News Archive
Chevron Sponsors CEE Ocean Sciences Research
Dr. Francesco Fedele, assistant professor in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) recently lead an international research team in 
developing a new technique for accurately estimating the dynamics of ocean waves, combining ocean sciences and image processing. Generously sponsored by CHEVRON, this important research project was performed in collaboration with Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) Profesor Anthony Yezzi at the oceanographic tower Acqua Altao in Venice, Italy. The international team of researchers included: Drs. Alvise Benetazzo from PROTECNO S.r.l, Padua, Italy, Alessio Boscolo from Phoenix Technologie Ottiche S.r.l., Profs. Luigi Cavaleri and Mauro Sclavo from CNR-ISMAR, Venice Italy, and Dr. George Forristall from Forristall Ocean Engineering Inc., USA.
The developed technology is called Wave Acquisition Stereo System (WASS). Unlike traditional methods used to analyze waves, WASS provides three‐dimensional data (both in space and time) whose statistical content is richer than that of a time series retrieved from wave gauges, ultrasonic instruments or buoys, the latter being expensive to install and maintain. The team is supported by ECE student Guillermo Gallego who is involved with both the mathematical and numerical formulation of WASS stereo algorithms. The researchers are exploring the opportunity of exploiting features of state of the art long distance video technologies (LDVL) to collaborate effectively.
WASS has been installed near the Grand Canal in Venice, Italy, to monitor the water motion caused by boats passing through the canal and determine its dynamical effects on the canal's borders and on the historic buildings along the canals. WASS is also being used as part of the MOSE project for the safeguard of Venice and the lagoon. It is currently installed at the MOSE site of the mouth ‘Lido' in order to determine the space-time wave patterns and the associated hydrodynamics effects due to wave-wave and wave-current interactions.
Dr. Fedele believes that WASS is a promising, low-cost technology that can be used to improve the design of both coastal and offshore structures. The research team hopes to show that WASS technology can be beneficial to offshore and coastal industries for the proper design of dikes, ports, and offshore platforms.
Dr. Fedele's research interests encompass practical and theoretical aspects of ocean engineering problems. His research focuses on understanding the physical phenomena that cause the arising of unusually large waves in the open ocean. Dr. Fedele is located on the Georgia Tech Savannah campus. He received his PhD in Civil Engineering from the University of Vermont in 2004 and a Laurea (magna cum laude) in Civil Engineering from University Mediterranea in Italy in 1998. For additional information about Dr. Fedele, please visit: http://www.gtsav.gatech.edu/go/faculty/fedele