Inland waterway information service

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Inland waterway information services (the abbreviation RIS for River Information Services is often used) are traffic telematics systems for traffic management on inland waterways , in particular waterways such as rivers and canals . In terms of function and structure, they are similar to an air traffic management system, supplemented by the geoinformatics of the river.

A RIS should ensure optimal utilization of the transport capacities and at the same time provide information on transport processes on the water in real time . The technical structure of a RIS consists of a control center and a communication system via which the ships and control center or other relevant devices or sensors exchange information. This information can include, for example, location information, data on cargo, status and movement of a ship, information on the weather or condition of the waterway or information on locks .

RIS are an important part of the long-term transport program of the European Commission , which hopes that the optimization of traffic on waterways will result in an environmentally friendly shift of road transports to the water. The advantages that a RIS offers from the EU perspective:

  • Better information should enable more reliable timetables for traffic on waterways and better allocation at lock or dock
  • Better interfaces improve cooperation with other transport modes
  • Real-time information about ships and effective monitoring of risky shipments increase safety
  • A quick overview of the traffic on a waterway enables optimization
  • International trade is simplified by automated border crossings
  • The automatic collection of transport statistics enables strategic planning and optimization

In line with this approach, the European Commission is funding RIS research and development in its research framework program .

Some examples of European RIS that are either already in operation or under construction:

There are similar systems outside of Europe. B. on the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River in Canada or on the Mississippi River , for the Yangtze River , a RIS is being considered.

European authorities, operators and manufacturers came together in the COMPRIS project, which was initiated by the European Commission and funded as part of the fifth research framework program. The COMPRIS consortium comprises 44 partners from eleven European countries.

Legal sources

Additional ordinances have been issued for Directive 2005/44 / EC on harmonized inland waterway information services (RIS) on inland waterways in the Community :

  • Regulation (EC) No. 414/2007 of March 13, 2007 on the technical guidelines for the planning, introduction and operation of inland waterway information services (published in the Official Journal of the European Union L 105 of April 23, 2007, page 1)
  • Regulation (EC) No. 415/2007 of March 13, 2007 on the technical specifications for ship tracking and tracing systems (published in the Official Journal of the European Union L 105 of April 23, 2007, page 35)
  • Regulation (EC) No. 416/2007 of March 22, 2007 on the technical specifications for messages for inland waterway transport (published in the Official Journal of the European Union L 105 of April 23, 2007, page 88)

Web links

  • BICS , the Dutch Binnenvaart Informatie & Communicatie Systeem
  • COMPRIS project (English)
  • Directive 2005/44 / EC (PDF) on harmonized inland waterway information services (RIS) on inland waterways in the Community (PDF, 279 kB)