Abstract: Due to the construction boom in the 1950s, the harbour infrastructure in Europe is reaching the end of its service life in many places. In total, there are around 2,000 miles of quay walls in harbours and along waterways in Germany, as well as around 2,500 waterway structures along federal waterways. Around 60 % of the infrastructural structures are older than 50 years and 20 % are even older than 100 years with a theoretical service life of approx. 80-100 years. Due to the ageing of the existing structures and the massive monitoring that is required to minimise operational restrictions, infrastructure operators worldwide are keen to improve their data basis in order to obtain a valid and sustainable overall view of their ports. However, underwater geodata acquisition and data hosting of infrastructural structures are still in their infancy. This article will show that a multi-sensor measurement system (MMS) assembled from freely available components and a cloud data portal can be used enormously to complete and digitise test results and planning bases. Since 2019, the MMS has been developed in Germany for the acquisition of 3D data on port structures. The key components of the MMS are a laser scanner unit, a multibeam and a photogrammetry array so that the structures can be precisely georeferenced to a depth of 80 ft and scanned with minimal shadowing. In the northern German harbours, daily performances of approx. 1 mile of quay wall under water and approx. 3 – 5 miles above water are inspected. The MMS generates point clouds and meshes, ortho images and 360° panoramas, which enable harbour operators and consultants to reduce the inspection time in the harbour by 50% and the time required to create reports by 70 - 80%.
However, without the provision of 3D data in data portals, it will not be possible to make widespread use of the building models (approx. 15 - 20 GB/mile) with the corresponding inventory and metadata. For this reason, the data portal for the low-threshold provision of 3D infrastructure and condition data has been under development since 2021 as part of a research project. In addition to the above-mentioned survey data, monitoring and inventory data is also georeferenced and linked to the 3D model. In stress level management, the current condition of the hydraulic engineering structure is visualised over a large area. The availability of data and corresponding automated analyses (microservices) also enable service life forecasts based on the holistic measurements. As a result, the static recalculations that are currently still common can be improved enormously because the individual boundary conditions existing on the structure are considered rather than generally valid model calculations with safety factors. The combination of stress level management and service life predictions should lead to considerable savings in resources through an extended utilisation period and improved limitation of maintenance measures as well as improved planning of port operations.
How does this project / topic contribute to the advancement of the industry and profession?: Ports all over the world can benefit from the digitalisation of building inspections. The multi-sensor measurement system developed can be installed and operated on any type of ship. In the cloud data portal, algorithms and artificial intelligence process and analyse the measurement data so that the data can be automatically made available to port operators and consultants.
Does the project / topic implement new and innovative techniques, materials, technologies, and delivery methods?: Yes, with our MMS and the data portal we have developed a complete workflow for the asset management of harbour structures. Analyses and data cleansing are automated and made available to the user in the model environment. This can make work on the construction site much smarter, simpler, and more effective.
What was the most challenging aspect of your project / topic and how did you handle it to ensure success?: The most challenging aspect was to process the measurement data from the individual sensors so precisely that the quality of the georeferencing would enable automated evaluation and processing. This required the entire team to take a critical approach to the effects, systematics and measurement errors that occur during measurement. As the measurement of vertical surfaces is not so widespread in the civil sector, the corresponding quality parameters had to be continuously evaluated.
Who is the target audience for this paper?: Port owner, port engineers, port consultants and structural engineers The presenter has been involved in the structural review of harbour structures, bridges, locks and dams for 25 years. He must explain the inspection results and necessary measures to the commercial managers and managing directors on a daily basis so that the important points are understood and safely implemented.
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