A method for determining the navigability of a route based on instantaneous depth model

Aiming at the drawbacks of traditional static methods not considering dynamic changes of depths on a chart, the paper proposes a method for determining the navigability of a planned route based on an instantaneous depth model. Firstly, Instantaneous water levels are forecasted based on a grid tide model and incorporated into depths in a chart, and obstacle areas are acquired dynamically with changing water level. Then the navigability is determined by the intersection of a route segment and time-varying obstacle areas, and navigable time window is computed. Experimental results demonstrate: the proposed method can conclude effectively the navigability of the route based on instantaneous depth model; it can lead to a deeper depth and a shorter distance for safe navigation; the saving time is related to the tide and the terrain of the tested sea area.