Port of Pittsburgh seeks to commercialize navigation technology

Port of Pittsburgh seeks to commercialize navigation technology The Port of Pittsburgh said at least 11 days a year, navigation on the river around the city is lost to low visibility.
   So it has developed a new instrument navigation system for aiding towboats and barges as they enter and traverse locks or navigate around structures such as bridges, piers and docks.
   The port has received a patent on the SmartLock system, in which a computer aboard a towboat can provide pilots with an easy display of navigational charts showing the tow's position. The computers are linked to sensors and a geographic positioning system and display information about the speed, direction and position of the tows.
   The project was developed as a partnership between the port, local industry, Carnegie Mellon University, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
   “The commission’s interest in advancing the technology is primarily one of reducing the cost of doing business on the waterways and increasing safety,” according to Peter Stephaich, chief executive officer of Campbell Transportation and a port commissioner.
   The port is working with the Corps to explore the requirements of SmartLock, as well as other new technologies.
   The Water Resource Development Act authorized an Upper Ohio River and Tributaries Navigation Technology Pilot Program at the request of the Port of Pittsburgh. The port is now seeking appropriation of $3.1 million to fund the program.