Predicting the Person-in-Water Drift for Search and Rescue.

摘要

Search and rescue of persons in distress on the high seas requires the capability to accurately predict the position of the survivors. The current approaches on drift prediction are based on an empirical correlation between wind speed and person motion from limited field data. There is also no drift data available for persons wearing survival suits. Consequently, there is not sufficient data for accurate prediction and thus has complicated the search and rescue operation. A study is being undertaken at Florida Atlantic University in which the essential effects of environmental forces and person-in-water characteristics will be properly accounted for. The study is intended to provide a theoretical framework and a better understanding of the dynamics of drift, and will thus lead to a reliable model of drift prediction and improved efficiency in search and rescue missions. The study consists of the following components: The development of a mathematical model for the drift prediction problem, laboratory studies of drift forces and field experiments to calibrate the mathematical models and to verify the model prediction. Leeway, Drift, Person-in-water, Search and rescue.