KEYNOTE LECTURE

Dimitris Zissis

University of Aegean, Greece

This keynote traces the evolution from large-scale maritime data analytics to intelligent autonomous systems. It will address the challenges of processing noisy, heterogeneous real-world data from sources such as AIS, radar, satellite and onboard sensors, and show how spatio-temporal AI and sensor-fusion methods can reduce uncertainty and support maritime situational awareness. I will then discuss how this intelligence is transferred to Unmanned Surface Vessels (USVs), enabling capabilities such as COLREGs-compliant collision avoidance and autonomous coverage path planning.

Drawing on selected research projects, experimental deployments and sea trials, I will show how these topics have progressively connected over time, moving from academic research to operational systems and industrial products. I will also highlight the importance of hands-on experimentation and STEM engagement, including initiatives such as the annual Aegean Ro-Boat Race, in developing the skills and human capacity required for the future of marine robotics.

Dimitris Zissis is Professor and Head of the Department of Product and Systems Design Engineering at the School of Engineering of the University of the Aegean, where he also directs the Intelligent Transportation Systems Lab. His research lies at the intersection of information systems, data-intensive computing, maritime informatics and marine robotics, with particular interests in Big Data Analytics, Data Mining, Parallel and Distributed Systems, Cloud Computing, intelligent transportation, autonomous systems, maritime data analytics and robotic platforms for marine applications. He has authored more than 100 scientific publications, attracting over 5,000 citations internationally. He is also co-editor of the Guide to Maritime Informatics (Springer), which has been used as an academic textbook by universities in Greece and abroad. He has led research teams and served as Principal Investigator in numerous European and national research projects, collaborating extensively with universities, research organisations, public authorities and industry. A significant part of his recent work has focused on maritime informatics and marine robotics, including vessel trajectory and AIS analytics, maritime situational awareness, multi-sensor fusion, autonomous navigation, collision avoidance and the development and testing of unmanned marine systems. His research combines data-driven methods with experimental deployments and sea trials, examining how intelligent and autonomous systems can operate reliably in complex real-world maritime environments. He has designed and coordinated large-scale experimental activities and field campaigns and has received a number of academic distinctions in Greece and internationally. According to a global citation-impact study, he is ranked among the world’s top 2% most-cited researchers, while his article “Addressing Cloud Computing Security Issues” was recognised by Thomson Reuters as being among the top 0.1% of the most influential publications worldwide in its field during 2010–2014.