Navigation buoys trialled for US waterways communications

This technology will be tested in a phased approach to developing a national programme of digital buoy investment.

“The ultimate goal is trying to be a stepping stone to start converting navigation on the rivers to a virtual buoys system, but that is several decades away,” said Mr Davis.

“The next step would be a large field trial. We have to prove the reliability of the technology. This is about how you make the aids to navigation a little bit smarter and give them more capabilities.”

He said a large field trial would seek to answer questions about how to augment a US Coast Guard (USCG) buoy best, whether the system can be stretched over one river or multiple rivers, as well as questions about power, reliability, durability and costs.

“In the laboratory effort, we have provided a proof of concept, but there are a lot of things not considered in that effort,” Mr Davis said. But if a larger field test proves successful, “if it makes sense, we could scale it into a national digital buoy system.”

USACE is responsible for planning and constructing improvements to inland water navigation and dredging and maintaining thousands of miles of inland waterways.

“This system of maritime aids to navigation provides the lane markers, street signs and stop lights for the nautical rules of the water,” said USACE computer scientist Tung Ly, who developed the communications technology.

Digital buoys were developed in conjunction with the inland electronic navigational charts programme and USACE Louisville District. This technology was first targeted at providing USCG with the real-time location of its buoys. The idea has now grown beyond that.

“The real value to USACE is there would be a network that could disseminate navigation information by augmenting the USCG buoy,” Mr Davis said. “At the same time, this would provide trackability to where buoys are and how they move in the waterway. They do not sit still.”

USCG and USACE vessels are used to install navigation buoys and test the new communications technology.

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