A Victoria-based company is using its AI-driven marine weather data platform as part of new innovative projects seeking to enhance maritime safety, streamline marine operations, and build climate-resilient coastlines.
These novel initiatives, spearheaded by MarineLabs, will take place at the Port of Vancouver and the Port of Prince Rupert.
Each project, funded by the province, delivers real-time weather updates, coastal images, and useful data to service users.
One such partnership involves MarineLabs providing services to clients such as Hullo Ferry, helping optimize their operations between Nanaimo and Vancouver. By tracking real-time wave, wind and coastal data along the route, the ferry company can make more informed scheduling decisions and improve service reliability and safety.
Hundreds of kilometres to the north, the company supports the Port of Prince Rupert by helping optimize engineering decisions, making the proposed facility's construction and design safer, more cost-effective, and efficient.
Data collected from buoys in each project helps refine the company’s machine-learning models, continually enhancing the accuracy and reliability of its coastal weather forecasts for users.
“[This] initiative is allowing regional ports and operators to test the leading edge of technology to improve the safety and efficiency of their operations,” said Scott Beatty, CEO of MarineLabs. “Our regional maritime operators, who navigate and build infrastructure in some of the world’s most challenging conditions, set a global standard for maritime safety.
“MarineLabs is proud to support them with hyper-local real-time, historical, and predictive coastal weather intelligence.”
Replacing the need to rely solely on weather forecasts from external data providers, which have limited accuracy, MarineLabs’ services offer more accurate forecasts and visibility data of specific locations.
“The real-time data [...] has greatly enhanced the safety of our operations,” John Wilson, CEO, Pacific Pilotage Authority. “Timely information on actual environmental conditions allows for better decision-making to ensure optimal timing of ship movements and efficient ship manoeuvring.”
This initiative is made possible by provincial investments through the Integrated Marketplace funding.
