From June 2 to 5, 2025, the École Nationale Supérieure Maritime (ENSM) represented the OVERHEAT project at the 15th IEEE Conference on Cognitive and Computational Aspects of Situation Management (CogSIMA), held for the first time in Germany, at the University of Duisburg-Essen.
CogSIMA is a prestigious international forum sponsored by the IEEE Systems, Man, and Cybernetics Society (SMCS), bringing together leading researchers and practitioners working at the intersection of cognition, information systems, and situation management. This year’s theme, “Improved Situation Awareness in Theory and Application,” provided the ideal setting to present OVERHEAT’s innovative approach to complex emergency scenarios at sea.
During the research session, ENSM introduced the User Requirements, emphasizing the project’s central goal to develop digital strategies for preventing and managing fires on containerships. The presentation focused on a key challenge—creating Shared Situational Awareness (SSA) among emergency response teams—and demonstrated how digital transformation, through UAV imagery, smart sensors, and advanced cartographic standards, can enhance SSA for increased fire prevention and emergency management. This platform connects vessels and on-shore data systems, providing a common operational picture (COP) for all stakeholders involved in fire response. The presentation concluded with by highlighting the potential benefits of this solution in improving fire safety and response capabilities on container ships.
ENSM’s active participation in CogSIMA 2025 underscores the importance of the maritime perspective in broader discussions about cognitive systems and digital coordination tools. As a key partner in the OVERHEAT consortium, ENSM brought valuable domain expertise to a multidisciplinary audience that included experts in computer science, human factors, cognitive science, robotics, and systems engineering.
The conference offered an engaging environment for scientific exchange and networking. It provided an excellent opportunity to discuss OVERHEAT’s work within the wider context of disaster management, cyber-physical systems, and human-machine interaction.
Participation in CogSIMA 2025 marked a significant step in disseminating OVERHEAT’s progress and building new connections that may inform future developments and collaborations. ENSM’s contribution helped to demonstrate how advanced digital tools can support safer and more coordinated emergency operations at sea — one of the core missions of the OVERHEAT project.
