The AIMS project (Artificial Intelligence to Monitor our Seas) has the vision to develop and validate novel Artificial Intelligence (AI) algorithms to unlock the true potential of remote monitoring and enable a faster transition to a climate neutral society and economy: the AI algorithms will leverage the advantages of usual monitoring methodologies of the features of waves and offshore wind, and eventually overcome their intrinsic limitations. The value and resolution of sparse measurements of satellites and unevenly-distributed in-situ instruments will be increased, hence leading to a significant reduction of the cost and execution time of data collection, ultimately making knowledge wider and more accessible.
The main field of application of AIMS is the sea, because it is a challenging environment where monitoring is difficult, long and expensive; a better knowledge of the ocean is paramount for climate science and contributes to fill knowledge gaps, as identified inthe IPCC. In addition, ocean monitoring is crucial for the renewable energy sector, since offshore wind is one of the main pillars of the clean energy transition in Italy and Europe. AIMS will enable much faster and cheaper surveys for site selection, permitting, design and monitoring, which are among the main obstacles that prevent the proliferation of offshore renewables.