VISTools: paving the way to a digital twin for sustainable fisheries
Creators: name: Al Farisi, Brahim
name: Aers, Femke
name: Allegeaert, Wim
name: Blanco, Clyde
name: Blondeel, Lancelot
name: Muylaert, Kris
name: Polet, Hans
name: Rappé, Pedro
name: Van De Sompele, Anthony
name: Van Moorleghem, Charlotte
name: Vermeersch, Mattias
name: Vanderperren, Els
Publisher: name: GEO Knowledge Hub
Year: 2025
Subjects: euroGEO

description: VISTools is an innovative platform that collects real-time data through sensors and other measuring equipment on fishing vessels. It is designed to support the Belgian fleet with advanced decision-making tools. By leveraging real-time data collection and predictive models, VISTools enhances operational efficiency. The platform compiles information on fuel consumption, promising fishing areas, and fish catches. This data is automatically transmitted to the captain's dashboard, allowing fishers to operate more efficiently, save fuel, and avoid areas with undersized or scarce fish.
VISTools is the North Sea Fisheries Pilot of Iliad, a research project funded by the European Commission's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation programme. The pilot includes three key tools: Analytics, Fishing Suitability, and Vessel Routing—the latter currently under development.
VISTools Analytics provides vessel owners with real-time insights into fishing operations while their vessels are at sea. This interactive tool delivers essential business intelligence, including catch composition by species and fuel consumption during both steaming and fishing. Data can be viewed at multiple levels—aggregated for an entire trip or broken down by specific hauls and days. To achieve this, sensors are installed on vessels to capture key operational data. These include (a) scale that weighs catches per species, (b) engine sensor that records fuel consumption, (c) sensor attached to the net which measures rope length and traction force, and (d) GPS tracking that logs vessel location and movements. A dedicated onboard device, called concetrator, integrates all sensor data and transmits it to the cloud for processing and analysis. The results are then displayed on an interactive Power BI dashboard, providing vessel owners with real-time operational insights.
Beyond fishing operations, vessels equipped with VISTools Analytics serve as automated data collection platforms for meteorological and oceanographic parameters. Additional sensors attached to the net measure depth, temperature, salinity, and turbidity when submerged. Once the net is retrieved, these data points are automatically transmitted to the onboard concentrator for further processing.
VISTools Fishing Suitability forecasts the most suitable areas to catch common sole (Solea solea) and European plaice (Pleuronectes platessa) up to seven days in advance. The tool is powered by a Machine Learning (ML) model that integrates various environmental predictors and their historical trends with catch observations. These observations come from fisheries-dependent sampling and data collected through VISTools Analytics. The fused dataset is used to train, tune, calibrate, and validate multiple ML algorithms, ensuring accurate and reliable predictions for optimal fishing locations.
VISTools Vessel Routing will help skippers navigate to fishing areas via optimized routes that minimize fuel consumption. A model developed by the Foundation for Research and Technology – Hellas (FORTH) is being calibrated using fuel consumption data from VISTools Analytics. The simulated routes incorporate real-time water and weather conditions to enhance fuel usage efficiency.
VISTools can be accessed through the official website. However, due to the sensitive nature of the catch data collected from fishing vessels, access is restricted to registered users only (i.e., vessel owners). Similarly, the Fishing Suitability model's predictions are currently available exclusively to registered users actively providing catch data for model training and improvement. This restriction is in place because the model relies on sensitive catch data derived from their historical fishing activities.