Intelligent Waterway System and the Waterway Information Network

J. W. Spalding, K. M. Shea, and M. J. Lewandowski

Abstract:	The Coast Guard has begun a research effort called the Intelligent Waterway System. The goal of this effort is to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of maritime related functions through the application of information technology. This is being done through the efforts of several projects including automatic identification systems and augmented reality for navigation, as well as interagency efforts. The research effort that ties these together is the Waterway Information Network (WIN). The basic concept of WIN is to create a network to facilitate distribution of marine transportation system information. It is based upon existing peer to peer and XML Internet technology. The system will allow users to connect directly to information providers, such as government agencies, port authorities, marine exchanges, and other private companies that make up the Marine Transportation System. The network would be comprised of government agencies and private industry that would be both users and providers of information. For WIN, it is important to involve the various maritime information providers in the creation of a tailored XML vocabulary we call the Maritime Information Markup Language (MIML). MIML would be the key development toward an automated maritime information infrastructure and facilitate a seamless network of providers and consumers of maritime information. An effective infrastructure for exchanging information has been identified as a major performance gap within the Coast Guard and the maritime transportation industry. IWS/WIN will fill this gap and enable other solutions to be built on top of it.
Published in:	Proceedings of the 2002 National Technical Meeting of The Institute of Navigation January 28 - 30, 2002 The Catamaran Resort Hotel San Diego, CA
Pages:	487 - 495
Cite this article:	Spalding, J. W., Shea, K. M., Lewandowski, M. J., "Intelligent Waterway System and the Waterway Information Network," Proceedings of the 2002 National Technical Meeting of The Institute of Navigation, San Diego, CA, January 2002, pp. 487-495.
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