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Report n° 125 - 2011 (part I) THE IMPLEMENTATION STATUS OF RIVER INFORMATION SERVICES STATUS 2010 PIANC ‘Setting the Course’ The World Association for Waterborne Transport Infrastructure

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Report n° 125 - 2011

(part I)the ImplementatIon StatuS of

RIveR InfoRmatIon SeRvIceS StatuS 2010

PIANC‘Setting the Course’

the World association for Waterborne transport Infrastructure

(part I)the ImplementatIon StatuS

of RIveR InfoRmatIon

SeRvIceS StatuS 2010

pIanc RepoRt n° 125InlanD navIGatIon commISSIon

pIanc‘Setting the course’

2011

PIANC has Technical Commissions concerned with inland waterways and ports (InCom), coastal and ocean waterways (including ports and harbours) (MarCom), environmental aspects (EnviCom) and sport and recreational navigation (RecCom).

This report has been produced by an international Working Group convened by the In-land Navigation Commission (InCom). Members of the Working Group represent several countries and are acknowledged experts in their profession.

The objective of this report is to provide information and recommendation on good prac-tice. Conformity is not obligatory and engineering judgement should be used in its ap-plication, especially in special circumstances. This report should be seen as an expert guidance and state-of-the-art on this particular subject. PIANC disclaims all responsibil-ity in case this report should be presented as an official standard.

pIanc Secrétariat GénéralBoulevard du Roi albert II 20, B 3

B-1000 BruxellesBelgique

http://www.pianc.org

vat Be 408-287-945

ISBn 978-2-87223-191-1

© all rights reserved

PIANC REPORT 125 part I

Content

1. Introduction ................................................................................................................................................4 1.1. Historical Developments ........................................................................................................................4 1.2. PIANC and River Information Services .................................................................................................4 1.3. About this Report ...................................................................................................................................5

2. Conclusions and Recommendations .........................................................................................................7 3. Fairway Information Services (FIS) ...........................................................................................................9

3.1. Implementation Status ...........................................................................................................................9 3.1.1. Inland ECDIS ....................................................................................................................................9 3.1.2. Notices to Skippers ...........................................................................................................................9

3.2. Good Practices ................................................................................................................................... 11 3.2.1. Fairway Information Services in Germany – ELWIS ...................................................................... 11 3.2.2. Fairway Information Services in the Czech Republic – LAVDIS ................................................... 12 3.2.3. Inland ECDIS and Virtual Aids to Navigation in The Netherlands ................................................. 13 3.2.4. Inland ENC on the Serbian Cross Border Sections of River Danube ............................................ 14

3.3. Lessons Learned ................................................................................................................................ 15 4. Traffic Information Services .................................................................................................................... 16

4.1. Implementation Status ........................................................................................................................ 16 4.2. Good Practices ................................................................................................................................... 17

4.2.1. Inland AIS Network in the Danube Countries ................................................................................ 17 4.2.2. Mandatory Electronic Reporting on the River Rhine...................................................................... 18

4.3. Lessons Learned ................................................................................................................................ 19 5. Traffic Management ................................................................................................................................ 20

5.1. Implementation Status ........................................................................................................................ 20 5.2. Good Practices ................................................................................................................................... 22

5.2.1. Weser Vessel Traffic Management ................................................................................................ 22 5.2.2. Lock Management Services on the Austrian Danube ................................................................... 24 5.2.3. Scheldt Radar Network – VTS Scheldt .......................................................................................... 25 5.2.4. LIVRA Logistics Chain Information on the Fairway from Rotterdam to Antwerp ........................... 26

5.3. Lessons Learned ................................................................................................................................ 27 6. Calamity Abatement Support (CAS) ....................................................................................................... 28

6.1. Implementation Status ........................................................................................................................ 28 6.2. Good Practices ................................................................................................................................... 29

6.2.1. Hungarian Calamity Centre ............................................................................................................ 29 6.2.2. Calamity Abatement Management System in Flanders – C@LRIS .............................................. 30

6.3. Lessons Learned ................................................................................................................................ 31 7. Transport Logistics ................................................................................................................................. 32

7.1. Lessons Learned ................................................................................................................................ 32 8. RIS Key Technologies and the Technical Standards ............................................................................. 33

8.1. Inland ECDIS ...................................................................................................................................... 33 8.2. Inland AIS ........................................................................................................................................... 33 8.3. Electronic Reporting ........................................................................................................................... 34 8.4. Notices to Skippers ............................................................................................................................ 35 8.5. RIS Reference Data and RIS Index ................................................................................................... 36

8.5.1. RIS Index ....................................................................................................................................... 36 8.6. Inland VTS .......................................................................................................................................... 37 8.7. Lessons Learned ................................................................................................................................ 37

9. Organisations Responsible for RIS Development .................................................................................. 39 9.1. European Commission and their Transport Policy ............................................................................. 39

9.1.1. RIS Directive .................................................................................................................................. 40 9.1.2. References ..................................................................................................................................... 41

9.2. Central Commission for the Navigation on the Rhine (CCNR) .......................................................... 41 9.2.1. RIS Actions .................................................................................................................................... 41 9.2.2. CCNR RIS Standards .................................................................................................................... 42

9.3. US Army Corps of Engineers and US Coast Guard and their RIS initiatives .................................... 42 9.3.1. Committee on the Marine Transportation System (CMTS) ........................................................... 43 9.3.2. USACE Initiatives ........................................................................................................................... 43

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PIANC REPORT 125 part I

9.3.3. River Information Services and e-Navigation ................................................................................ 45 10. RIS Related Development ...................................................................................................................... 46

10.1. e-Navigation ....................................................................................................................................... 46 10.2. e-Maritime........................................................................................................................................... 47 10.3. VTM .................................................................................................................................................... 49

11. RIS Related Research and Implementation Projects ............................................................................. 51 11.1. COMPRIS ........................................................................................................................................... 51 11.2. ALSO Danube .................................................................................................................................... 52 11.3. IRIS Europe I ...................................................................................................................................... 53 11.4. Wireless Waterway ............................................................................................................................. 54 11.5. IRIS Master Plan ................................................................................................................................ 55 11.6. IRIS Europe II ..................................................................................................................................... 55 11.7. Platina ................................................................................................................................................. 56 11.8. RISING ............................................................................................................................................... 57 11.9. NEWADA ............................................................................................................................................ 57

12. RIS Related Links ................................................................................................................................... 59

This technical report on the implementation status of River Information Services 2010 has been derived from contributions received from several members of the international RIS community. The report has been compiled by the members of the PIANC RIS Working Group 125: Mr Reinhard Vorderwinkler and Mr Andreas Bäck (both Austria), Mr Mou Jun-min (observer China), Mr Rychtarík Miroslav and Mrs Finstrlová Lenka (both Czech Republic), Mr Kari Jämsen (Finland), Mr Dierik Vermeir, Mr Piet Creemers (Flanders), Mr Jacky Bironneau, (France), Mrs Gabriele Boettcher (Germany), Mr Robert Rafael and Mr Csaba Kovacs (both Hungary), Mr Peter Stuurman (The Netherlands), Mr Andrzej Stateczny (Poland), Mr Evgeny Brodsky (Russia), Mr Richard C. Lockwood (USA) and Mr Cas Willems (The Netherlands and Chairman).

Copyright photos:

via donau (chapter 1.3 and 5.2.2,), RWS (chapter 4.2.1) and RSOE (chapter 6.2.1.)

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PIANC REPORT 125 part I

1. Introduction 1.1. Historical Developments The European Union initiated in 1998 the concept of River Information Services (RIS). This RIS concept has been developed and detailed in research projects like INDRIS1 and COMPRIS2. The potential of RIS to bring inland navigation to a better position in the transport chain was also recognised by international organisations like the UNECE, river commissions like Rhine, Danube and SAVA Commission and PIANC, the International Association for Waterborne Transport Infrastructure. In 2002, PIANC established a Working Group that developed the „Guidelines for River Information Services‟, which are still an important part of the implementation phase of River Information Services. The first revision of these Guidelines was drafted and published in 2004. With the support of several European Member States, the European Commission took the initiative in 2003 to issue a Directive on River Information Services which came into force in 2005. The PIANC Guidelines (revision 2004) are one of the basic regulations3 of this Directive4.

River Information Services were formally recognised as a concept for harmonised information services to support traffic and transport management in inland navigation, including interfaces to other transport modes.

The RIS Directive put formal requirements to the European Member States to implement services according to European standards but also to implement several basic services in their own parts of the waterway network. These services are Electronic Navigational Charts, Notices to Skippers and Electronic Reporting and they shall be implemented according to defined RIS standards. In the European context the development and formalisation of River Information Services is seen as the example for other transport modes to follow towards a successful implementation of IT related traffic and transport services. 1.2. PIANC and River Information Services Since the first initiatives in Europe on River Information Services, this concept on information exchange to support traffic and transport management in inland navigation has found its way throughout the world. River Information Services are in an implementation stage in North and South America, Europe, Asia and Africa. PIANC recognised that, since the publication of the RIS Guidelines version 2004, further developments on services and standards, as well as the technical and practical experience have taken place. Since the last technical report of PIANC on River Information Services the development and in particular the implementation of River Information Services has been considerable. The added value of River Information Services has found recognition throughout the world. Standardisation on e.g. Inland ECDIS, Inland AIS, Electronic Reporting and Notices to Skippers

became mature and several standards have found a formal basis in Europe.

1 INDRIS was a research project on the development of River Information Services in the 4th Framework Programme of DG Energy and Transport of the European Commission (EC). 2 COMPRIS was a research project in the 5th Framework Programme of DG Energy and Transport of the EC. 3 Commission Regulation (EC) No 414/2007 of March 13, 2007. 4 Directive 2005/44/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of September 7, 2005 on harmonised River Information Services (RIS) on inland waterways in the Community.

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The „PIANC Guidelines on River Information Services‟ became accepted in different parts of the world and were the basis in Europe for the RIS Directive of the European Commission.

These developments require that the PIANC RIS Guidelines have to be updated. For the third time, PIANC established a Working Group with the task to exchange experiences on River Information Services and to revise the Guidelines based on these experiences. 1.3. About this Report In previous years ship-based, shore-based and traffic-oriented systems and applications have been designed and tested based on the technical standards as proposed in the context of the „Guidelines of River Information Services‟. The implementation of River Information Services really started around the year 2005 and will be an ongoing process in the coming years. PIANC sees it as an important role for a PIANC Working Group to make an update of developments and to give recommendations for the application of specific techniques, systems and services in European and non-European countries and to provide an interface with maritime information systems. This technical report is the result of preparing the inventory of the status of the implementation of River Information Services done by Working Group 125. The report on the status of the implementation will provide just a glance on what is happening in this field and aims to guide the reader through the dynamic world of River Information Services. The objectives of the report are several: It provides some examples of successful implementation results – good practices – which could

be beneficial to those who are responsible for the implementation of River Information Services in their country or organisation and above all, it will support the harmonised implementation of River Information Services throughout the world. As a helping hand to those who are starting the implementation of River Information Services the report provides in the different chapters some lessons learned during the implementation of RIS in the previous years.

It provides, in addition to the „Good Practices‟ in Chapter 9, some short descriptions of important research and implementation projects in the period after 2000. Finally, in Chapter 10, the report gives links to internet sites where more information on River Information Services can be found, such as RIS operational services, RIS standards, RIS projects or successful implementation results.

It is the basis for the revision and update of the „Guidelines for River Information Services‟ as a result of the lessons learned, and this is particularly reflected in:

o The implementation guidance o The RIS key technologies and the related standards o Definition of terms

The report on the implementation status is structured as follows: Conclusions and recommendations The services as defined in the RIS Guidelines and as presented in the figure on the next page,

including the lessons learned on implementation of these services:

o Fairway Information Services (FIS5)

5 Abbreviations of the services as defined in the RIS Guidelines.

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PIANC REPORT 125 part I

o Traffic Information Services on Strategic and Tactical Level (TTI and STI) o Traffic Management (TM) o Calamity Abatement Support (CAS) o Information for Transport Logistics (ITL)

The RIS services on Law enforcement (LE), Statistics (ST) and Waterway Charges and Harbour

Dues (WCD) have only been partially brought into operation in inland navigation. Yet, there are no relevant practical lessons learned on the development of these services. In these particular RIS areas, in several projects, special applications are in a development phase or are included in existing systems such as information services for statistics in the Dutch IVS90.

The technical standards on RIS key technologies. The international RIS policy will be highlighted based on the activities of the different international

organisations. Regional implementation projects. Relevant links.

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PIANC REPORT 125 part I

2. Conclusions and Recommendations In previous years River Information Services became mature and many RIS systems and applications have been designed and tested, based on the technical standards as proposed in the context of the „PIANC Guidelines for River Information Services‟. The implementation of River Information Services really started around the year 2005 and is an ongoing process, in particular in Europe. Implementation activities are starting in the USA, Africa and Asia (in particular in Russia and China). In the underneath paragraphs the most essential conclusions and recommendations are given, which are based on the lessons learned as given and explained in the next chapters of this report. The experiences in the implementation and operation processes of River Information Services lead to the following conclusions and recommendations:

Authorities are mainly responsible for the implementation of RIS services, starting with the application of RIS, while industry is developing new systems and applications which require stable standards.

The development, implementation and operational use of RIS and the interoperability of RIS services and maritime information services will benefit from developments in the maritime environment, such as the e-Navigation concept and the e-Maritime concept in Europe in particular.

Information exchange in an international network requires legislative measures to provide the data on the basis of a need-to-know-principle, but also to protect privacy and prevent misuse of „commercially sensitive‟ information.

The minimum requirements on the content and the minimum quality of Information Services of NtS and inland ECDIS should be defined more concisely, as this is the basis for the implementation of FIS.

As the definition of Traffic Management (TM) in the RIS environment is not fully covering the VTM development in IALA, it is essential for the future use of RIS to keep track with the worldwide developments of VTM in IALA.

Traffic management – including lock and bridge management – in a transport corridor requires an

integrated network approach where the information services to the users are an interactive part of voyage and traffic planning processes. Traffic planning is becoming more and more an essential and an explicit part of RIS Traffic Management. Traffic Planning should be taken into account in the RIS implementation guidelines.

Organisation of calamity abatement is different in every country. Handing over responsibilities

related to calamity abatement information support is not possible in the framework of RIS activities and makes uniform River Information Services on Calamity Abatement Support (CAS) very difficult. The focus has to be on raising awareness of the benefits of the RIS services with respect to CAS.

Support to transport planning requires that the RIS authorities are willing and authorised to

provide information on vessels, their positions, their voyages and cargo to third parties. There are legal obstructions, mainly driven by privacy regulations, on the provision of this information. This hampers the use of RIS information for logistic services and consequently, it hampers the development of related transport services.

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PIANC REPORT 125 part I

The RIS services on Law enforcement (LE), Statistics (ST) and Waterway Charges and

Harbour Dues (WCD) have hardly been brought into operation yet in inland navigation and as a consequence there are few relevant practical lessons learned over the development of these services.

In Europe, the RIS Directive should cover the complete network of navigable fairways with

respect to the publication of NtS and network reference information – RIS Index – as this is essential for the visualisation of the NtS information in Inland ECDIS, as well as for the implementation of voyage planning applications.

Good coverage, easily accessible and regular updates of Inland ENC’s are essential. These

should be freely available to fairway users and software companies as this contributes to the safety and the efficiency of navigation on the inland waterway network and as they are essential for the acceptance of the user.

As inland navigation is an international transport mode, the users – and providers of services and

applications – would benefit from one single information entrance to get the fairway information used during international voyages. The implementation of a (virtual) central FIS portal for a complete waterway network is very beneficial for users and industry.

It is recommended that the RIS Authorities and other relevant organisations promote the

implementation of Webservices for Notices to Skippers, in order to enhance the tool-based implementation of route planning and voyage planning in inland navigation.

Electronic Reporting supports safety and calamity abatement services and as such Electronic

Reporting should be made mandatory in a stepwise approach. In many RIS related processes the implementation and use of Inland AIS on board as well as

onshore is a pre-condition. The full scale benefit of Inland AIS for RIS services requires a carriage requirement for Inland AIS.

The basic reference table on location codes, the so-called RIS Index, is the consistent and

unambiguous basis for many RIS services. It is highly recommended to start a procedure to formalise the RIS index as the mandatory electronic format for geo-related objects.

RIS applications will have to be compatible in order to minimise investment costs for the inland

navigation sector. In order to „guide‟ RIS development, administrations of a waterway network should link their national RIS deployment projects through multinational projects with each other.

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PIANC REPORT 125 part I

3. Fairway Information Services (FIS) FIS contains geographical, hydrological and administrative data that are used by skippers and fleet managers to plan, execute and monitor a vessel‟s trip or voyage. FIS provides dynamic information, as well as static information about the use and status of the waterway infrastructure and thereby, FIS supports tactical and strategic navigation decision-making processes. FIS consist of one-way information from shore to ship and are based on the RIS Key Technologies Inland ECDIS and Notices to Skippers. The standardisation status of Inland ECDIS and Notices to Skippers are presented in Chapter 8. 3.1. Implementation Status 3.1.1. Inland ECDIS In general in Europe the basic elements of FIS are implemented or will be implemented as an obligation within the European RIS Directive. This means that in Europe Electronic Navigation Charts shall be available for all fairways of CEMT Class V and higher within 30 months after publication of the Commission Regulation on Inland ECDIS. In practice the electronic charts are already available in the USA, Russia and most European countries and moreover, they are also available for lower class fairways. This is valid for Hungary, Slovakia, Flanders (Belgium), Croatia, Czech Republic, Austria, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, Switzerland and The Netherlands. In Germany, Inland ENC are available for an essential part of the fairways, other parts are under preparation. The Inland ENC for France are under preparation and at the time of preparing this report, the ENC were only partly available for the Class V and higher waterways. In general, the infrastructure information which is available in the European Inland ENC includes at least: Shoreline (at mean water level) and shoreline construction (breakwater, longitudinal control dam) Contours of locks and dams Boundaries of the fairway Isolated danger spots in the fairway below and above water level Bridges, overhead wires, etc. Buoys, beacons, lights, notice marks Waterway axis with kilometre and hectometre indications Russia has produced ENC for more than 26,000 km of inland waterways, another 12,000 km were planned for 2011. In the USA 12,000 km are covered by Inland ENC, China is gaining experience on Inland ECDIS standards on the Yangtze river and Egypt is in the process of preparing charts for the River Nile. 3.1.2. Notices to Skippers The European standard for Notices to Skippers provides a standardised data format, which can be used for publishing Notices to Skippers on the internet or for distribution by e-mail or SMS. The content of the messages is encoded in a machine readable XML-file. The reference tables of the standard contain 21 languages of the Member States of the European Union and 3 additional languages, namely the Croatian, Serbian and Russian languages. The standards guarantee that a skipper is able to read and understand the Notices to Skippers for the entire major European waterways and thus facilitating the safety of navigation. In addition, the encoded information can be used directly for calculations, as for example in voyage planning, or be translated to the language of the user and displayed accordingly.

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PIANC REPORT 125 part I

The Notices to Skippers information as it is specified in the NtS standard is subdivided in the following categories: Fairway and traffic related information Water related information Ice related information Weather forecast information (as an optional service) For European countries like Romania, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Czech Republic, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Belgium, France and The Netherlands the Notices to Skippers are provided or will be provided on short notice according the latest version of the NtS standard. The development of WEB-services – as machine-to-machine interface – for Notices to Skippers is still in an experimental stage in some countries in Europe. This development is essential for the implementation of route planning and voyage planning applications in inland navigation.

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PIANC REPORT 125 part I

3.2. Good Practices

3.2.1. Fairway Information Services in Germany – ELWIS

ELWIS (Electronic Waterway Information Service) has been the Internet service of the German Waterway Administration since 1999. The use is free of charge. ELWIS was made especially for skippers to find all information they need for planning their voyage. It offers data that are relevant for nautical and operational purposes supplementing the traditional information methods (e.g. journal of nautical information). ELWIS has static and dynamic internet pages, e.g. for water levels, water level forecasts, ice situation reports, Notices to Skippers in 10 European languages (amongst them English), traffic management information, classification of inland waterways and regulations and notes on shipping laws. The upkeep of this information is taken care of by the various authorities in charge. A special service of ELWIS is the ELWIS-Subscription. This service is independent from internet access. It offers the possibility for the customer to subscribe to user-defined information like water levels, high or low water forecasting, Notices to Skippers and ice situation reports. Information according to the specified needs is sent automatically as e-mail or SMS, as well as regular updates or event-controlled updates. ELWIS is more and more in use, e.g. in 2009 circa 4 million users retrieved nearly 24 million pages. Around 1.4 million e-mails were sent to users by the ELWIS-Subscription.

Fig. 1: ELWIS – Example for Notices to Skippers

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PIANC REPORT 125 part I

3.2.2. Fairway Information Services in the Czech Republic – LAVDIS

The State Navigation Authority of the Czech Republic is the operator of the RIS Centre of the Czech Republic and is operating the national FIS services. The operator has a possibility for distribution of fairway and traffic messages, water and ice related messages. In the figures below an example screen is visualised on the FIS services in the Czech Republic.

Fig. 2: FIS Czech Republic – Water related messages

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PIANC REPORT 125 part I

3.2.3. Inland ECDIS and Virtual Aids to Navigation in The Netherlands

The Directorate-General for Public Works and Water Management implemented a pilot with additional fairway-lineation on the ENC for inland waterways. The objective of the additional lineation as virtual aids to navigation is to make skippers of inland vessels more aware of the position of their vessel in the waterway. The major causes of near misses or accidents on and around the junction of the three rivers with dense traffic in the southern part of The Netherlands is the lack of awareness of the fairway lineation. The additional virtual lineation should help to clarify the traffic lanes. The additional lineation design has been developed in consultation with the inland shipping branch organisations.

Line indicating recommended separation between traffic flows Line indicating recommended separation between traffic flows in secondary waterway Recommended direction of traffic flow The symbols used are not (yet) incorporated into the Standard Inland-ECDIS.

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PIANC REPORT 125 part I

3.2.4. Inland ENC on the Serbian Cross Border Sections of River Danube

The Serbian authority responsible for the supervision, maintenance and development of international waterways (Plovput) started with the production of Inland ENC in 2005. Among many problems, the crucial one was the lack of reliable cartographic data on the cross border sections with Romania and Croatia with whom Serbia shares almost 370 river km of Danube. Without intensive co-operation among these three responsible authorities, different charts for the same border section would possibly have been published. The main goal was that all administrations can publish Electronic Navigable Charts in a synchronised manner for the same stretch, so that the skippers navigating through the common stretch of the Danube between Serbia and Romania have no doubt whether Serbian or Romanian ENC should be used. Both offer the same content and quality. In order to achieve this goal, technical and organisational measures were set. An ENC Bilateral Working Group between Serbia and Romania was established in 2006. The Directorate for Inland Waterways acted as the representative of Serbia. Representatives of Romania were the River Administration of the Lower Danube (AFDJ) Galati and the Navigable Way Section from Giurgiu, which is a special branch of AFDJ responsible for our common stretch. Some of the main current issues were: o Harmonisation of the river bank vector o Bilateral exchange of marking system data o Harmonisation of the fairway design

In order to achieve all the above-mentioned, some technical measures were taken, like: o Finding the unique co-ordinate system for all sides o Harmonising the ENC cells borders so that there is no overlapping and

also in the trilateral sections o Coming to a common agreement about providing the data to the Data

Warehouse for Danube (D4D) web portal As a result, today all data is exchanged in WGS-84 geodetic system, border ENC are harmonised with common effort and all the ENC data is published on a D4D web portal (http://rs.d4d-portal.info) and can be used for free.

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PIANC REPORT 125 part I

3.3. Lessons Learned

o FIS Lesson 1: Good coverage, free availability, easy accessibility and regular updates of Inland ENC are essential, as this contributes to safety and efficiency of navigation on the inland waterway network and is essential for the acceptance of the user.

o FIS Lesson 2: The implementation of web services for Notices to Skippers should be promoted, in order to enhance the implementation of tool-based route planning and voyage planning in inland navigation.

o FIS Lesson 3: The minimum requirements on the content and the minimum Quality of Information services of NtS and inland ECDIS should be defined more concisely, as this is the basis for the implementation of FIS.

o FIS Lesson 4: As inland navigation is an international transport mode the transport sector

would benefit from one single information entrance providing the Fairway Information of a waterway network. The implementation of a (virtual) central European FIS portal – connected to the national servers – would be very beneficial for users and industry.

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PIANC REPORT 125 part I

4. Traffic Information Services The information provided in Tactical Traffic Information (TTI) supports the skipper in his immediate navigational decisions with regard to short-term traffic situations. The TTI also allows skippers to make navigational arrangements with other vessels. It contains information on the position of vessels, speed, heading and specific vessel information of all targets identified by radar and/or Inland AIS. On the other hand, strategic Traffic Image (STI) provides a general overview of the traffic situation in a relatively large area. STI is mainly used for planning and monitoring. It will provide the user with information about intended voyages of vessels, (dangerous) cargo and Requested Times of Arrival (RTA) at defined points (e.g. locks, terminals). 4.1. Implementation Status Navigation Systems In areas where Electronic Navigational Charts are published, the skipper is allowed to use Inland ECDIS in combination with DGNSS for own vessel positioning and radar and Inland AIS for providing improved Tactical Traffic Information on the navigational display. This is the so-called Navigation Mode. Next to the Navigation Mode, there is the Information Mode where the Inland ECDIS is used as a stand-alone system, giving the skipper essential information about the fairway. Developments of Tactical Traffic Information systems and applications are driven by the market and depend upon the availability of stable standards, in this case for Inland ECDIS and Inland AIS. Consequently, the availability of these systems entering the market will take some time. Land-Based Systems Land-based TTI is in operation both in RIS/VTS centres and in lock and bridge operation centres and is mostly based on radar monitoring systems and Inland AIS infrastructures. Integrated land-based TTI is mostly based on radar images including tracking facilities and information of Inland AIS networks. Mainly in VTS in the maritime environment, like the Scheldt VTS, only integrated TTI is in operation. In inland navigation in The Netherlands, integrated TTI for traffic management in a VTS environment is under development. The basic networks for traffic monitoring for strategic purposes in Europe are based on two principles: Information network based on (electronic) reporting Information derived from an Inland AIS land-based network The IVS 90 and MIB networks of Germany and The Netherlands are used for the monitoring of traffic and, in particular, dangerous cargoes and special transports on the Rhine and on the Dutch waterway network. The information networks IVS90 and MIB are also providing information support for calamity abatement. The basic information on vessels, their cargoes and voyage is based on reporting via VHF or more and more electronic reporting. Both in The Netherlands and in Germany a new integrated vessel traffic monitoring system is planned as a replacement for IVS90 and MIB, with the objective to have a better support traffic management. Electronic Reporting – as specified in the standard for Electronic Reporting described in Chapter 7 – is becoming more and more standard practice in Europe. For the Rhine, Electronic Reporting has become mandatory since January 2010 for container vessels with more than 20 containers or 1 container with dangerous goods (see good practice in this chapter).

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In some European Member States, (Hungary, Slovakia, Croatia and Austria), STI is, in addition, derived from Inland AIS networks, providing additional information on the position of the vessel in order to monitor the vessel‟s voyage. In Russia voyage reporting systems are in operation on the Volga-Baltic Waterway, as well as on the Volga-Don navigation channel. Reporting is done by UHF communication and by exception via AIS. 4.2. Good Practices

4.2.1. Inland AIS Network in the Danube Countries

Inland AIS infrastructures have been implemented in the Danube Countries in a step-by-step approach:

1. RIS test centres were set up in order to proof the technical concept. In 2001, Austria was the first country to equip a Danube stretch of approximately 40 km with Inland AIS.

2. Interconnected (pilot) implementations were set up in 7 Danube countries within the framework of national and/or EU co-financed projects. After gaining experience and setting up the operational environment, 24/7 full scale operation started.

3. Equipment programs were launched by several administrations in order to assure a rapid introduction of Inland AIS. The administrations have been providing Inland AIS transponders to the fleet operators and skippers on the basis of „usage contracts‟ with attractive conditions.

4. Carriage Requirement: Austria was the first country to issue an Inland AIS carriage requirement for all vessels longer than 20 m and/or with more than 12 persons on board. Other countries are expected to introduce similar requirements in the coming years.

5. New services are developed and introduced in close co-operation with other administrations. The co-ordination and implementation of new RIS services is done in the framework of the EU projects IRIS Europe I and IRIS Europe II (www.iris-europe.net).

As of December 2010, the entire Austrian, Slovakian, Hungarian and Croatian Danube sections are fully covered with Inland AIS. The Serbian, Bulgarian and Romanian Danube sections are partly covered and the full-scale implementation is ongoing, Germany, Bulgaria and the Ukraine are preparing AIS implementations.

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4.2.2. Mandatory Electronic Reporting on the River Rhine

As from January 1st, 2010, the Central Commission for the Navigation on the Rhine (CCNR) introduced an obligation for vessels transporting containers along the Dutch, German, French and Swiss Rhine. The Electronic Reporting obligation covers vessels and convoys carrying more than 20 containers, as well as 1 container containing dangerous goods. The obligation will contribute to improving the safety on the River Rhine and creates a seamless information flow between vessels and waterway administrations. It also reduces the workload of the operators in the (VTS) centres. In order to support crisis control in the event of an accident, the waterway authorities need to have correct information and data about the affected vessel and cargo (containers) on board. The introduction of the Electronic Reporting obligation will improve the quality of the required data and thereby contribute to seamless and safe inland waterway transport. Shipmasters are required to report electronically: Before entering a waterway which is subject to the reporting obligation Before starting a trip on a waterway subject to the reporting obligation In case the electronically reported data changes during the trip

Fig. 3: Electronic reporting on the river Rhine

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4.3. Lessons Learned

o TTI Lesson 1: Authorities responsible for the implementation of RIS services, users starting with the application of RIS and industry developing new systems and applications require stable standards. The practical experience with respect to the use of RIS services is essential for further development of standards.

o STI Lesson 1: Developments in the maritime environment should be taken into account. In particular the e-Navigation concept and the e-Maritime concept in Europe – as depicted in Chapter 10 – will benefit from the development, implementation and operational use of RIS and the interoperability of RIS services and maritime information services. This will lead to benefits for inland navigation as an essential transport mode in the logistic chain.

o STI Lesson 2: For safety purposes, as well as support to the logistic chain, national

networks for strategic management of traffic flows and traffic and transport planning should be connected at an international network level for the exchange of traffic and transport information.

o STI Lesson 3: information exchange in an international network requires legislative

measures to provide the data on the basis of a need-to-know-principle, but also to protect privacy and prevent misuse of „commercially sensitive‟ information.

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5. Traffic Management Traffic Management (TM) is carried out by the competent RIS authority aiming at optimal utilisation of the infrastructure and assurance of safe navigation, as well as the protection of the environment on two different principal levels: Vessel Traffic Services (VTS) Lock and Bridge Management (LBM) VTS is defined as a service implemented by a competent authority, designed to improve the safety and efficiency of vessel traffic and to protect the environment. The service should have the capability to interact with the traffic and to respond to traffic situations developing in the VTS area. LBM: RIS facilitates the planning of lock and bridge operations. RIS supports lock/bridge operators in their medium-term decisions by providing a strategic traffic image. RIS thereby assists the operators in the calculation of Expected Times of Arrival (ETA) and Requested Times of Arrival (RTA). A specific category of TM dealing with information services for traffic planning on a more strategic level is being developed more and more. In Germany, the „Selbstwarschau‟ can be seen as an example. The pilot project is described in this chapter under „good practices‟. In this German „Selbstwarschau‟ project, Inland AIS gives the opportunity to make a better use of a narrow fairway, where larger vessels cannot meet or pass at all places. An early co-ordination between inland vessels encountering a narrow fairway section has to be made to allow for a smooth passage and to avoid unnecessary waiting time in front of the bottleneck. Here the use of Inland AIS is essential. 5.1. Implementation Status In practice the VTS for inland navigation is currently implemented at critical points along the European waterway network. These services have the capability to interact with the traffic and to respond to traffic situations developing in the VTS area. The information required by VTS centres is basically gathered by means of permanent shore-based radar stations and more and more AIS base stations. The VTS are making use of Fairway Information Services and the tactical and strategic traffic images. The implementation of VTS is restricted to the larger rivers as in: China, where VTS is operated from Chongqing to Chanhai on the Yangtze river On the Volga – Baltic Waterway and the Volga-Don river, for the latter stretch VTS is under

development Saimaa Lake area VTS in Finland On the River Scheldt a very extensive VTS is in operation with 5 manned VTS centres

In The Netherlands, several Inland VTS are in operation and implemented for at last a decade because of the complexity of the rather small fairways in combination with the high traffic intensity. LBM services are implemented in a wide variety of service levels or under implementation in inland navigation throughout the world. Innovation of lock management procedures is an ongoing process in many countries with a focus on improved services to users and optimisation of the internal resources.

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Innovative ICT technology is under development and implementation in dealing with: Improving the information on vessels approaching the locks by using VHF in combination with

traffic images based on AIS and information systems as in Germany and The Netherlands Lock diary and lock filling tools Lock operation systems with modern Human Machine Interface (HMI) Information services in the waterway network However, the planning of vessel movements and the locking processes in a network of locks is still in its infancy, the Austrian lock management system is an advanced system in this field. In The Netherlands, the first trials on traffic planning are in operation in a project called LIVRA as a first step towards planning at the corridor or network level.

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5.2. Good Practices

5.2.1. Weser Vessel Traffic Management

The navigable part of the River Weser between Minden and Bremen, the so-called Mittelweser, connects the seaport of Bremen to the German inland waterway network. The Mittelweser is about 150 km long and dammed up by 7 locks, which are remotely controlled by the RIS centre at Minden. Considering its growing importance, this inland waterway section is currently being developed to allow for larger ships of up to 110 m length with a higher depth requirement of up to 2.5 m. During the construction work and even after the enlargement of the waterway, there will be fairway sections where larger ships cannot meet especially in bends of the river. The length of those bottlenecks varies up to 12 km as at the Drakenburg lock. An early co-ordination between inland vessels encountering a narrow fairway section has to be made to allow for a smooth passage and to avoid unnecessary waiting time in front of the bottleneck.

Fig. 4: ECDIS viewer of the Minden area with vessels carrying inland AIS Along with the waterway development, operational field trials are being conducted to investigate the use of Inland AIS for the support of passing arrangements. Both applications of navigational support are investigated, the improved traffic image in the immediate vicinity of one‟s own vessel (tactical navigation), as well as the improved traffic situation awareness in the larger surrounding area utilising „AIS-Selbstwahrschau‟ (strategic navigation).

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Using Inland AIS in conjunction with Inland ECDIS, a ships‟ surrounding traffic situation can be easily displayed on its bridge. The use of the automatic exchange of navigation related data by Inland AIS, like identity, position and size of the ship, is envisioned to be a major step towards autonomous traffic regulation of ships with restricted manoeuvrability. About 100 vessels navigating regularly in the Mittelweser are in the trial phase and are supplied with type approved Inland AIS mobile station and Inland ECDIS equipment. Although the project is mainly dealing with the support of passing arrangements using the principles of AIS-Selbstwahrschau, information derived from Inland AIS shall be provided to the RIS centre as well. The continuous operation of AIS mobile stations is crucial for the AIS-Selbstwahrschau, as traffic situation awareness on board is based on information derived from Inland AIS. All Inland AIS mobile stations on the Mittelweser are monitored by evaluating their reporting interval. In case of a failure, an alarm informs the operator in the RIS centre and the shipping in the affected area will be informed via VHF radio telephony. The affected ship is requested to report its position frequently via VHF radio telephone. Ships participating in the trials are obliged to operate the Inland AIS unit, keep the data up to date and use the AIS derived traffic image on the Inland ECDIS. These ships are requested to provide experience and report findings during the trials and complete a questionnaire.

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5.2.2. Lock Management Services on the Austrian Danube

On January 1st, 2009 the handwritten lock diary was replaced by an electronic tool supporting the management of all locking operations and processes on the nine Austrian Danube locks. Following a successful implementation and several months of parallel operation, the new system was officially launched on January 1st, 2009. Among the main tasks of the new system are the standardised documentation of all operational lock processes and the complete data registration of all completed lock operations, including detailed information on every single lock operation, such as grouping of vessels/convoys, convoy formations or entrance, exit and waiting times. Based on these data, the system enables the compilation of extensive statistics while reducing the administrative costs involved. A close system connection with the Austrian AIS infrastructure, as well as automatic vessel identification via voice radio, further supports the lock personnel. The transmission of lock data between neighbouring locks, along with a graphic display of the traffic situation at the upstream and downstream section of the lock, provides detailed information on the approaching vessel traffic at every lock on the Austrian stretch of the Danube. Besides the reduction of the workload of the operators, the system also has benefits for skippers. Computer aided optimisation of the lock chambers and improved planning capability by the usage of AIS data results in increased throughput and reduced waiting times. Furthermore, the reduction of administrative burden and communication use of the VHF enables the operators to focus more on traffic safety.

Fig. 5: Lock planning on the Austrian Danube

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5.2.3. Scheldt Radar Network – VTS Scheldt

The Scheldt Radar Network (SRN), which provides the VTS, is implemented by a joint co-operation between the Flemish and Dutch governmental authorities who are responsible for the area of the Scheldt river and the approaches. The whole organisation is controlled by the Permanent Committee of Supervision on the Scheldt Navigation. The VTS are provided on a 24/7/365 basis for about 150,000 ship movements/year. The systems used to implement these functionalities have an availability of 99.9 %. The Scheldt Radar Network works in a mixed mode, i.e. with seagoing vessels and inland barges, and is formed by waterways of Class Va or higher. The SRN is based on 5 manned VTS centres with 41 work positions which get Tactical Traffic Information (TTI) via 20 radar stations onshore and 1 station offshore, together with a VHF network. The network of radars is extended with an Inland AIS network based on 11 base stations. Voyage and Strategic Traffic Information (STI) is provided by the information system IVS. This system contains a route model for the complete working area, which is used for voyage planning. The ETA are calculated for the different passage points on a vessel‟s voyage and are continuously updated on the basis of the provided RTA. The information on voyages, via ERI and related messages, are exchanged with neighbour VTS/RIS/Harbour organisations via the Central Broker System (CBS). This CBS system shall also be used for the exchange of Calamity Abatement information (support) (CAS) between RIS organisations on basis of the NOT_Emergency message. Hydro-meteo information is provided via the HYMEDIS system. Additional information related to FIS, as well as special messages like NtS messages – IENC charts – are provided via the RIS portal at www.vts-scheldt.net.

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5.2.4. LIVRA Logistics Chain Information on the Fairway from Rotterdam to Antwerp The fairway between the seaports of Rotterdam and Antwerp is one of the busiest inland shipping routes in Europe. Unlike the Rhine river from Rotterdam to the Ruhr area, this north-south corridor includes several locks. While the fairways themselves are not a capacity bottleneck, the locks sometimes cause delays and queues. The LIVRA project aims to come to more reliable sailing times on the route Rotterdam-Antwerp, in order to optimise the logistic chain and to optimise the use of the lock capacity. This objective will be fulfilled by providing more and better information to shipping companies and individual ships.

Fig. 6: The LIVRA project pilot area 1. Situation: through a website shipping companies and individual ships can get access to a „map‟ of the lock situation. This is provided real-time and shows the current situation at the lock (e.g. ships entering/exiting or locking through), as well as the number and size of ships in the locks. The direction is also shown (locking to the north or to the south). Furthermore, the user can see the number of ships that are waiting at the lock and the number of ships that have announced their arrival. This information gives the shipping companies and ships an indication of what will be their waiting time and whether they can adjust their navigation scheme accordingly (e.g. increase or decrease speed, other activities on the route). 2. Forecast: the second phase is to develop a forecast of lock cycle times. If the number of ships that are waiting or arriving soon is known, the logical lock allocation can be calculated in advance. Also, based on historical data the average time required for ships entering/leaving the lock and for the locking itself can be calculated. This allows forecasting when the next lock cycle will start and what will be the usage level of that cycle. For skippers, this can be useful information as they can see whether it makes sense to speed up or slow down and as they can also readjust their overall trip planning knowing the likely locking cycle that they will be part of.

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3. Integration: in this third phase the time-route diagrams of the individual ships are forecasted. The forecast is based on the voyage planning of ships with the actual data and forecast of lock cycles from the first two phases. After each lock cycle or change in the voyage, the planning can be adjusted based on the actual lock passage time and the available forecast for the next lock. This allows the shipping company to continuously update its voyage planning and eventually also the terminal planning. An important point is that the fairway authority only provides information and all choices about navigation, planning, etc. are the domain of the skipper. The pilot is set up in joint co-operation between Rijkswaterstaat, being the fairway authority, and MIS Cobiva, a private co-operation of 5 major container shipping lines. Results of the project are expected in 2011. More information can be found at www.rws-livra.org or [email protected].

5.3. Lessons Learned

o TM Lesson 1: The Vessel Traffic Management (VTM) concept is under development in

IALA6, see Chapter 10. The purpose of VTM is to enhance the safety, efficiency and security of shipping, the protection of the marine environment and functions of VTS. The TM definition in the RIS environment is not fully covering the VTM development in IALA and it is essential for the future of RIS to keep track with the world-wide developments of VTM in IALA.

o TM Lesson 2: lock and bridge management requires an integrated network-approach

where the information services to the users are an interactive part of the voyage and traffic planning processes. Exchange of best practices would be very helpful for those countries with a chain of locks in their networks. Approaching these networks as transport corridors with a defined operational quality of services would be the basis for development of RIS services.

o TM Lesson 3: Traffic Management will shift in the coming years from local safety management to a service that also supports, in a more intensive way, the logistic transport chain.

o TM Lesson 4: Apart from Vessel Traffic Services and lock and bridge planning, the

information service for traffic planning is seen more and more as an essential part of Traffic Management. Traffic Planning should be taken into account as a separate service in the RIS implementation guidelines.

6 This is the working definition as given in the IALA Guidelines.

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6. Calamity Abatement Support (CAS)

The principal reason for the introduction of reporting in some countries, and in particular the transport of dangerous cargoes, was for safety. In the event of an accident, the waterway authorities are capable of providing information on the vessel and its cargo immediately to those organisations which are responsible for the abatement of a calamity. Since the introduction of River Information Services, this reporting has shifted more and more towards Electronic Reporting. The electronic information on the vessel‟s characteristics and its cargo, as well as the tactical traffic image provides a solid basis for the assessment of the accident, the co-ordination of rescue forces and the traffic measures that should be taken in case of an accident. In this respect, the original RIS Guidelines describe the following functionalities for CAS: Provision of information on accidents focused on a traffic situation Assessment of the traffic situation in case of an accident Co-ordination of the assistance of patrol vessels Assessment of the possible effects of the accident on the environment, people and traffic Presentation of information to patrol vessels, police boats and rescue vessels Initiation and co-ordination of search and rescue activities Taking measures on traffic, environment and people protection Related to RIS authorities, these functionalities can be reduced to a strict minimum: Provision of information on accidents focused on a traffic situation Presentation of information to patrol vessels, police boats and rescue vessels Initiation of search and rescue activities The other functionalities belong to the tasks of the local rescue teams, which can rely on the information provided by RIS. 6.1. Implementation Status In countries where there are VTS in operation the Calamity Abatement Support is one of the most sophisticated parts of the VTS services and is it possible to provide information on an incident or accident via VHF or UHF. As in these VTS areas there is radar coverage – and in some cases AIS coverage – the assessment of the traffic situation is done by the VTS operators. In Germany and The Netherlands the reporting systems MIB and IVS90 provide the possibility to assess also the cargo involved and thus measures can be taken accordingly. In case of an incident, the waterway authority initiates and co-ordinates search and rescue activities and takes measures on traffic, environmental and people protection in co-operation with the police and other involved authorities. In countries without VTS there are more and more monitoring centres which will be responsible for the services – with the RIS authorities being responsible in case of accidents – as defined under Calamity Abatement Support. Hungary, Slovakia and Austria all have monitoring centres using the information of the AIS network in their countries. However, the provision by electronic means of the available RIS-information, e.g. the tactical traffic image of the area of an accident, to patrol vessels, police vessels and other rescue vessels is still an open issue in the implementation of RIS services. The interchange of information between different organisations and different regions is a subject treated in European projects like DATRAM and IRIS Europe.

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6.2. Good Practices

6.2.1. Hungarian Calamity Centre

Since 1996 the radio-based system and the RSOE Calamity Centre (with the NAVINFO call-sign) enhances the safety of waterway on the whole Hungarian Danube stretch. This system has been further developed in the framework of projects like COMPRIS, DaTraM and IRIS Europe. The emergency and information is a part of the Danube-Main-Rhine Emergency and Information System. The service is ensured by the RSOE personnel in a 24/7 operation. Through navigational channels VHF 16 and 22 the RSOE Calamity Centre is the official centre for information requests (Notices to Skippers, water level, etc.) and emergency calls. The RSOE Calamity Centre is also the centre for the Hungarian River Information Services by means of information exchange, vessel tracking and tracing, dangerous cargo transport reporting, etc. Main users/stakeholders:

o Ministry of National Development o National Transport Authority o Danube Water Police Captaincy o National Directorate General for Disaster Management o Commercial users/stakeholders like skippers, fleet operators and ports

The success factors of the RSOE Calamity Centre are:

o The proactive activities of RSOE since 1996 o The demand from the industry o The demand from the governmental stakeholders o The key personnel of the service who have wide knowledge on the

navigation on the Danube and other inland waterways o The close and very efficient cooperation with the stakeholders involved in

calamity abatement More information can be obtained from the RSOE website (http://www.rsoe.hu) or from the PannonRIS website (http://www.pannonris.hu).

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6.2.2. Calamity Abatement Management System in Flanders – C@LRIS

Because of the complex alarm procedures in case of a calamity, Flanders invested in an electronic support tool for handling calamities, called C@LRIS. Depending on the region, the classification and the severity of a calamity, different kinds of persons need to be informed. The principal objectives of C@LRIS are: (a) Enrich incoming notification: C@LRIS relies on the basic RIS-key services to enrich an incoming notification of a

calamity. In case of an incident with a vessel C@LRIS can provide: Position information of the ship when there is not AIS on board, the estimated

position based on reporting information will be provided The cargo and number of passengers on board of the ship based on electronic

reports (b) Inform people in charge of operations: Different people mean different ways of communication. C@LRIS will automatically propose the correct set of responsible people and their preferred way of communication. Communication means as telephone, e-mail, sms and fax are available in conjunction with C@lRIS. All incoming and outgoing communication is logged by the application. (c) Inform skippers and other waterway authorities: After rescue forces are alerted, C@LRIS will inform the skippers by means of a draft NtS- and AIS-message, which will be processed by the NtS- and AIS-applications. Finally, a military VHF-broadcast service broadcasts the calamity information. (d) Monitor the situation: While the calamity is ongoing, feedback can stream back to C@LRIS, allowing the RIS-operator to keep up-to-date about the calamity. Visual feedback is also foreseen by means of a video wall with Inland ECDIS, AIS, NtS and voyage and cargo information.

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6.3. Lessons Learned

o CAS Lesson 1: Organisation of calamity abatement is different in every country. Handing over responsibilities related to calamity abatement information support is not possible in the framework of RIS activities and makes uniform RIS services on CAS very difficult. The focus has to be on raising awareness of the benefits of the RIS services with respect to CAS.

o CAS Lesson 2: No electronic information services are defined in the RIS environment in operation between the different actors in case of a calamity. In the C@lRIS approach in Flanders, special messages are in preparation to inform users in the area of an accident and neighbouring areas in cases of cross border calamities.

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7. Transport Logistics The development and use of RIS services in the logistics environment is still in its infancy. Several attempts to create awareness on the potential of RIS information for commercial processes have been undertaken in the past. To be mentioned in this respect are the ALSO Danube and the RISING projects (see Chapter 11), both projects in the research programme of the European Commission. In the RISING project, several services in the field of transport logistics will be developed and operated in a test environment in close co-operation with the logistic stakeholders. RISING Trials will be executed based on the following topics: Voyage Planning: RIS information for voyage planning of operations by providing data on water

levels and depth, berth availability, lock occupation (actual and predictions/forecasts) used e.g. for routing and stowage planning.

Fleet Management: RIS information for fleet management of Inland Navigation equipment, including barges, by identifying their current position and status of operation (e.g. empty, loaded, in transit).

Event Management: RIS information for transport execution facilitating monitoring (Tracking and Tracing) of transport processes by enabling operators to pass actual information on their transport schedules. This includes inland waterway transport-based process data (e.g. vessel positions, passing waypoints and occurring deviations), as well as value added services, such as Event Management.

Port/Terminal Management: RIS information for both sea and inland ports and terminals by providing Estimated Time of Arrival (ETA) updates, e.g. transhipment operations, terminal resource management and pre- and post-traffic connections.

The European TEN-T project IRIS Europe II (for details, see Chapter 11) will stimulate the use of RIS information for logistic processes and has created a logistic task force to achieve this. This task force is developing a set of activities in this field as follows: Investigations where new or enhanced RIS services can provide support and functionalities to

logistic processes and port/terminal management. Working with logistic parties on the development of requirements on RIS related information and

(basic) data to develop implement and operate these new or enhanced logistic and port/terminal management RIS services.

To make this possible, a broad analysis will be made of the information needs of logistic parties on the one hand and the information available now and in the future on the part of the authorities on the other hand. 7.1. Lessons Learned

o TL Lesson 1: Support to transport planning requires that the RIS authorities are willing and authorised to provide information on vessels, their positions, their voyages and cargo to agreed and authorised third parties. There are legal obstructions, driven by privacy regulations, on the provision of these services. This hampers the use of RIS information for logistic services and consequently it hampers the development of related transport services.

o TL Lesson 2: The RIS Directive should cover for Europe the complete network of fairways

with respect to the publication of NtS and network reference information – RIS Index as described in Chapter 8.5 – as this is essential for the implementation of voyage planning applications.

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8. RIS Key Technologies and the Technical Standards 8.1. Inland ECDIS The Inland ECDIS Standard was developed in the European project INDRIS by the expert group on inland ECDIS and first introduced to the outside world in 2001 when version 1.0 of the standard was accepted by the Central Rhine Commission (CCNR). While edition 1.02 of the Inland ECDIS Standard has been a purely European standard, edition 2.0 and later editions are international standards. The data standard is now also applied in North and South America and in the Russian Federation. Since 2004 there is an International Inland ENC Harmonisation Group (IEHG). The Inland ENC Harmonisation Group (IEHG), which is composed of representatives of European countries, the USA, the Russian Federation, Brazil, the Peoples Republic of China and the Republic of Korea, international organisations, private companies, user groups and experts at the moment, is recognised as the competent expert group for Inland ENC standardisation by IHO and the international organisations in the area of inland navigation and is participating in the working group of IHO for the development of future ENC standards. The data part of the Inland ECDIS Standard is based on the IHO S-57 Standard, currently version 3.1. However, IHO is in the process of moving to the next generation of the standard, which will be called S-100. Apart from many other advantages, S-100 provides a much greater flexibility, as well as recognition for the Inland ENC Standard. It is for this reason that the Inland ENC Harmonisation Group has set up an Inland ENC domain within the S-100 Registry of IHO. ENC created for the maritime ECDIS in accordance with S-57 can also be displayed by Inland ECDIS applications. In order to display Inland ENC on maritime ECDIS applications, the Inland ECDIS specific amendments (e.g. object catalogue and presentation library) are required. It will show the objects on maritime waterways, as well as those on inland waterways. ECDIS applications that only contain the object catalogue and the presentation library of the maritime ECDIS do not display the object types that have been added for the inland waterways. Some maritime ECDIS applications do not even allow the loading of Inland ENC because they are restricted to official S-57 ENC. The Inland ECDIS standard version 2.0 is formalised by the CCNR and recommended by UNECE and the Danube Commission. Formalisation by the European Commission (EC) is in progress. 8.2. Inland AIS In the past the need was recognised for means of automatic exchange of navigational data between ships and between ship and shore for automatic identification, as well as Tracking and Tracing solutions in inland navigation. In inland shipping several developments for Vessel Traffic Monitoring as well as for Tracking and Tracing took place in different countries. These developments made use of different technologies and functions. To ensure interoperability between the developments in inland shipping it was decided in Europe to define the standards and set up harmonised procedures for Tracking and Tracing in European inland shipping. In 2003 it was decided to establish an Expert Group for Vessel Tracking and Tracing. The objectives of the Expert Group for Vessel Tracking and Tracing are: To develop and maintain the Vessel Tracking and Tracing Standard. Because of mixed traffic

areas it is important that the standards and procedures for inland shipping are compatible with already defined standards and procedures for seagoing navigation.

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To submit these proposals to the European Commission, the Central Commission for Navigation on the Rhine (CCNR), the Danube Commission DC, the UNECE and other interested international standardisation bodies.

Developments in (maritime) organisations (ITU, IALA and IMO) were observed and taken into account in the work of the expert grouping. The development and implementation of the Maritime AIS standard was especially very important. The work of the expert group led to a standard on Inland AIS which was formalised by the CCNR and the European Commission. Commission Regulation (EC) No 415/2007 of March 13, 2007 concerning the technical specifications for vessel Tracking and Tracing systems referred to in Article 5 of Directive 2005/44/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on harmonised River Information Services (RIS) on inland waterways in the Community. The information content of Inland AIS basically tallies with that of maritime AIS, while providing additional information specific to inland waterways. In view of their shared information content, Inland AIS and Maritime AIS are compatible. All data transmitted can be received by both Maritime and Inland AIS devices to be visually displayed and analysed. However, the specific Inland AIS information is only transmitted by Inland AIS devices. The Inland AIS Standard defines: Functional requirements for Inland AIS devices Technical requirements for Inland AIS devices Specification of AIS messages for the exchange of messages between Inland AIS devices via

radio Specification of AIS data sets for data exchange between Inland AIS devices and connected

applications The European Commission formalised the standard by Commission Regulation (EC) No 415/2007 of March 13, 2007 concerning the technical specifications for vessel Tracking and Tracing systems referred to in Article 5 of RIS Directive 2005/44/EC. The CCNR formalised the inland AIS standard in 2007 and included in 2008 a test-standard and technical clarifications. 8.3. Electronic Reporting Electronic Reporting and Electronic Messaging is the way to get to a paperless environment in inland shipping. All necessary information is to be available at the right time and in the right place. The messages address the parties concerned ensuring a fast dispatch and transparent procedures with appropriate controls will simplify the water transport processes. Information on vessel and cargo data over a large area is important for all those participating in transport operation: authorities, lock operators, emergency services, port operators and fleet operators. For that reason, electronic ship reporting systems are set up. To ensure interoperability between the developments in Electronic Reporting, it was decided in Europe to define standards and set up harmonised procedures for Electronic Ship Reporting in Inland Navigation. Therefore, an Expert Group called „Electronic Reporting International (ERI)‟ was established. The standard for Electronic Ship Reporting in Inland Navigation describes the messages, data items and codes to be used in electronic ship reporting for the different services of RIS.

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As mentioned in previous chapters, Electronic Reporting is an essential technology to support different processes in inland navigation and the RIS services. The purpose of the standard for Electronic Reporting in Inland Navigation is: To facilitate electronic data interchange (EDI) between partners in inland navigation, as well as

partners in the multi-modal transport chain involving inland navigation. To avoid the reporting of the same information related to a voyage several times to different

authorities and/or commercial parties. To provide rules and standards for the interchange of electronic messages between partners in

the field of inland navigation. Public authorities and other parties concerned (ship owners, skippers, shippers, terminals, ports) shall exchange data in conformity with these standards and rules.

The standard for Electronic Reporting in inland navigation is based on internationally accepted trade and transport standards and recommendations. It complements these for inland navigation. The standard on Electronic Reporting has been developed by the Expert Group „Electronic Reporting International‟ (ERI). The European Commission formalised the standard by Commission Regulation (EC) No 164/2010 of January 25, 2010 concerning the technical specifications for electronic reporting referred to in Article 5 of RIS Directive 2005/44/EC. The standard for electronic reporting was already formalised by the CCNR in 2006.

8.4. Notices to Skippers Fairway authorities have the obligation to inform users about the status of the waterway as far as that might influence safety and accessibility. Notices to Skippers communicate, for example, the status of the inland waterway infrastructure (i.e. bridges and locks), failures of aids to navigation, temporarily blockages of waterway sections or other types of infrastructure, works, water level and water depth information, ice information and weather messages. The international standard for Notices to Skippers provides a standardised data format, which can be used both for publishing notices on the internet (pull-services) or for distribution by e-mail or SMS (push services). The Expert Group „Notices to Skippers‟ (NtS) is an international platform that ensures a harmonised development of the Notices to Skippers standard in the different international organisations. The NtS Expert Group adapts periodically the standard to new technical developments and users requirements. The Expert Group submits proposals to the European Commission, the Central Commission for Navigation on the Rhine, the Danube Commission, the Mosel Commission, the Sava Commission, the UNECE and other interested international organisations. The standard of Notices to Skippers: Provides automatic translation of the most important content of notices in all the languages of the

participating countries. Provides a harmonised structure of data-sets in all the participating countries to facilitate the

integration of notices in voyage-planning systems. Provides a standard for water level, ice and weather information. Is compatible with the data structure of Inland ECDIS to facilitate integration of Notices to

Skippers in Inland ECDIS. Facilitates data exchange between different countries.

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8.5. RIS Reference Data and RIS Index RIS references and code tables are key elements of the RIS standards and are an important link between the various RIS systems. The exchange of computerised data without direct human interference between the RIS users and RIS is facilitated by the use of codes and references. To ensure the proper exchange of data there are a number of pre-conditions:

Reference and code tables are not static; they may change by international and or local rules and regulations, additional requirements, the need for harmonisation and other requests. However, it is of the utmost importance that the reference and codes tables are stable and consistent.

In order to ensure interoperability, throughout the whole transport and logistics chain, there is the general principle that the components of the RIS reference data shall be kept in line with international standards, such as the ISO, UN/TDED, UNECE recommendations and other relevant standards.

Distribution of codes and reference data shall be executed in such way that all involved parties will have access to the data and will use the same reference and code tables to ensure compatibility.

In order to achieve the above objectives, clear and unambiguous reference data and maintenance procedures are an essential requirement. 8.5.1. RIS Index A special group of reference data is covered by the RIS index. It is obvious that Inland ECDIS and Notices to Skippers require unambiguous coding of locations of geographic objects. That is also relevant for Electronic Reporting of transport activities and under certain conditions also for Tracking and Tracing activities. The Inland ECDIS Standard requires the location code for all the objects, which are relevant for voyage planning. The Notices to Skippers standards require the location code for the definition of the waterway section, where a message is applicable and the definition of the affected object. A location code should be and is the only machine readable link between Electronic Reporting, Inland ECDIS and Notices to Skippers. The location code is a unique ID for each piece of infrastructure, which is of importance for RIS. The location code used in the RIS environment is a 20 digit alphanumerical code, which consists of the following data elements: - UN country code (2 letters) - UN location code (3 letters) - Fairway section code (5 digits, alphanumerical) - Terminal code or passage point code (5 digits, alphanumerical) - Fairway section hectometre (5 digits, numerical) A simple list of location codes without any further information would be quite useless, because the location code is only providing the information, that there is for example a small town in Austria at the waterway section 00003 at river hectometre 00053, but neither the name of the waterway nor the name of the city nor any other information. The RIS Index is a list of location codes with additional information on the objects.

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In Europe the RIS index is used in the production of Inland ENC, Notices to Skippers and the Electronic Reporting activities. On a national level, however, the encoding takes place based on interpretations of the codes. Therefore, an unambiguous encoding guide is essential to avoid misinterpretation and miscoding. Miscoding could lead to mistakes in e.g. voyage planning applications and Inland ECDIS viewers. 8.6. Inland VTS For many years there have been Vessel Traffic Services in coastal areas which provided services particularly to maritime traffic. In 1997, the IMO formalised the IALA VTS Guidelines as Resolution A.857 (20) to harmonise VTS throughout the world. They were defined as a service implemented by a competent authority, designed to improve the safety and efficiency of vessel traffic and to protect the environment. The service should have the capability to interact with the traffic and to respond to traffic situations developing in the VTS area. In accordance with these Guidelines, the Dutch Ministry of Transport developed the Inland VTS Guidelines and afterwards asked IALA, CCNR and UNECE to agree with the Inland VTS Guidelines. For IALA this is Recommendation V-120 published in 2001, for UNECE the Guidelines are published in 2004 as Resolution 58 (TRANS/SC.3/166). The CCNR formalised the Inland VTS Guidelines in 2006. 8.7. Lessons Learned

o Inland ECDIS Lesson 1: There is a disharmony in the formalisation of the Inland ECDIS standard between the different responsible bodies in the world, e.g. the CCNR has formalised the latest version of the standard while the formalisation process is still ongoing in the EC. This hampers the implementation and the development of Inland ECDIS applications.

o Inland ECDIS Lesson 2: For some rivers, as in Finland, the maritime standard is used

instead of the Inland ECDIS standard, thus neglecting the benefits of the Inland ECDIS standard for those rivers.

o Electronic Reporting Lesson 1: Electronic Reporting supports safety, smooth traffic flow

and Calamity Abatement Services and as such Electronic Reporting should be made mandatory.

o Inland AIS Lesson 1: In many RIS related processes the implementation and use of Inland AIS on board, as well as onshore is a pre-condition. In Europe, at the end of 2010 there was – except for Austria, Slovakia, Hungary and Croatia – not yet a carriage requirement for Inland AIS. The full scale benefit of Inland AIS for RIS services requires a carriage requirement for Inland AIS.

o Inland AIS Lesson 2: Correct installation and operation of Inland AIS should be enforced

to guarantee the contribution of Inland AIS to safety.

location code

information on the object

RIS

Index

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o Inland AIS Lesson 3: Only in European countries, except for Russia and Finland, the Inland AIS standard is accepted; this hampers the commercial availability of Inland AIS systems and related applications.

o Inland AIS Lesson 4: Enhancement of the use of Inland AIS for navigation requires not

only the integration with radar and Inland ECDIS but also the use of heading devices on board inland vessels. Development of precise and low cost heading devices for inland navigation should be promoted.

o RIS Index Lesson 1: The basic reference table on location codes, the so-called RIS Index, is the basis for many RIS services. There is a very solid structure for the RIS index available but in practice the coding causes interpretation problems that hamper the practical unambiguous implementation of the index.

o RIS Index Lesson 2: As the RIS index is an essential tool in the consistent and

unambiguous implementation of the basic RIS services, it is highly recommended to start a procedure to formalise the RIS index as the mandatory electronic format for geo-related objects.

o RIS Index Lesson 3: The introduction of a harmonised fairway ID in a (cross border)

waterway network is seen as a positive contribution to the need for linking the RIS index of different countries. It is recommended to define and introduce a strategy to introduce at least in Europe a unique and harmonised Fairway ID.

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9. Organisations Responsible for RIS Development The development on River Information Services was initiated in Europe by the European Commission. The potential of RIS to bring inland navigation to an improved position in the transport chain was at an early stage also recognised by international organisations like the UNECE, several river commissions like the Rhine, Sava and Danube Commission and PIANC, the International Association for Waterborne Transport Infrastructure. The UNECE, the Danube Commission and Sava Commission in Europe and also the river commissions in Asia all take their part in the development and implementation activities of RIS. However in this chapter, special attention is given to the work of the European Commission, the Central Rhine Commission and the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and the US Coast Guard (USCG) in the development and the promotion of the implementation of RIS as they have been in the lead of the development of RIS over the last two decades. 9.1. European Commission and their Transport Policy7 The European Commission‟s Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport (DG-MOVE) is responsible for the transport policy at the European level. The European Commission recognises the great potential of inland navigation as an alternative transport mode for freight transport. Facing tremendous capacity and environmental problems in the land transport modes, in particular road transport, the European transport policy consequently has a great interest in developing inland waterway transport to become a real alternative whilst keeping the environmental burden to a minimum. By creating favourable conditions for the further development of the sector, the European Commission hopes to encourage more companies to use this mode of transport. The policy to promote inland waterway transport in Europe is encapsulated in the NAIADES Action Programme (2006-2013) (http://ec.europa.eu/transport/inland/promotion/naiades_en.htm). The implementation of NAIADES is supported by the major pan-European project, PLATINA (http://ec.europa.eu/ transport/ inland/promotion/platina_en.htm), launched on October 1st, 2008. (see Chapter 11 for details on PLATINA). In March 2010, the European Commission presented the Europe 2020 Strategy, to overcome the economic crisis and prepare the EU economy for the next decade. The European Commission identifies three key drivers for growth, to be implemented through actions at European and national levels:

smart growth (fostering knowledge, innovation, education and the digital society) sustainable growth (making our production more resource efficient while boosting our

competitiveness) inclusive growth (raising participation in the labour market, the acquisition of skills and the

fight against poverty) This drive for growth and jobs requires ownership at the top political level and mobilisation from all organisations across Europe. The European Commission‟s 2020 Strategy consists of a series of flagship initiatives including:

decoupling economic growth from the use of resources supporting the shift towards a low carbon economy increasing the use of renewable energy sources

7 Text partly based upon policy brochure for River Information Services © European Union 2010

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modernising the transport sector promoting energy efficiency

Intelligent traffic management for all modes of transport, better logistics and pursuing the reduction of CO2-emissions are examples of measures that could be taken. The European Commission published the new long-term strategy for the future of transport and mobility in spring 2011. This new White Paper l sets policy objectives until 2020. It l focuses on a competitive, innovative and environmental-friendly industry; the removal of bottlenecks and remaining barriers to transport; and looking at people: passengers, clients and transport professionals. Given the need to devise policy solutions that reduce dependency of transport on fossil fuels and to commit to fighting climate change, the European Commission has stated that it aims to construct policy in such a way that the decarbonisation process does not negatively affect achievements in European mobility. Some suggestions include the better integration of transport modes. Transport is shaped by infrastructure. Ideally, railways and inland waterways should increasingly be used for long-distance transport, especially of heavy and bulky cargo, while road should be used for shorter distances and to complement rail and inland waterways on the „last mile‟. Last but not least, the logistics efficiency of inland waterway transport and their interconnection with the other transport modes needs to be improved. 9.1.1. RIS Directive In October 2005, the EU RIS Framework Directive of the European Union (2005/44/EC) entered into force. The Directive is applicable to all waterways of Class IV or higher across the European Union and provides binding rules for the authorities on the implementation of RIS services according to agreed standards. The objective of the Directive is to: Provide a European-wide framework for the implementation of the RIS concept Encourage European suppliers of equipment to produce hardware and software at reasonable

and affordable costs and to perceive European RIS technology as a market opportunity Implement RIS applications interoperable and compatible on a national as well as European level

in order to allow continuous cross border traffic without technical obstacles Harmonise data exchange and communication on a European level in order to facilitate the

interoperability of the entire system Based on the RIS Directive Member States have to provide: Minimum datasets related to infrastructure and the operation of the locks, ports, etc. Electronic Nautical Charts (ENC) for fairway Class Va and higher Facilities for Electronic Reporting of vessels, their voyage and their cargo Electronic publication of „Notices to Skippers‟ Establish and operate RIS Centres – if the traffic situation requires Next to the RIS Directive the EC formalised a common implementation framework – the RIS Guideline – as a first step towards the practical implementation of River Information Services. This framework has been created by International Guidelines and Recommendations for River Information Services (RIS Guidelines 2004) that were elaborated by PIANC. The RIS Guidelines were adopted as Commission Regulation (EC) No 414/2007 concerning the technical Guidelines for the planning, implementation and operational use of river information

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services (RIS) referred to in Article 5 of Directive 2005/44/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on harmonised River Information Services on inland waterways in the Community. The RIS Directive was the basis for the implementation of different RIS related standards as previously mentioned being standards for: Tracking and Tracing: formalised as Commission Regulation (EC) No 415/2007 concerning the

technical specifications for vessel Tracking and Tracing systems. Notice to Skippers: formalised as Commission Regulation (EC) No 416/2007 of March 22, 2007

concerning the technical specifications for Notices to Skippers. Electronic Reporting: formalised as Commission Regulation (EC) No 164/2010 of January 25,

2010 concerning the technical specifications for Electronic Reporting. The formalisation of the Inland ECDIS standard is expected in the near future. References

Directive/Regulation Entry into force Deadline for transposition in the

Member States

RIS Directive 2005/44/EC1 20-10-2005 20-10-2007 RIS Guidelines 2007/414/EC2 22-03-2007 22-09-2009 Tracking and Tracing regulation 2007/415/EC3 22-03-2007 22-09-2009 Notices to Skippers regulation 2007/416/EC4 22-03-2007 22-09-2009 Electronic Reporting regulation 2010/164/EC5 25-01-2010 25-07-2012

9.2. Central Commission for the Navigation on the Rhine (CCNR) The legal basis for the work of the CCNR is the revised Rhine Shipping Act of 1868. Within the last 140 years these principles have been established for the navigation regime of the Rhine by means of interpretation and enforcement of this Act. The main principles of the mission of the CCNR are based on Convention of Mannheim: Freedom of navigation Equal treatment of ships of all nations Absence of physical or administrative obstacles to navigation Commitment to maintain the navigability of the waterway Ensure the safety of navigation Uniform regulations for navigation on the Rhine and equal treatment

9.2.1. RIS Actions Since 1998 there is a Working Group active on RIS in the CCNR Structure. In the EU „Concerted Actions‟ the „Standard Electronic Chart Display and Information System for Inland Navigation‟ was developed and completed. From the industry it was encouraged to use this standard without any legal commitment or a legal base. On request of the Dutch Delegation, the CCNR showed its readiness to provide a formal or legal base for the standard. To this end, at first an ad-hoc working group „Inland ECDIS‟ was installed. The ad hoc working group was working under the responsibility of the „Police Committee‟. 1 http://eur-lex.europa.eu/smartapi/cgi/sga_doc?smartapi!celexplus!prod!DocNumber&lg=en&type_doc=Directive&an_doc=2005&nu doc=44 2 http://eur-lex.europa.eu/smartapi/cgi/sga_doc?smartapi!celexplus!prod!DocNumber&lg=en&type_doc=Directive&an_doc=2005&nu_doc=44 3 http://eur-lex.europa.eu/smartapi/cgi/sga_doc?smartapi!celexplus!prod!DocNumber&lg=en&type_doc=Directive&an_doc=2005&nu_doc=44 4 http://eur-lex.europa.eu/smartapi/cgi/sga_doc?smartapi!celexplus!prod!DocNumber&lg=en&type_doc=Directive&an_doc=2005&nu_doc=44 5 http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2010:057:0001:0154:EN:PDF

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After the group had finished its job, it became clear that more standards were waiting for a legal base. Therefore, the CCNR decided to install a „Working Group on RIS‟, which works under the responsibility of the „Police Committee‟. The Working Group does not develop new standards. New or amended standards and other documents are brought in by several European expert groups. The „Working Group on RIS‟, in line with the CCNR‟s integral approach to inland navigation, examines the proposals of the expert groups and especially verifies that they fit into the structure and regulations of the CCNR. 9.2.2. CCNR RIS Standards On the website of the CCNR (www.ccr-zkr.org) information about CCNR and RIS is available and all relevant documents and protocols can be downloaded in the languages of the CCNR, as well as in English.

Standard Annex or enclosure to protocol

Formalised

RIS Guidelines and Recommendations for River Information Services, Edition 2.0

2003-I-22 05-02-2004

Standard Electronic Chart Display and Information System for Inland Navigation, Inland ECDIS, Edition 2.0

2006-II-22 23-11-2006

Clarifications, Corrections and Extension Document to the Inland ECDIS Standard; Transition from Edition 2.0 to Edition 2.1 of the Standard

22-10-2008

Vessel Tracking and Tracing Standard for Inland Navigation, International Standard Edition 1.01

2006-I-21 10-10-2007

Test Standard for Inland AIS, Edition 1.01 2007-I-15 22-1--2008 Technical Clarifications on Vessel Tracking and Tracing and the Test Standard for Inland AIS

22-10-2008

Notice to Skippers for Inland Navigation; International Standard, Edition 2.0,

2004-I-17 22-10-2008

Standard for Electronic Reporting in Inland Navigation, Edition 1.2

2006-II-23 19-10-2006

Guidelines and Criteria for Vessel Traffic Services on Inland Waterways

2006-I-20 31-05-2006

9.3. US Army Corps of Engineers and US Coast Guard and their RIS Initiatives Initial development of RIS on the Inland Marine Transportation System (IMTS) of the USA was delayed by a number of factors and conditions. Among these factors is the lack of a single competent authority to serve as a champion for the service. In the USA, the US Coast Guard (USCG) is responsible for the safety of Navigation, Maritime Security and Automatic Vessel Identification (AIS) Systems; the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is responsible for operating and maintaining the infrastructure of the Inland Rivers System. Ports are independently operated by Port Authorities and some navigation (i.e. New York State Barge Canal) systems are owned and operated by State or Local entities. The US Federally owned and operated system consists of about 12,000 miles of navigable waterways, 241 lock chambers and dams and reservoirs.

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Numerous individual and unco-ordinated efforts to track and manage assets and share navigation information have been undertaken over the years. Some of the initial efforts were specific to the large towing corporations and some were specific to the Federal Government. The private industry saw the need and developed monitoring and tracking systems (such as BargeEx), in order to track assets and cargoes. Ports and other entities developed arrival and departure tracking systems. In almost every case, these systems were stand-alone and not designed to „share‟ information. The US Federal Government realised around the beginning of 2004 that the nature of the transportation system prevented the realisation of some of the efficiencies and savings available through information sharing and networking. 9.3.1. Committee on the Marine Transportation System (CMTS) One of the results of that realisation was the establishment of the Committee on the Marine Transportation System (CMTS). CMTS is a Federal inter-departmental committee which is chaired by the Secretary of Transportation and the purpose of which is to create a partnership of Federal Departments and agencies with responsibility for the Marine Transportation System (MTS). The CMTS is directed to ensure the development and implementation of national MTS policies consistent with national needs and reports to the President its views and recommendations for improving the MTS. The authority to establish this Committee derives from a directive in the U.S. Ocean Action Plan, issued December 17, 2004 – „Supporting Marine Transportation‟. The Committee of the Marine Transportation System and its constituent suborganisations are responsible for the following: Improving federal MTS co-ordination and policies; Promoting the environmentally sound integration of marine transportation with other modes of

transportation and with other ocean, coastal and Great Lakes uses; Developing outcome based goals and strategic objectives for the safety, security, efficiency,

economic vitality, environmental health and reliability of the MTS for commercial and national defence requirements, as well as a method for monitoring progress towards those goals;

Co-ordinating budgetary and regulatory activities that impact on the MTS; and Recommending strategies and implementing plans to maintain and improve the MTS. 9.3.2. USACE Initiatives In addition to participating in CMTS, USACE began work on a number of initiatives that would provide critical information to operators, system users and managers. One of the first such initiatives was the development of the Real Time Current Velocity (RTCV) technology. This technology allowed the measurement and communication of „outdraft‟ at locks with critical safety issues on their approaches. The technology utilised is based upon Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) technology for measuring currents and is combined with automated transmission of the information. Concurrently, USACE recognised a need for better collection and management of data related to the Rivers and started the development of LOMA – Lock Operations Management Application as replacement for outdated systems. The LOMA concept is to provide to the navigation community (lock operators, vessel operators, etc.) navigation information, in an easy to understand format that will expand situational awareness, improve navigation safety and promote better, more efficient communications within the community. It is envisioned that the capability to receive and transmit information such as weather conditions, dam gate settings, lock delays, notice to mariners, as well as the ability to capture/transmit/display

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data from the Real Time Current Velocity Meters (RTCV) will become operational realities. LOMA will not replace the existing lock data collection systems, but will eliminate the need for operators to collect and manually enter data. Information such as vessel location, current velocity and direction, weather including wind, rain and fog, river stages, hazards such as debris, notice to mariners, dam gate settings will be gathered and made available from a central source to the lock operator, vessel operator and navigation community at large. Lock operators will have an increased situational awareness and be better able to manage and plan lock activities to have minimal impact on the flow of river traffic. Navigation program and project managers will be able to view entire river systems and evaluate the functionality and flow of traffic on that system. Vessel operators and owners will be able to better manage the movement of vessels to minimise delays and keep traffic smoothly flowing. All this will greatly improve navigation safety. The software will also have the capability to include vessel traffic in areas already served by USCG AIS receivers. LOMA software began testing in May 2010. As the USCG began to populate the AIS systems on the rivers from the bottom up it became apparent that this tool for sharing navigation information had applications beyond just the safety of navigation. This gave rise to the Federal Initiative for Navigation Data Enhancement (FINDE). FINDE is a Federal effort to provide an integrated set of complete, precise and reliable navigation data for managing the Nation‟s waterways. Partners are USCG, IRS, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and USACE. Other Participants are NOAA, EPA and the Energy Information Agency. FINDE is dedicated to develop a federally integrated navigation data set utilising the Automated Identification System (AIS), CBP‟s Vessel Management System (VMS) and other currently available data sources. In order to integrate waterways information, standards must be created and this gave rise to Federal-Industry Logistics Standardisation (FILS). FILS is a collaboration between industry and governmental agencies to adopt uniform nomenclature for US navigational points of interest, vessels and commodities in order to improve accuracy and efficiency when sharing common information. FILS will ensure this nomenclature adheres to guidance provided by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) and other relevant international governing bodies. In establishing FILS multiple requirements were identified by both industry and governmental agencies. The primary impetus for industry involvement in FILS was the need for more efficiency in their commercial operations. Prior to FILS there was limited standardisation for operations and communication among the barge companies and their service providers due to varying information requirements, data structures and formats. This lack of standardisation resulted in invoice disputes, delayed payments, missed opportunities for barge availability and pickup and general losses in revenue. Furthermore, industry was required to report the same information to several federal agencies in multiple formats and at different times. There was no official government-wide standard for reporting this information. Federal agencies also experienced problems with collecting and processing information due to the lack of standardisation. Several agencies collect waterborne transportation information independent of each other. This information could not be readily shared among agencies, resulting in multiple, incompatible and often incomplete data sets. These data sets could not be integrated to aid in multiagency co-ordination for safety, security, or performance reporting requirements. FILS participants identified navigation points of interest as the area of greatest need for common nomenclature. To date, members have almost exclusively worked on establishing requirements, architecture and attributes for navigation points of interest. Four agencies, the USACE, USCG, CBP and IRS, have integrated the use of a universal location code for navigation points of interest into their perspective agency processes and have pending regulations requiring the use of the code by industry for reporting navigation points of interest. Group members selected the USACE as the steward for maintaining an inventory of navigation points of interest. A list of these points and their associated attributes is currently available upon request and is available on the USACE website for download. These points will also soon be integrated into the architecture of the inland electronic navigation charts maintained by the USACE.

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FILS members have recently begun work to establish the common nomenclature for vessels and their associated attributes. USCG was selected as the steward to manage and maintain this information. Members are in the process of reconciling their vessel inventories with the USCG‟s official inventory. To date, approximately 82 % of the vessels in the USACE vessel data inventory have been reconciled with the USCG‟s vessel inventory. The participants have made significant progress in validating and improving vessel and vessel operator information. Additionally, members are working with the USCG‟s Operations Services Centre to identify and catalogue barges that carry commercial cargo. FILS members have developed a comprehensive list of commodities and products and their corresponding attributes. The list is in draft form and includes all codes currently required to be reported to the participating agencies. 9.3.3. River Information Services and e-Navigation It was immediately apparent that a system that would share information among all the users of the Inland River System had applications and benefits well beyond just the safety of navigation. While the USCG‟s AIS was envisioned by many as the communications tool for bringing all this information to the end users it quickly became apparent that the ability of AIS to handle the volume of information available to be shared would be overwhelming. The search for a solution brought the USACE and USCG to the conclusion that much of what is wanted and needed to do was already being studied and recommended in the PIANC WG125 River Information Services initiative. Implementation of RIS WG125 principles began in 2007 with a number of US centric initiatives. In order to make sense out of the number of issues and initiatives and better co-ordinate with the CMT, USACE established then Inland Marine Transportation System (IMTS), which serves as both a title for the USACE managed system and a governance body for initiatives relative to that system. In 2010 IMTS established a Program titled e-NAVIGATION whose purpose was to bring all the USACE initiatives into a single programmatic entity and move forward with development of a Rivers Information Service on the US Inland Waterways System.

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10. RIS related development 10.1. e-Navigation The Maritime Safety Committee of IMO (International Maritime Organisation) initiated in May 2006 the development of a vision with respect to e-Navigation using existing and future supporting systems for navigation of vessels. The aim of IMO was to develop a strategic vision for e-Navigation, to integrate existing and new navigational tools, in particular electronic tools, in an all-embracing system that will contribute to enhanced navigational safety (with all the positive repercussions this will have on maritime safety overall and environmental protection) while simultaneously reducing the burden on the navigator. As the basic technology for such an innovative step is already available, the challenge lies in ensuring the availability of all the other components of the system, including electronic navigational charts, and in using it effectively in order to simplify, to the benefit of the mariner, the display of the occasional local navigational environment. E-Navigation would thus incorporate new technologies in a structured way and ensure that their use is compliant with the various navigational communication technologies and services that are already available, providing an overarching, accurate, secure and cost-effective system with the potential to provide global coverage for ships of all sizes. During the 85th session of the IMO Maritime Safety Committee held from November 26 to December 5, 2008 the strategy for the development and implementation of e-Navigation was approved. The Committee also approved the Framework for the implementation process for the e-Navigation strategy, along with a time frame for implementation of the proposed e-Navigation strategy. e-Navigation is defined as:

“the harmonised collection, integration, exchange, presentation and analysis of marine information onboard and ashore by electronic means to enhance berth to berth navigation and related services for safety and security at sea and protection of the marine environment”

E-navigation is intended to meet present and future user needs through harmonisation of marine navigation systems and supporting shore services. IMO has taken the lead in the development of the e-Navigation development strategy but other organisations, in particular the International Association of Marine Aids to Navigation and Lighthouse Authorities (IALA) and the International Hydrographic Organisation (IHO), are participating in its work and provide relevant input. The core objectives of the e-Navigation concept are to: Facilitate safe and secure navigation of vessels having regard to hydrographic, meteorological

and navigational information and risks; Facilitate vessel traffic observation and management from shore/coastal facilities, where

appropriate; Facilitate communications, including data exchange, among ship-to-ship, ship-to-shore, shore-to-

ship, shore-to-shore and other users; Provide opportunities for improving the efficiency of transport and logistics; Demonstrate defined levels of accuracy, integrity and continuity appropriate to a safety-critical

system; Integrate and present information onboard and ashore through a human interface which

maximises navigational safety benefits and minimises any risks of confusion or misinterpretation on the part of the user;

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IMO agreed to the following expectations for the onboard, onshore and communications elements of e-Navigation: Onboard: Navigation systems that benefit from the integration of own ship sensors, supporting information, a standard user interface and a comprehensive system for managing guard zones and alerts. Core elements of such a system will include actively engaging the mariner in the process of navigation while preventing distraction and overburdening, Ashore: The management of vessel traffic and related services from ashore enhanced through better provision, co-ordination, and exchange of comprehensive data in formats that will be more easily understood and utilised by shore-based operators in support of vessel safety and efficiency, and Communications: An infrastructure providing authorised seamless information transfer onboard ship, between ships, between ship and shore and between shore authorities and other parties with many related benefits, including a reduction of single person error. Key elements in the e-navigation development are: Conceptual, functional and technical architecture; Communication and information systems; Standardisation of equipment and interfaces; Equipment, ENC and position fixing; International conventions, regulations and guidelines, legislation; Human factors; Scalability Interaction between the RIS deployment and the e-Navigation development of IMO is an important topic for the coming decades. Standards, applications and systems will be developed based on the e-Navigation concept that can be of great benefit for inland navigation. 10.2. e-Maritime The Communication of the European Commission on „An Integrated Maritime Policy for the European Union‟ (COM(2007) 575 final), the so-called „Blue Book„, recognised that “an Integrated Maritime Policy will enhance Europe's capacity to face the challenges of globalisation and competitiveness, climate change, degradation of the marine environment, maritime safety and security and energy security and sustainability.” Furthermore, this must be based on “excellence in marine research, technology and innovation…”. It is recognised that shipping remains at a disadvantage compared to other means of transport. Other transport modes benefit from more public investment. Moreover, a vessel travelling between two EU ports is subject to more complex and time-consuming procedures than a truck would be, because a real internal market for maritime transport in Europe does not yet exist. In order to unlock the full potential of Europe's shipping industry, this disadvantage of maritime transport compared with the other modes must be eliminated through the simplification of administrative and customs formalities for intra-EU maritime services. In response to this, and other considerations, with a view to improving the efficiency of maritime transport in Europe and ensuring its long term competitiveness, it was stated that the Commission will:

• prepare a comprehensive maritime transport strategy for 2008-2018 • propose a European Maritime Transport Space without barriers

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For this document the topics of e-Maritime as part of the maritime strategy will be highlighted in more detail as they will have a relevant relation with the development of River Information Services.

e-Maritime represents a set of EU policies, strategies and capabilities facilitating online or electronic interactions between all different stakeholders involved in the development of an efficient and sustainable waterborne transport system throughout Europe, fully integrated within the transport logistic chains.

The implementation of the e-Maritime concept will facilitate the maritime transport to become more attractive to operators, as well as to meet obligations as placed on authorities and to facilitate business-to-business relations. The objective of the European e-Maritime initiative is to promote “coherent, transparent, efficient and simplified solutions in support of co-operation, interoperability and consistency between member States, sectors, business and systems involved in the European Transport System” (European Commission Green Paper „Towards a future Maritime Policy for the Union‟). This objective is fully compatible with the Lisbon Agenda, the mid-term review of the Transport White Paper, the Blue Book on an integrated maritime policy, the information society and a range of other policies inspired from electronic means of communication including e-Government, e-Customs and e-Freight. In the Freight Transport Logistics Action Plan – a communication dated 18.10.2007 (COM(2007) 607 final – the European Commission provides their vision – the e-freight concept of a paper-free, electronic flow of information associating the physical flow of goods with a paperless trail built by ICT. It includes the ability to track and trace freight along its journey across transport modes and to automate the exchange of content-related data for regulatory or commercial purposes. The interrelation between e-freight, e-Maritime and RIS is depicted in the following scheme. Inland navigation can – supported by RIS – benefit from the development of the e-freight and e-Maritime concept and become a relevant part of the transport chain. It is stated that the implementation of a system for the maritime exchange of information from ship to shore, shore-to-ship and between all stakeholders, using services such as SafeSeaNet, LRIT (Long-range Identification and Tracking) and AIS (Automatic Identification System), will facilitate safer and more expedient navigation and logistics operations, thereby improving maritime transport's integration with other transport modes („e-Maritime‟). Specific e-Maritime challenges include:

Administrative procedures in the maritime transport are complex and time-consuming. They are still today often carried out on paper. When carried out electronically, the systems differ from region to region.

eRoad

(ITS)eRoad

(ITS)

eRail

(ERTMS)eRail

(ERTMS)eMaritimeeMaritime

efreightefreight

RISRISeRoad

(ITS)eRoad

(ITS)

eRail

(ERTMS)eRail

(ERTMS)eMaritimeeMaritime

efreightefreight

RISRIS

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Improvements in port and ship security and safety increasingly relies on integrating „intelligent‟ surveillance/monitoring systems in proactive and remedial safety and security management processes spanning across collaborating authorities and transport stakeholders. Cross-regional or Pan-European operational systems are therefore needed with „optimised‟ electronic interfaces between different organisations and their security or safety systems.

Maritime transport is insufficiently integrated in the logistics chain and in particular electronic exchange of messages and data is not well developed which hampers the development of Motorways of the Sea as part of Trans-European Networks.

Lack of interoperability results in increased costs because several different systems coexist without real economies of scale. Consequently, ship, port and logistics operators and national administrations have to develop several adaptors (often with limited useful life) to integrate with a plethora of different systems they encounter in their day to day operations.

Lack of interoperability creates barriers to utilising ICT applications, in order to increase the operational efficiency of ports and ships and to enable innovative solutions to increase sustainability performance. There is a need for various policies to strategically manage maritime transport networks, plan shipments effectively and control the implementation of such strategies and plans to maintain optimum performance.

10.3. VTM A working group within the IALA VTS Committee defined during the last two years the global concept, scope and strategic approach for Vessel Traffic Management (VTM). The working definition of the VTM concept is as follows:

“Vessel Traffic Management is the functional framework of harmonised measures and services to enhance the safety, security, efficiency of shipping and the protection of the marine environment in all navigable waters.”

The functional framework in this definition are the arrangements on a global, supranational, national and/or regional scale to set the conditions for safe, secure and efficient maritime traffic and for the enhancement of efficient and effective use of the resources engaged in order to enable the collaboration among the different public and private stakeholders involved. During the last few decades the international views concerning the observation and guidance of (passing) ships in (inter)national waters has changed under the influence of, among others,

The development of new international and supranational regulations and Guidelines; The increasing public demand for an improved monitoring and surveillance of traffic in

numerous areas; The need for enhanced and efficient navigation and traffic handling in confined waters; The recognition of accumulating risks in navigable waters and the marine environment occur

due to the increasing intensity, diversity and economies of scale in shipping, as well as by other utilisation claims in these areas;

The rapid development and availability of modern and more efficient technologies for navigation, communication and information exchange;

The increasing demand for more reliable and up-to-date information for all parties involved in the maritime transport sector.

It was also recognised that, due to the technical developments/opportunities and the increasing need for advance information, physical and technical boundaries would no longer exist for those authorities involved in the management of maritime transport. For instance VTS, traditionally bounded to its own area of responsibility, could now easily exchange information with other stakeholders concerning traffic management matters outside their defined area and interact with other processes.

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New technologies provided a new dimension of capabilities and are expected to contribute positively and proactively to:

The decision making processes both on board and ashore; The management and monitoring of traffic in (high density) VTS areas and all other navigable

waters; A decrease of the (administrative and operational) workload onboard and ashore; The development of (voyage and traffic handling) planning and risk management tools; The security of shipping in general, of ports and infrastructure; The management of maritime and nautical information for many purposes; The reuse of information to keep the growth of equipment and data-handling systems within

acceptable proportions; Support the logistic chain.

The development of new technology has given the opportunity for efficient en effective data exchange and multipurpose employment of the collected data between all participants and stakeholders in the maritime and nautical environment. In recent years it became quite clear to maritime interests involved in the context of traffic management that – as a consequence of the developments mentioned – the traditional traffic management instruments, measures and services will not be sufficient to satisfy the needs of the stakeholders in the public and private maritime domain. However, these instruments and measures – subject to further development – should be incorporated into a new wider concept of Vessel Traffic Management (VTM). The Traffic Management definition in the RIS environment is not fully covering the VTM development in IALA and it is essential for the future of RIS to keep track with the worldwide developments of VTM in IALA.

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11. RIS Related Research and Implementation Projects The overview of the RIS related projects is restricted to the ongoing international projects and those international projects which were and are still relevant in the further development and implementation phase of River Information Services. o The research project COMPRIS was, after the initial development project INDRIS, an essential

step towards the implementation of RIS in Europe. o The ALSO Danube was the first research attempt to include transport information services in the

RIS environment. o The IRIS Europe I project was the first project in Europe supporting the co-ordinated

implementation of RIS and as such an example for future projects. o The project Wireless waterway was a feasibility study in the USA looking for the possibilities to

implement RIS along the Ohio River. o The IRIS Masterplan paved the way to a harmonised and co-ordinated planning and

implementation of RIS in the European Waterway network. o The IRIS Europe II implementation project, the Logistic research project, the PLATINA network

and the Danube initiative NEWADA are projects depicted here as important contributions to the implementation and operation of RIS.

11.1. COMPRIS Project: Consortium Operational Management Platform River Information Services (COMPRIS)

Key Facts European programme: FP5 Project start/end/duration: 09/2002 – 08/2005 Project website: not in operation anymore. Project co-ordinator (contact data): Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Management. Directorate-General of Public Works and Water Management. DVS Centre for Transport and Navigation, Cas Willems, ([email protected]).

Content and Results COMPRIS dealt with the pan-European standardisation and harmonisation of River Information Services, which is a pre-requisite for full installation of RIS on all navigable waterways. The outcome of COMPRIS was a pan-European consensus on the RIS architecture, RIS system elements, applications and their interfaces. Therefore, COMPRIS was an important milestone towards the pan-European installation of RIS. The main objectives of the project were: Describe and agree on the overall architecture for River Information Services in functional,

information, technical and physical sense in relation to developing architectures of other transport mode;

Harmonise information flows and communication standards in RIS; Develop and implement on the basis of the architecture the four clusters (supporting services for

navigation, onboard applications, electronic reporting and logistical support services) of RIS in such a way that RIS can be implemented after the completion of the project in the different

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countries; Demonstrate the different clusters alone or/and in combination to the policymakers and

stakeholders; Harmonise the MMI (Man Machine Interface) for the RIS users; Support the East European Danube countries with demonstrators to enhance their understanding

of the RIS concept; Support these countries to produce scenarios for the development and the implementation of

RIS.

COMPRIS successfully provided a sound and lasting foundation for the further implementation of RIS across Europe. The stakeholders, governmental as well as industrial, have seen clearly the benefits of rolling out RIS on European Inland waterways. COMPRIS was further a living proof on how an idea that has been initiated through close co-operation of a number of European countries, the industry and the European Commission, has materialised to become a living and achievable concept to benefit the inland waterway stakeholders across Europe. The following recommendations were made based on the result of the project. Enable the concept of Operational Test Platform (OTP) to mature and form an official Technical

Certification Platform; The maintenance and evolution of the standards. In this respect the expert Groups compiled

from governmental and industrial partners need to be supported and strengthened; Support to the Inland ECDIS Harmonisation Group (IEHG) activities both nationally and

internationally to carry on with the successful activities that had started in COMPRIS; To develop a European Voyage Plan Data standard. The reason of the importance of the Voyage

Plan Data Set is that it links the logistical world to the traffic management and navigation world; To create an expert group to support on a technical level the final implementation of RIS in

Europe in the coming years with respect to RIS conformity for on board equipment and the interoperability of the (shore-based) systems;

Support the logistical stakeholders in Inland Waterborne Transport. The logistical use of transport information originating in RIS needs further formalisation and needs to be put it into operation;

Creating a workable body between stakeholders in the European member states such as immigration, customs, water police, inspection services and waterway authorities to put into effect the exchange and the use of specific information thus bringing the concept of One-stop-shopping into actual use.

11.2. ALSO Danube Project: Advanced Logistic Solutions for Danube Waterway (ALSO Danube)

Key Facts European programme: FP5 Project start/end/duration: 05/2000 – 05/2003 Project website: www.alsodanube.at Project co-ordinator (contact data): via donau, Mario Sattler, +43 (0) 664 80842 1613, ([email protected]).

Content and Results The aim of ALSO DANUBE project was to promote inland navigation focused not only on the development of appropriate IT solutions, but also on ideas to create a ‟friendly‟ business environment

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for waterborne transport in managed intermodal logistics chains. The developed IT-solutions are enabling the interlinking of traffic and transport management on inland waterways and are supporting thus the realisation of the ALSO DANUBE concepts. Designed and developed IT-solutions out of the ALSO Danube project were: CSL.DB (Common Source Logistic Database), the comprehensive logistic database for the

interlinking of traffic and transport information and for establishing an information network between the actors in the transport chain.

ETNA (European Transport Network Application), the web-information portal for multimodal liner-services schedules in Europe.

LOMAX, the lock management system for the planning of locking procedures and for supporting traffic management.

AIM (Application Interconnectivity Manager), the communication interface between the CSL.DB and company specific applications, with special focus on the conversion of EDIFACT messages.

ILLONET, the extension of a company specific planning application with traffic information out of DoRIS (piloting).

Billing and monitoring application for the management of container liner services. Resource planning application for the management of Door-to-Seaport transports. Online logbook and fleet management system for container liner services on the Danube. 11.3. IRIS Europe I Project: Implementation of River Information Services in Europe (IRIS Europe)

Key Facts European programme: TEN-T Project start/end/duration: 01/2006 till 12/2008 Project website: www.iris-europe.net Project co-ordinator (contact data): via donau, Mario Sattler, +43 (0) 664 80842 1613, ([email protected]).

Content and Results IRIS Europe was set up as a Europe-wide project in order to expand the functionality of River Information Services on the European waterway network. The project addressed the elimination of existing bottlenecks and defined additional functionality in the field of River Information Services in the Danube and Rhine-Seine region. The project focused especially on cross-border information services and the related data exchange and procedures. Newly developed RIS Services such as traffic and transport information exchange, hull data exchange and calamity abatement support were validated by means of pilot installations, which are interconnected among each other. Regular exchanges with the RIS Experts Groups did support this project process. In order to provide already defined but also new River Information Services, it was necessary to implement the appropriate intelligent infrastructure. Therefore, a main focus of IRIS Europe was the specification, implementation and testing of pilot infrastructure for River Information Services: AIS infrastructure – Along the Slovakian stretch of the Danube Inland AIS base stations

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were installed, which forward traffic information received from Inland AIS transponders onboard the vessels to the national RIS Centre. Traffic information contains details about the identification, position and movement of vessels on inland waterways and enables users to manage traffic in an efficient way. Furthermore, the possibility of shared use of AIS infrastructure was investigated, agreed and tested within a pilot implementation between Slovakia and Hungary.

Electronic Reporting service infrastructure – In Austria, Slovakia, Hungary and France, a national infrastructure was specified and implemented allowing to report cargo and voyage data electronically from skippers and fleet operators to relevant authorities. Electronic reports contain details about the vessel, voyage and cargo (dangerous, non-dangerous).

Hull database service infrastructure – In Austria, Slovakia, Hungary and The Netherlands the infrastructure for management (creation, maintenance, availability) of hull data was specified and implemented. The national ull databases contain the complete set of vessel certification data, while parts of this information are used for a more efficient provision of RIS. The national databases will be connected to the European Hull database in a later step (not part of IRIS Europe) for the exchange of the Minimum Hull Data Set defined by Directive 2008/87/EC.

Infrastructure for international exchange of RIS data – Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Romania and The Netherlands were elaborating detailed specifications for an appropriate decentralised infrastructure for the international exchange of position information (AIS data in a first step), cargo and voyage information (ERI data) and hull data between RIS centres and for the provision of information to entitled users.

A technical concept was elaborated in co-operation with an IT expert company providing the basis for the specification and tendering procedures of the relevant pilot infrastructure in Austria, Slovakia, Hungary and Croatia. Proven experiences from similar systems in the maritime field were taken into account (e.g. SafeSeaNet). A Technical and Administrative Agreement (TAA) was drawn up with the expertise of experienced lawyers. The TAA will be signed by authorised representatives of the relevant Member States of the EU and provides the legal basis for the international exchange of RIS data. Already established legal agreements in the RIS field are taken into account. 11.4. Wireless Waterway Project: Wireless Waterway Key Facts Project character: feasibility study commissioned by Port of Pittsburgh Commission Project start/end/duration: 01-03-2009 /01-08-2009 Project website: no Project co-ordinator (contact data): James R. McCarville, executive director of the Port of Pittsburgh commission ([email protected]). Content and Results The purpose of this project is to solve a communications problem on the inland waterway system in the USA and to design the hardware and network infrastructure needed to develop a Wireless Waterway with the intention of promoting the safety, security and productivity in the inland waterways. This project also identified possible applications and usage scenarios that stand to benefit from this implementation and meet needs of diverse stakeholders.

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The final goal is to design and prototype an infrastructure for the „Wireless Waterway‟ to be an interconnected network of physical network, devices, applications useful in river commerce and security, including broadband Internet connection system, real-time navigation information, cargo tracking, and operation of waterway surveillance camera. 11.5. IRIS Master Plan Project: Development of a Master Plan for the Implementation of River Information Services in Europe (Master Plan IRIS) Key Facts European programme: TEN-T Project start/end/duration: 05/2004 – 12/2005 Project website: not available Project co-ordinator (contact data): Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Management. Directorate-General of Public Works and Water Management, Ivo ten Broeke, +31 (1) 020 46688, ([email protected]).

Content and Results The project aimed at the creation of a detailed road map for the next steps of harmonised implementation of RIS in Europe. These steps were defined preliminarily on a national as well as international level. In addition, budget estimations for RIS deployment were made as a basis for subsidy allocations from TEN-T, as well as programmes for candidate and third countries. Via intensive consultation of all European countries, which have navigable waterways as well as countries involved in Short Sea Shipping, the following questions were evaluated: Framework conditions for implementation of RIS; Feasibility study for RIS in Short Sea Shipping; Deployment strategies for RIS on a national as well as international level; Possibilities of co-financing by the European Commission. 11.6. IRIS Europe II Project: Implementation of River Information Services in Europe (IRIS Europe II)

Key Facts European programme: TEN-T Project start/end/duration: 01/2009 till 12/2011 Project website: not yet available

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Project co-ordinator (contact data): via donau, Mario Kaufman, +43 (0) 50 4321-1611 ([email protected]).

Content and Results IRIS Europe II is a multi-beneficiary TEN-T project focusing on further enhancement and fine-tuning of RIS key technologies, services and applications; in particular the (pilot) implementation of new harmonised RIS services especially at the level of fairway, traffic and transport related RIS services, services based upon multilateral legal agreements and definitions of service levels for RIS, the provision of feedback and contribution to the maintenance and amendment of technical specifications. IRIS Europe II will significantly contribute to a harmonised RIS implementation at European level. IRIS Europe II is based on work of the RIS Expert Groups and of previous RIS implementation projects. A broad European consortium representing 9 member states and co-operation partners have joined forces to support RIS providers, traffic and fairway authorities in enhancing their RIS services, especially those for logistical RIS users on a European level. A key objective of IRIS Europe II is the involvement of logistics RIS users by means of pilots. The main objectives of the project are the following: Further development and pilot implementation of national and international data

exchange making use of multilateral legal agreements and this way providing services especially for logistical RIS users;

Contribution to the amendment of the technical specifications for RIS technologies and services and later on implementation of these technical specifications;

Participation in standardisation of RIS services and technologies; Pilot implementation of new RIS services and RIS technologies; Feasibility studies outlining future services for RIS. 11.7. Platina Project: Platform for the implementation of NAIADES (PLATINA)

Key Facts European programme: FP7-2007 (DG TREN) Project start/end/duration: June 2008 – May 2012 Project website: http://naiades.info/platina/page.php?id=1 Project co-ordinator (contact data): via donau, Dr. Gert-Jan Muilerman, +43 50 4321-1604, ([email protected]).

Content and Results PLATINA is a co-ordination action aimed at the promotion of inland waterway transport (IWT). The main objective of PLATINA is to support the Commission, Member States and third countries in the implementation of the NAIADES action programme. Organised according to the principles of NAIADES, PLATINA comprises five work packages

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dealing with specific policy areas: markets, fleet, jobs & skills, image and infrastructure. WP1 (Markets) will raise awareness on the market opportunities offered by IWT by identifying best practices, contributing to an improved administrative and regulatory framework and by developing a European IWT information portal. WP2 (Fleet) will strengthen the co-ordination between national, European and industrial research and will support European IWT innovation by assisting in technology assessment. WP3 (Jobs & Skills) will contribute to a solution for the labour problem in the European IWT sector. According to the evaluation of the NAIADES action programme, this can be achieved by raising awareness, improving career opportunities in the inland navigation sector and fostering mutual recognition of qualifications. This requires a European approach, given the international character of the IWT industry. WP4 (Image) intends to co-ordinate activities relevant to the promotion of IWT at the European level, by extending and deepening the existing network of promotion and development centres and by preparing a common communication strategy. WP5 (Infrastructure) will contribute to the improvement of the multimodal network and support the implementation of River Information Services (RIS) in Europe as a basis for successful commercial inland navigation services. 11.8. RISING Project: RIiver Information Services for Transport and Logistics

Key Facts European programme: FP7 Project start/end/duration: 01/02/2009 till 01-01-2012 Project website: www.rising.eu Project co-ordinator (contact data): ISL, Arne Gehlhaar, +49 421 22096-49, ([email protected]). Content and Results RISING, a project co-financed by the European Commission (DG TREN), will investigate how the efficiency of co-modal transport-logistics processes using Inland Waterway Transport (IWT) can be increased. This will be achieved by providing seamless traffic and transport-related information, as well as standardised IT interfaces to transport-logistics actors and players. Within RISING, already existing RIS services will be further exploited and new ones identified in order to guarantee a seamless 3-step IWT-based process: planning, execution, completion. The following are potential examples for new RIS transport-logistics services: RIS information for voyage planning; RIS information for fleet management; RIS information for transport execution facilitating monitoring; RIS for ports and terminals including the provision of Estimated Time of Arrival (ETA)

updates and reliability time windows.

11.9. NEWADA

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Project: NEWADA (Network of Danube Waterway Administrations) Key Facts European programme: South-East-European Transnational Co-operation Programme , Project start/end/duration: 04/2009 – 03/2012 Project website: http://www.newada.eu Project co-ordinator (contact data): via donau, Mr Markus Schedlbauer, +43 (0) 504321 1702, ([email protected]).

Content and Results The project aims at increasing the efficiency of the Danube as the European Transport Corridor VII by intensifying cooperation between waterway administrations to promote inland navigation as a cost-effective and environment-friendly mode of transport.

Co-operation on hydrological and hydrographical tasks will be intensified in order to achieve a higher impact.

Physical accessibility of the waterway infrastructure will be improved. National action plans, feasibility studies, bilateral projects and implementation guidelines for improving waterway maintenance and river engineering will be worked out in co-operation with other Danube countries.

Access to ICT (Information and Communication Technology) networks and services will be enhanced in order to overcome shortcomings. Up-to-date waterway related data will be provided to waterway administrations of neighbouring countries, third parties and users. Main goal in this part of the project is to harmonise these services (e.g. ENC) and to elaborate Danube region strategic documents such as guidelines. Joint activities like common survey and pilot actions are also essential. Relevant data for waterway administration and its interfaces will be defined. This data will be published on a web portal, where each country is responsible for its national information. Access points will be implemented at neuralgic points along the Danube waterway where only the web portal can be addressed. ENC (Electronic Navigational Charts) are the basis for RIS. For those charts a common understanding in terms of quality will be worked out and implemented.

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12. RIS Related Links International Organisations and International RIS Sites Central Commission for navigation on the Rhine www.ccr-zkr.org Danube Commission www.danube-intern.org European Commission ec.europa.eu NAIADES (EU Policy) www.naiades.info IALA www.ialathree.org IMO www.imo.org IHO www.iho.int PIANC www.pianc.org United Nations (Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) http://www.unece.org/ International Sava River Basin Commission (Sava Commission) http://www.savacommission.org National RIS Authorities and RIS Providers Austria BMVIT www.bmvit.at Austria via Donau: www.via donau.org Belgium Federale Overheidsdienst Mobiliteit en Vervoer www.mobilit.fgov.be Belgium NV De scheepvaart www.descheepvaart.be Belgium Waterwegen en Zeekanaal NV www.wenz.be Belgium MET sbw.wallonie.be Voies Navigables de France www.vnf.fr Germany Wasser- und Schifffahrtsverwaltung des Bundes www.wsv.de Hungary National Transport Authority www.nkh.gov.hu Hungary RSOE www.rsoe.hu Netherlands Rijkswaterstaat RIS authority www.rijkswaterstaat.nl RIS in the Netherlands www.risnederland.nl Romanian Navel Authority (RNA) www.rna.ro Serbia Plovput www.plovput.rs Fairway Information Services RIS operational systems DORIS Austria: www.doris.bmvit.gv.at BULRIS - Bulgaria www.bulris.bg RIS Croatia : www.crup.hr LAVDIS Czech Republic: www.lavdis.cz RIS Flanders ris.vlaanderen.be ELWIS Germany: www.elwis.de Hungary Pannon RIS www.pannonris.hu FIS server Netherlands : www.risserver.nl Romania RORIS www.roris.ro Slovakia NtS Vudba nts.vudba.sk RIS Wallonie voies-hydrauliques.wallonie.be Switzerland port-of-switzerland.ch International Projects

M-Trade www.newapplication.it/mtrade COMPRIS www.euro-compris.org ALSO Danube www.alsodanube.at IRIS Europe www.iris-europe.net Mentore www.gnsstracking.eu/ Newada www.newada.eu Rising www.rising.eu PLATINA naiades.info/platina PLATINA RIS www.naiades.info, and www.ris.eu Scheldt radar www.vts-scheldt.net

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