# Edge Computing Approach for Vessel Monitoring System
## 6 Conclusions  
This research work aimed at developing an alternative deep-sea vessel positioning data collection process that would lead to a reduction in satellite communication costs. The approach used was based on edge computing process at a monitor box in the vessel, collecting data more frequently than the current solutions, however transmitting it only if abnormal behavior is detected. Illegal, unreported, or unregulated (IUU) fishing is flagellating fragile coastal economies and fish populations at unsustainable levels. Besides this, there are illegal activities conducted at deep-sea that need to be identified and fought against. Until now, vessel monitoring systems were based on a 10-min data transmission from the vessel, and several approaches are available for such purpose [14; 28]. All these approaches lead to high communication costs, as only satellite communication is available at deep sea. The contribution of this research to theory comes from the fact that it is the first to use edge computing process in a monitor \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c c} \hline
**Name** & **Datetime** & **Latitude** & **Longitude** & **Course** & **Speed** \\ \hline SN:000000201 & 26-11-2015 16:37 & 387.375,333 & \(-93.042.333\) & 1 & 0.8 \\ SN:000000201 & 26-11-2015 16:38 & 387.375,667 & \(-93.042.667\) & 77 & 1.2 \\ SN:000000201 & 26-11-2015 16:39 & 387.377,167 & \(-93.046\) & 197 & 1 \\ \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 2: Data sample of Monicap records: fisheries control problem. box in a vessel, allowing VMS to transmit data only if abnormal behavior is detected. Alongside, we bring a novel intelligent approach for the monitor box to decide if there is a need for transmitting the data when is it collected, or only at the port when the communication is cheaper. Additionally, the proposed local storage allows increasing monitoring sample rate from 10 min to only 1 or less (it is now a configurable parameter in the VMS box). The proposed approach showed to be able to reduce communication costs up to 70% to 90%. Taking into account that deep-sea vessels can require up to US $12,000 per year on satellite communications, the adoption of this solution can lead to substantial savings. Consequently, it is a major contribution to practice. Additionally, being able to evaluate detailed data concerning the location and behavior of the vessels will be a great tool against the tax fraud that occurs in the fishing sector and also a possibility to understand fishing patterns and clusters to create plans for environmental protection. The clustering process proposed can be very useful to understand the fishing patterns in a given area and with the possibility, over the years, to understand if there are variations in the level of hours of fishing in each zone and manage limitations for protection of species. At the same time, the volume of fish available might also be possible to assess based on the time vessels spend in traditional zones (if they tend to avoid their traditional zones, it is very likely that these zones are lacking in the traditional volume of catch they provide). These same movements of vessels can provide strong hints on zones where certain types of schools are emerging as well. With the proposed approach, the fishing control process is not reduced as ports with GSM, Wi-Fi, or other low-cost communication systems can transmit data to the central control server, and the data partners can become synchronized. The findings of this research are based only on a sample of 50 vessels from one country--Portugal--and specifically from one of its regions (the south), which limits its impact. Nonetheless, in countries or regions with a similar culture and fishing traditions, it is possible that results would not be far from the results reported in this article. In countries or regions with substantial cultural differences and in which vessels are currently not continuously monitored, this approach can be a good solution to regulate the fishing activity as well as to signal and prevent illegal activities.