PIANC Smart Rivers 2022

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Abstract : *(250~1000 words)

Since 2017 De Vlaamse Waterweg nv offers a certain amount of RIS services towards skippers and logistic parties by means of the VisuRIS portal.

In 2022 De Vlaamse Waterweg nv and 12 other European waterway authorities will launch these services on a larger scale towards the inland waterway users in Europe, as a result of the European RIS COMEX project. This will be done via the EuRIS platform where RIS services will be offered to facilitate corridor management.
This is a first, but indispensable, step towards green and efficient corridor management and planning in the future. But, to be able to facilitate a full-blown corridor planning some building blocks are missing in the current scope of EuRIS.

Nevertheless De Vlaamse Waterweg nv keeps building on the necessary features to facilitate full-blown corridor management.

1)	Automated voyage plans and traffic image for each vessel
Combining the information gathered via AIS and the voyage and cargo information of all vessels on our network, we’re able to calculate detailed ETA’s (Estimated Time of Arrival) on all locks and bridges. These ETA’s are constantly monitored and optimized, based on AIS and lock scheduling, and shared with the traffic planners on shore and the skippers.

Having the voyage plan on time is a major factor for success. To ensure this, skippers have to announce their voyage electronically. Based on this information, ETA’s for locks and bridges are calculated automatically by the European routing software of EuRIS, taking in account the dimensions of the vessel, the network and the route points given by the skipper.

To avoid extra administrative burdens for the vessel operators we ask them to send us this info using reporting software, which can be integrated in the current software packages they currently use in the wheelhouse (iENC viewer, container planner, …).

Also the process for collecting waterway charges is incorporated in this service by using the same information. Making use of the calculated voyage we will be able to automate and optimize the process both for waterway users and authorities.

At the moment the quality of the ETA-calculator is suboptimal due to different reasons:
-	Missing information on interruptions of the voyage (staying overnight, delays at a berth…)
-	ETD (Estimated Time of Departure) is not correct
-	Missing lock schedules on waterways not managed by DVW
-	Missing interaction with other transport modes
-	Missing variables like, flood, weather conditions, traffic density, …
-	…
Filling these gaps and improve data quality is one of the challenges in the future.

2)	Lock and bridge management
Locks are, most of the time, a time-consuming factor during the voyage of a vessel, certainly in a country like Belgium where there are a lot of locks on the main waterways. Optimizing planning and considering RTA’s (Requested Time of Arrival) of the skipper can have a huge impact on the reliability and carbon footprint of inland shipping.

Therefore we’ve provided our operators a lock planning software. Based on calculated ETA’s, vessels are planned at the different locks and bridges. At this moment, each object (i.e. a lock or bridge) makes his own planning, based on an automated proposal. This enables lock operators to have a good estimation on the arrival time of the vessels and plan traffic in both directions optimizing water usage. Based on a validated schedule, we propose the skippers a scheme where each vessel must take position in the lock basin. Thanks to the EuRIS system we’re able to offer this information through a centralized European API (Application Programming Interface) towards the vessel operator, certainly in case of automated vessels this service will become indispensable.

To improve data quality and increase the usability, our scheduling software receives directly data from OPC and VHF systems. Some of these data like the position of a bridge, lock door, traffic light, …  will be offered via AIS and API’s to the skippers on board or in the vessel control centers (in case of a remote operated vessel) to increase safety around the lock in all conditions.

Colleting all these data will enable us in the coming years to optimize our ETA calculation and predicted passage times in different situations (number of vessels in the lock, type of vessels, …). This data is  indispensable to reach automated corridor planning in the future.

To be able to move towards corridor planning, where we agree on passing times on all objects with the skipper not only legislation will have to change, but skippers will have to be convinced of this approach. We will have to convince them this will make inland shipping more efficient, reliable and green.
In the upcoming years we hope to evolve from a human traffic planner that operates one lock, to a traffic planner that agrees on planning with the users for the entire network.

3)	Digital handshake
Evolving to a world where automated, semi-automated and traditional vessels (commercial and pleasure crafts) will navigate on the network, waterway authorities will have to communicate and agree on ETA’s and RTA’s with all these users. Furthermore we will have to communicate multiple times because the time window of the locking can change multiple times. To ensure that the vessel will be at the lock at the agreed time a “digital handshake” between the traffic planner and the vessel is necessary.

4)	Future opportunities
All services  provided  today  are focusing on inland water transport but will also bring other opportunities for other modes. Sharing information when bridges will be open or closed with route planners will avoid certain traffic jams on certain roads. Communication with rescue services can be elaborated. Time schemes of rail traffic will be taken into account, etc.

5)	Challenges

To provide a good corridor management service some challenges will have to be overtaken:
-	Receiving voyage information of high quality & on time
-	Reliable ETA calculation and lock passing times (cfr. supra)
-	Convince waterway users of corridor planning and change legislation
-	Connect software in the wheelhouse with lock planning software

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