Research Article

A Hybrid UKF–ST-Graph Transformer Framework for Cooperative Localization in Ship Ad-Hoc Networks

Volume: 9 Number: 4 September 30, 2026

A Hybrid UKF–ST-Graph Transformer Framework for Cooperative Localization in Ship Ad-Hoc Networks

Abstract

In a sea environment, the localization of ships is very important for traffic management. The Automatic Identification System (AIS) dataset is widely used to get information about ships. This paper proposed a hybrid localization framework for Ship Ad Hoc Networks (SANETs) using the AIS dataset. This study integrates an Unscented Kalman Filter (UKF) with a Spatio-Temporal Graph Transformer (ST-GT) built on SANETs to provide cooperative localization. First, UKF utilizes raw AIS data to get initial position estimates for ships. Then, a SANET based on spatial proximity is constructed to form features such as node degree and local connectivity. These features are used by the ST-GT model to obtain temporal motion patterns and inter-vessel interactions to enhance that initial position. The suggested framework outperforms the standalone UKF in experimental results on real AIS datasets. The localization errors under sparse and noisy environments are decreased by using this framework. The result shows the effectiveness of combining physical motion models with deep learning through SANETs for enhanced maritime localization.

Keywords

Ethical Statement

The authors declare that the scientific and ethical principles were followed, and all the studies that benefited from are stated in the bibliography.

References

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Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Artificial Intelligence (Other)

Journal Section

Research Article

Publication Date

September 30, 2026

Submission Date

January 27, 2026

Acceptance Date

June 22, 2026

Published in Issue

Year 2026 Volume: 9 Number: 4

APA
Ibraheem, A., & Hamad, S. (2026). A Hybrid UKF–ST-Graph Transformer Framework for Cooperative Localization in Ship Ad-Hoc Networks. Sakarya University Journal of Computer and Information Sciences, 9(4), 1220-1230. https://doi.org/10.35377/saucis...1873223
AMA
1.Ibraheem A, Hamad S. A Hybrid UKF–ST-Graph Transformer Framework for Cooperative Localization in Ship Ad-Hoc Networks. SAUCIS. 2026;9(4):1220-1230. doi:10.35377/saucis.1873223
Chicago
Ibraheem, Anfal, and Sumaya Hamad. 2026. “A Hybrid UKF–ST-Graph Transformer Framework for Cooperative Localization in Ship Ad-Hoc Networks”. Sakarya University Journal of Computer and Information Sciences 9 (4): 1220-30. https://doi.org/10.35377/saucis. 1873223.
EndNote
Ibraheem A, Hamad S (September 1, 2026) A Hybrid UKF–ST-Graph Transformer Framework for Cooperative Localization in Ship Ad-Hoc Networks. Sakarya University Journal of Computer and Information Sciences 9 4 1220–1230.
IEEE
[1]A. Ibraheem and S. Hamad, “A Hybrid UKF–ST-Graph Transformer Framework for Cooperative Localization in Ship Ad-Hoc Networks”, SAUCIS, vol. 9, no. 4, pp. 1220–1230, Sept. 2026, doi: 10.35377/saucis...1873223.
ISNAD
Ibraheem, Anfal - Hamad, Sumaya. “A Hybrid UKF–ST-Graph Transformer Framework for Cooperative Localization in Ship Ad-Hoc Networks”. Sakarya University Journal of Computer and Information Sciences 9/4 (September 1, 2026): 1220-1230. https://doi.org/10.35377/saucis. 1873223.
JAMA
1.Ibraheem A, Hamad S. A Hybrid UKF–ST-Graph Transformer Framework for Cooperative Localization in Ship Ad-Hoc Networks. SAUCIS. 2026;9:1220–1230.
MLA
Ibraheem, Anfal, and Sumaya Hamad. “A Hybrid UKF–ST-Graph Transformer Framework for Cooperative Localization in Ship Ad-Hoc Networks”. Sakarya University Journal of Computer and Information Sciences, vol. 9, no. 4, Sept. 2026, pp. 1220-3, doi:10.35377/saucis. 1873223.
Vancouver
1.Anfal Ibraheem, Sumaya Hamad. A Hybrid UKF–ST-Graph Transformer Framework for Cooperative Localization in Ship Ad-Hoc Networks. SAUCIS. 2026 Sep. 1;9(4):1220-3. doi:10.35377/saucis. 1873223

 

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