# Deployment Strategy of Shore-Based Cooperative Units for the Internet of Inland Vessels
## 1 Introduction  
Mobile communication technology, computer technology, and the Internet of Things are developing rapidly. Relevant researchers have proposed the Internet of Vessels, combining mobile self-organizing networks with inland river traffic scenarios [1], that is, ships are connected through the network to achieve efficient interconnection between people and ships, ships and ships, cargo and shore with the purpose of refined shipping management, comprehensive industry services, and humanized travel experience. The Internet of Vessels supports instant communication between ships and channel infrastructure, ports, locks, etc., which can improve traffic efficiency and the speed of obtaining ship information as well as reduce traffic accidents. Inland shipping has a large capacity, small footprint, low energy consumption, and low pollution. It is one of the main transportation systems of bulk commodities in China, with irreplaceable cost advantages [2]. Building an efficient inland river network is the basic work of optimizing the inland river shipping system, which is of great significance for the development of inland river shipping, transportation, and environmental protection. In recent years, researchers and research institutions both at home and abroad have studied the definition, structure, and operating mode of ship networking. Ship networking is defined as a network that connects ships to shore facilities through numeric entities [3]. The authors in [4] define the Internet of Vessels as a novel transportation ecosystem. It is suitable for maritime transportation by integrating emerging technologies related to the Internet of Things such as cloud computing, edge computing, and satellite communications. At present, the ship networking systems that have been built and put into operationinclude e-Navigation [5] led by the International Maritime Organization, the Waterway-Information-Network [6] led by the United States, the Ship-Area-Network [7] led by South Korea, and the River Information Services (RIS) [8] led by Europe, which have promoted inland shipping. China has also strengthened the construction of its inland-shipping information management system with great progress. At present, inland-shipping information management systems based on AIS, the BeiDou positioning system, RFID, and other technologies have been built in some waters such as the Yangtze River, the Pearl River, and the Beijing-Hangzhou Canal. Furthermore, certain social and economic benefits have been achieved. At present, the networking methods of ship networking can be divided into three types: ship-based self-networking [9], satellite networking [10], and ground-base station networking [11]. Ship-based self-networking and satellite networking are mainly used in marine scenarios and are less restricted because they do not require the support of shore-based base stations. Ground-base station networking is mainly used in coastal and inland river scenarios. On-board communication units and shore-based coordination units form network communication nodes, and shore-based coordination units can be used as a communication relay or directly provide calling services to ships. Ship-to-ship communication alone is not enough to maintain the stability of communication due to the mobility of ships and the need for real-time information acquisition. Therefore, the introduction of shore-based collaborative units to assist in network construction can enhance the robustness and robustness of the network. Currently, the methods for ship-shore data transmission mainly include very high frequency (VHF) systems, the automatic identification system (AIS), mobile network communication, and satellite communication [12]. Although the AIS system significantly enhances navigational safety, its narrow communication bandwidth and inability to conduct point-to-point communication are inherent in its technical principles.