The platform, which already is processing some 1.2 million data points each day, helps predict the best time to berth and depart.
An Internet of Things platform has been developed for the Port of Rotterdam Authority and put into operation for water and weather.
The construction of the IoT platform was announced a year ago by the collaborating partners IBM, Cisco, Esri and Axians.
“It’s a fantastic step in the development of Rotterdam as the ‘smartest port,’” said Ronald Paul, the port authority’s chief operating officer. “Just as important, however, is that the cloud platform and the generated real-time information, which includes infrastructure, water and weather condition data, enable us to further improve mission-critical processes in the service to our clients.”
The generic building blocks that have been implemented offer the Port of Rotterdam a safe and reliable basis for rapid innovation with access to the latest technologies, including edge computing, real-time analytics, artificial intelligence, hyper-precise data and blockchain, according to the port authority.
The port authority said sensors incorporated on and in quay walls, dolphins, waterways, roads and traffic signs generate continued measurement data, and these can communicate with other autonomous systems. This lays the foundation to facilitate autonomous shipping in the Port of Rotterdam in the future.
The delivered water and weather system obtains height of tide, tidal stream, salinity, wind speed, wind direction and visibility data via a combination of 44 sensors in the port, prediction models, data from Rijkswaterstaat and astronomical calculations, the port authority said, explaining that this enables the application to contribute to reductions of waiting times and optimization of berthing, loading/unloading and departure times.
The technology allows, for example, to more precisely predict the best time to berth and depart, depending on water conditions, while guaranteeing maximum loads, the port authority said.
The port authority said the platform already is processing some 1.2 million data points for models, systems and users each day.
Rotterdam puts Internet of Things platform into operation
