Digital Education for Maritime Communication (DigiMar)

About the project

The DigiMar project aims to enhance the safety of navigation by improving maritime communication skills among shore service operators and higher education students through a digital pilot study. The project addresses ineffective and ambiguous communication, which is a contributing cause of shipping accidents, as routine maritime communication significantly deviates from the standard protocol. Maritime education and training institutions (METs) and maritime authorities play a crucial role in ensuring effective communication training, yet there has been scant attention to the perspective of shore service operators as key communication agents.

Project goal

The main objective of the DigiMar project is to enhance the safety of navigation, measured through statistically significant improvements in maritime communication skills before and after the digital pilot study. To achieve this, the project will:

Develop learner-centered and needs-based teaching practices that closely replicate authentic maritime communication scenarios.
Create open-access digital educational tools, including instructional videos and chatbots, for continuous and self-directed learning.
Strengthen links between education, research, innovation, and practice by integrating data-driven communication training.
Promote lifelong learning and the development of digital competencies for maritime professionals and educators.
Encourage interdisciplinary cooperation among maritime educators, communication experts, and industry professionals.
Utilize digital tools for language data analysis and the creation of maritime communication simulations.
Develop a database of maritime communication that can later support AI-based speech recognition and communication management solutions.
Align with the Digital Education Action Plan (2021-2027) to support inclusive, high-quality digital education across the maritime industry.
Assess improvements in navigational safety resulting from the digital educational interventions.
Provide research-based recommendations for revising international maritime communication protocols