of becoming a reference in its field, the DASCI promotes the transfer of scientific knowledge to the socioeconomic environment, thus contributing to technological progress and the digitalization of the industry.