Events

Click to enlarge

Based on our bathymetric surveys, made by our team last summer on Odra's, Parnica's and Regalica's inland waterways, and on the maritime data, obtained from HOPN, the first Inland Navigational Chart cell in Poland has been created. The RIS project is expected to create 7 more cells covering its range of inland water area from Szczecin to Ognica.

The cell meets the standards set by the Inland ECDIS expert group of RIS. Created 19 categories of objects contain of 154 layers. In each layer there are from one to tens of objects with up to 3 types of geometry and several attributes.

Gallery - click photo

New navigation devices have been supplied and installed at our research unit Hydrograf XXI. On-water testing is scheduled for early spring. From today we are in possession of the AIS (Automatic Identification System) and Inland ECDIS (Electronic Chart Display and Information System) systems, Hemisphere satellite compass, Airmar Weather Station, two cameras and an autopilot.
Those who are curious about our new purchases are welcome to Hardware and Software page as well as to the event's gallery.

Gallery - click photo

On 11/12/2009 Hydrograph XXI for the last time this year went on a cruise. The aim of the trip was Yachting Center marina in Szczecin Dąbie, where our vessel has been pulled out of the water and where it will remain for the next few months. For its stay general maintenance and installation of newly purchased navigation equipment has been planned.
Photos from this event can be seen in the gallery.

The PLATINA consortium has launched an innovative and interactive website on River Information Services (RIS), the RIS portal. This portal covers all relevant European developments on River Information Services and host the websites of 4 European Expert Groups on RIS issues, Notice to Skippers (NtS), Vessel Tracking and Tracing (VTT), Electronic Reporting International (ERI) and Inland Electronic Chart Display and Information System (Inland ECDIS). The RIS portal will in the future be developed into a reference database for RIS services within Europe advocating and stimulating international co-operation and harmonisation of IT standards in inland navigation.

The PLATINA RIS initiative is led by Cas Willems of Rijkswaterstaat, who has over ten years of experience in RIS, including acting as project manager of COMPRIS. "The RIS portal will substantially enhance and smoothen borderless communication between national administrations." Mr Willems added, that "RIS is a trailblazer in intelligent transport systems. In the last decade, good progress has been made in developing RIS, establishing operational RIS on various waterways and fostering international co-operation between the various European waterway authorities and users."

The RIS portal will support the following functional areas

• Information about the RIS work in general, as the instrument for traffic and transport management in Inland Waterways;
• Information about the standardization/ harmonization-work of RIS Expert Groups: Electronic Reporting International (ERI), Notice to Skippers (NtS), Vessel Tracking and Tracing (VTT): Inland AIS and Inland ECDIS;
• Possibility to extend down and upload functionalities to access European RIS (reference) data by specific national users and providers;
• Community portal and Meeting point (i.e. forum) for internal users (mostly Expert Groups).

The target users of the portal are:

• RIS end users and general public: information about RIS work in general;
• RIS suppliers and authorities: information and accessibility to reference data and important final documents;
• RIS Experts Groups: information and accessibility of working documents

All parties involved are invited to use RIS portal as a reference in their communication on RIS issues.

Gallery - click photo

Another meeting of the Project Work Group took place on 06/11/2009 at the Maritime Academy in Szczecin. The meeting was also attended by Ms. Marta Wolska who represents the Department of Navigation Safety (Ministry of Infrastructure). During the meeting following topics were presented:

1. Andrzej Stateczny – completed projects (VTS radars, AIS, RTK, DGPS), completed and planned RIS tasks, international contacts, Hydrograf XXI;
2. Krzysztof Woś – current formal - legal RIS situation, opportunities and threats;
3. Jacek Łubczonek – progress on ENC cooperation with HOPN;
4. Witold Kazimierski – sensors and tracking, RIS center;
5. Andrzej Lisaj – ERI and notices to skippers.

A short trip on the board of Hydrograf XXI of Szczecin Floodway System waters took place after the meeting. Photos from this event can be seen in the gallery.

Gallery - click photo

For the project purposes a new hydrographic device was purchased in October – a multibeam echo sounder GeoSwath Plus Wide Swath Sonar from GeoAcustics company. New equipment is being installed and tested on our research unit Hydrograf XXI. Along with the hardware the system includes acquisition, processing and postprocessing software, which can export bathymetric data and sonar mosaic.

Gallery - click photo

At the turn of summer and autumn a broad inventory was made marking the shoreline in the area of RIS Lower Odra port cell. A newly purchased RTK-GPS receiver together with Hydrograf XXI were used in survey. Complete photographic documentation of objects was made.

Click to enlarge

In August and September a large survey was carried out with EA400 single beam echo sounder and MS1000 side scan sonar in the area of Odra, Parnica and Regalica cell port. The area was divided into 17 sections, in which our hydrographic team ran full-day surveys on board of Hydrograf XXI unit.

Gallery - click photo

Inland waterways, its trends, issues concerning the development of water tourism, economy and safety of navigation were just some of the issues raised during the presentations of speakers of this years International Inland Shipping Conference. The most comprehensive session of the Conferences second day concerned the issue of creating RIS of Lower Odra. A few members of the RIS Project presented their researches causing a broad discussion by both the scientists and the representatives of administration on the subject of RIS.

Gallery - click photo

A maiden two-day voyage of our research unit Hydrograf XXI took place on the 4th and 5th of June. During whole route Szczecin-Widuchowa-Szczecin many hardware and software tests were run by members of RIS Project team. It was also a great opportunity for all of the team members to get acquainted with the area, where further surveys and researches will surely take place. Feel free to view extensive photo gallery from this event.

Gallery - click photo

On 07.12.2008 at the Center for Inland Navigation Maritime University of Szczecin the technical acceptance of Hydrograf XXI was held. After a thorough examination by representatives of the Polish Register of Shipping (PRS) as well as the National Labor Inspectorate (PIP) we received a full permission to use the unit for research in RIS project. All technical aspects of the navigational equipment and the parameters of the unit were checked for the current rules and regulations.

Today the last meeting of RIS Project team was held this year. Participants gave their presentations and papers on the following topics:

• Assumptions for the decision support model
• Transmission of imaging data using the compression methods
• AIS
• Notices to skippers
• The system to monitor and collect traffic information units
• Hydrometeorological cover for port of Szczecin
• VTMS

Meeting had ended by a Project Manager's brief summary of tasks already achieved.