Predictive Analytics-Based US Inland Waterways Voyage Planning Analysis Tool (VSAT)

Trabus Technologies (TRABUS), working with Louisiana State University (LSU), will develop a predictive analytics-based US Inland Waterways Voyage Planning Analysis tool to help vessel traffic managers, tow boat pilots, and river lock operators maximize transport logistic resources. This tool will use current and forecasted hydrographic, meteorological, lock status, and Marine Safety Information to help commercial cargo operators and the Marine Industry determine optimal barge loading and tow configuration for any specified commodity/cargo movement. When planning any journey using US Inland Waterways, commercial cargo operators must manually consider a vast range of complex factors to determine optimal load for every vessel to ensure efficient and safe passage for its entire journey, which often includes rapidly-changing environmental conditions. For example, a 4-inch change in river level (from rain a week after departure) correlates to a 72-ton variance in a large barge’s capacity; operators must predict this change or risk hundreds of thousands of dollars of revenue per journey. A machine learning based predictive tool to rapidly process current and forecasted conditions would provide the Marine Industry with greater voyage planning and efficient transport management. Developed by TRABUS for the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), the River Information Services Enterprise (RISE) provides the technical framework enabling collection, integration, and exchange of navigation and vessel logistics information for safe, efficient, reliable, and environmentally responsible navigation between the Marine Industry and Government. Develop predictive algorithms and data-driven analytics for a commercial cloud-based Voyage/Transport Planning Service to maximize transport commodities and minimize intermodal transfers. Leverage ongoing RISE BigData efforts to analyze data from US Geological Survey (USGS), USACE Lock Performance Monitoring System, US Coast Guard’s Notice to Mariners, and Marine Industry’s barge, vessel, commodity, and supply chain data. LSU will leverage its ongoing BigData expertise with NOAA, National Weather Service, and USGS data to develop the methodology.