Water Vessel Rescue Assignment Using SMS Location Tracking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing location tracking systems for water vessels are computationally and practically expensive, leading to infrequent location updates and hampered rescue efforts for distressed mariners, while there is no established system for water rescue, resulting in failed rescue attempts due to the lack of infrastructure and mariners' inability to contact rescue agencies.
Innovation Solution
A rescue system utilizing SMS messages to initiate rescue proceedings, enabling accurate estimation of a water vessel's location through a combination of location coordinates and environmental factors, and assigning a responder unit based on these coordinates, utilizing machine learning and drones for precise location confirmation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If dedicated location tracking technology is used for water vessels, then location accuracy is improved, but cost and computational expense increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces mobile cell towers as intermediary elements that relay location information from distress beacons to rescue agencies. Instead of direct satellite communication requiring expensive dedicated equipment, the system uses existing terrestrial infrastructure (cell towers) as intermediaries to transmit location data, thereby reducing the complexity and cost of tracking devices on vessels.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses mobile phones, which are ubiquitous and already contain location capabilities, as copies or substitutes for dedicated maritime tracking devices. The mobile phone's existing GPS and cellular communication capabilities are leveraged to provide location tracking functionality without requiring specialized expensive equipment designed specifically for maritime use.
2Loss of time
If location tracking is performed frequently, then rescue response time is improved, but energy consumption and computational cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The distress beacon transmits location information periodically at predetermined intervals rather than continuously. This periodic transmission reduces energy consumption compared to continuous tracking while still providing timely location updates for rescue operations. The system balances the need for current location information with the constraint of limited power resources on the beacon device.
3Ease of operation
If mariners carry mobile phones for location tracking, then ease of operation is improved, but reliability of rescue contact deteriorates when out of cell coverage
Solution Approach 1:
The system prepares for potential loss of cellular coverage by implementing a distress beacon that can operate independently of cell towers. The beacon is activated when distress is detected or manually triggered, providing a backup communication method that does not rely on continuous cellular service. This cushioning measure ensures that rescue contact remains possible even when mariners drift out of cell coverage areas.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and a method are disclosed for enabling assignment of a responder unit to a user on a water vessel. The rescue system transmits a Short Message Service (SMS) message to a user device on the water vessel, the SMS message comprising a selectable option that, when selected, causes a location of the user device to be shared. Based on a selection by a user of the user device of the selectable option, the system receives a plurality of location coordinates from the user device at a plurality of respective times, each respective location coordinate describing a respective location of the user device at its respective time. The system selects a responder unit to assign to the user based on the plurality of location coordinates and a location of each of a plurality of candidate responder units. The system transmits location information to a responder device of the selected responder unit, the location information based on the plurality of location coordinates.