Deltares applies AI and modelling during hackathon for North Sea record attempt
On 20 and 21 August, Deltares will take part in an AI hackathon in Scheveningen, organised by Team JAJO, a professional sailing team focused on offshore racing campaigns and record attempts, and DutchSail. During the event, participants will work on solutions to a real-world challenge: improving performance and decision-making during an ambitious sailing record attempt crossing the North Sea from Lowestoft to IJmuiden under 5:36:18.
Working with data, models and AI
For Deltares, this is an opportunity to apply its expertise in coastal hydrodynamic modelling in a realistic, hands-on setting. The hackathon centres on bringing together different types of information, including data on weather conditions at sea, and information on vessel performance. Participants from Deltares, KNMI and MARIN, among others, will work on questions such as optimising sailing routes, interpreting weather forecasts and supporting decisions while at sea.
By bringing together the expertise of KNMI, Deltares and MARIN, we can connect data, science and real-world practice. This hackathon is an usecase for AI solutions that could support the record attempt, while also offering valuable insights for a much wider range of maritime applications.
Jelmer van Beek, skipper of Team JAJO
Why Deltares is taking part: from model to practice
For Deltares, taking part in the hackathon is not only about the experiment itself, but above all about testing our knowledge in the context of sailing. That combination is what makes it so interesting, says Natalia Aleksandrova, who will be representing Deltares.
Deltares will contribute expertise in coastal hydrodynamic modelling and data analysis. “We develop models that help us better understand coastal and offshore weather conditions, with a special focus on the North Sea,” she explains. “While these models are already frequently used in the context of flood risk and offshore renewable energy, it will be interesting to apply them in the context of competitive sailing.”
During the hackathon, Deltares will explore how existing models can be used to quickly provide useful information on marine weather conditions to sailing teams. AI plays an important role in this. “The amount of data available for the North Sea, for example on weather, currents and waves, is enormous,” says Natalia. “AI can helps turn this data into useful insights more quickly.”
The team will explore the use of so-called Large Language Models (LLMs). These are AI systems that can process model information and translate it into understandable insights. Coastal hydrodynamic models, built using the Delft3D FM software, are used to accurately calculate water levels and currents based on historical weather data or current weather forecasts.
By combining these physics-based models with LLM techniques, we can efficiently explore this data and translate it into useful graphs and indicators. At the same time, the hackathon offers an opportunity to further develop these applications and show how they can contribute to better decision-making in practice.
With the LLM we have developed, we want to take another step towards smarter use of data and models. By making information easier and faster to access, we can support decision-making in complex environments such as offshore operations.
Martin Verlaan, Deltares
From experimentation to practical knowledge
For Natalia, the value of the hackathon lies not only in the outcome of the record attempt, but above all in the knowledge it generates. “We are working with a concrete case here, but the insights we gain will go much further,” she says. “Ultimately, this is about improving the way we use data and models in complex situations.”
In this way, the hackathon will help strengthen existing networks and build practical knowledge about using existing data in a new context. It marks another step in the further development of data and modelling applications at Deltares: from theoretical knowledge to practical use in a wide range of maritime challenges.
Collaboration
The hackathon is part of a broader collaboration between Deltares and DutchSail. Through this collaboration, the partners are exploring and applying new technologies, for instance under previous editions of The Ocean Race1. The current challenge provides a concrete test environment in which ideas can be tried out in practice and developed further.
