A novel vessel route optimization algorithm based on segmented A-star algorithm in inland waterways

For inland water transportation, the route planning is closely relevant to the safety and efficiency of vessel navigation. To meet the requirements route planning with variable depths, water flows, navigation rules and other factors for inland ongoing vessels, this paper proposes a segmented A-star (A*) algorithm to optimize inland vessel routes. This algorithm divides the entire navigation waterway to several segments, to avoid the large amount of calculation with excessive grids. For each segment, the optimal route in terms of efficiency and safety is generated by an improved A* algorithm considering navigation rules, water flow, water depth, bridge piers, and vessel maneuverability. The experiments with real hydrologic and terrain data of Wuhan waterway of Yangtze River, show that the proposed method can generate safer and more economical routes in comparison of other algorithms.