VISIR is a numerical model for operational ship voyage planning. It has been developed from scratch at CMCC since 2012. VISIR was based on a graph-search method and to make use of dynamic meteo-ocean fields. VISIR was designed to work even in coastal and archipelagic areas. It was validated versus both analytical solutions, and vs. a PDE-based path planning model. There are two main versions of this model: VISIR-1, coded in matlab, and VISIR-2, in python.

VISIR-1 powers a service for on-demand route optimization in the Mediterranean Sea (www.visir-nav.com). VISIR-2 powers a service for mass computation of least-CO₂ routes in the Adriatic Sea (www.gutta-visir.eu)

Figure 1 Geodetic (blue) and optimal tracks (red) for the Norfolk-Algeciras route accounting for both surface gravity waves and currents. Ocean current magnitude is displayed as shading and its direction as white arrows. Vertical panel stripes refer to daily timesteps of the optimal tracks – the interface between stripes is marked by a green dashed line. Departure date: 2018-06-21.

The word “VISIR” is a trade mark of CMCC (https://www.euipo.europa.eu/)

VISIR is free and open software, and is distributed from http://www.visir-model.net/ where also news, publications, and information on its funding projects can be retrieved.