Baltimore prepares for Sandy

Yesterday (Sunday, 28 October 12) I went for a pre-Sandy bike ride  around the Inner Harbor of Baltimore to check out the storm preparations. I saw sandbag stations in Canton and Fells point, and at Ft. McHenry (which is closed for the next two days) I saw that the Park Service and Army Corps of Engineers had moved their government vehicles (and a couple of survey boats on trailers) to the highest point of the park, near the main entrance.

While riding on the trail at the far eastern part of the park (there’s a beautiful vista of the harbor toward the Key Bridge there) I saw a USCG buoy tender heading inbound on the Ft. McHenry range.Once I got home I checked my AIS display and saw she was the JAMES RANKIN and had tied up over in Fells Point; the CHOCK was near Harborview.

I assume these guys are sheltering from the weather, and pre-positioning so as to be able to quickly head out after the storm to check and reset any AtoN knocked off station.

I also saw the large cruise ship CARNIVAL PRIDE at Locust Point and smaller AMERICAN STAR in the Inner Harbor taking shelter. CARNIVAL PRIDE has since shifted to anchorage off of Annapolis. Otherwise it’s pretty quiet in Baltimore Harbor and appears it will be for another day at least.

eNavigation 2012 – Consider the following…

In preparation for the eNavigation 2012 conference in Seattle, WA 6-7 November 2012, you are asked to consider the following questions:

1. What operational or business challenges do you currently face that e-navigation could solve? 
2. What do you see as the role of the Federal Government in e-navigation? 
3. What e-Navigation solution(s) should the Federal Government pursue as its highest priority? 
4. What is the most effective way for the Federal Government to collaborate with the maritime industry on the development of e-navigation policies and services?

If you attend the conference (and I strongly urge you to do so), please give some consideration to these questions and provide your input during the discussion periods. Feel free to comment here as well.

River Information Services (RIS) webinar – 02 November 2012

River Information Services – Basics of RIS and Plans for U.S. Implementation — A Live ASCE Webinar

Date: Fri., Nov. 2, 2012
Time: 12 Noon – 1 PM ET
Registration ends on October 30

Register Here

River Information Services (RIS) is defined as “the harmonized information services to support traffic and transport management in inland navigation, including interfaces to other transport modes. RIS aim at contributing to a safe and efficient transport process and utilizing the inland waterways to their fullest extent.” RIS has been implemented and used for years in Europe and elsewhere, but in the U.S., the extensive network of inland waterways has not been managed as a system. A variety of RIS-like services with these aims exist, but they are provided by various government agencies and industry with varying degrees of harmonization. This webinar will present the basics concepts of RIS, including basic services and technologies. It will also discuss the plans for RIS implementation in the US and its relationship with e-Navigation.

Webinar topics:

• Learn the basics of RIS and what it means for your job
• Learn how your business or agency can participate in and benefit from the U.S. RIS implementation
• Understand the RIS roles of the Corps of Engineers, Coast Guard, and NOAA
• Identify opportunities for navigation services
• Each attendee earns 1.0 Professional Development Hour (1 PDH)

Cost: $249 ASCE Members/$299 non-members
Registrations must be received three days prior to the webinar date or a $25 late registration fee will be assessed.
Special Offer on Webinars: Individuals and Small Organizations (Less than Five Engineers) save $100 on the Registration Fee – Just Use Promo Code LESS10 when registering.

Webinar Instructor
Brian J. Tetreault is a Navigation Systems Specialist at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory. He previously served 22 years on active duty in the U.S. Coast Guard. During his Coast Guard career he served aboard two icebreakers and a fisheries patrol cutter and held several staff positions dealing with waterways management and navigation systems.

eNavigation 2012: Defining the solutions

The 12th annual e-Navigaton conference in Seattle, WA is fast approaching. I encourage you to attend and participate in the development of the e-Navigation concept.

This conference started in 2001 as the AIS conference, and a few years later the organizers recognized that the e-Navigation concept was as little-understood as AIS was at the conception of the first conference, so the name and focus was changed.

This conference is the only one of its type in North America, and probably unique in the world. Attendees include the shipping industry, harbor pilots, government representatives, equipment manufacturers, and many more. It is a fantastic forum for information exchange about e-Navigation developments and they encourage dialog amongst attendees and presenters. The final session of the conference for the past several years has been dedicated to a review and open discussion of the main issues raised.

This year the conference features strong representation and participation of the CMTS e-Navigation Integrated Action Team, an interagency team that is working to implement e-Navigation in the United States. Also, immediately following the conference PIANC is holding the first meeting of its e-Navigation working group.

So come to Seattle in November!

New location for Maritime Spatial Decisions’ blog

Welcome to the new location for the Maritime Spatial Decisions blog.

I wasn’t happy with the blog interface I was using at maritimespatial.com, so I’m trying out WordPress. Hopefully it will be a more user-friendly interface and as a result I will post more. Bear with me as I get used to the new interface; I’ll probably be making various tweaks and changes..