EfficienSea2 solutions showcased at conference
At the mid-term Conference 'Getting Connected to the Future', the variety of solutions being developed by EfficienSea2 were demonstrated to participants from the maritime world.
“Safe connectivity made easy”. Those were the defining words of the conference Getting connected to the future held by the EU-funded project EfficienSea2 in Copenhagen on the 8th and 9th of November. Two platforms – the Maritime Cloud and the BalticWeb – were released in BETA versions and demonstrated with a number of services.
The aim of the conference was to both industry and other actors outside the project a chance to become familiar with and give feedback to the e-Navigation solutions being developed by EfficienSea2. Project Leader Thomas Christensen from the Danish Maritime Authority explains:
“We are very pleased with the chance to showcase our results. We want EfficienSea2 to make the maritime world both safer and more efficient, but in order for that to happen, we need to be in a constructive dialogue with the industry. The first products are starting to materialise, so input is more important than ever.”
Broad range of solutions
At the conference the Maritime Cloud was the first thing to be demonstrated. Consisting of a service registry, an identity registry and a management portal, the Maritime Cloud will make it possible to connect the end user of services with the service providers in a way which is both user friendly and safe.
The participants at the conference could for the first time experience the simple process of registering a ship in the identity registry, a service in the service registry and how the two registers are connected in the Maritime Cloud.
On day two of the conference, the participants were introduced to the geographical display/web-based platform BalticWeb, which covers the Baltic Region. On stage, it was demonstrated how a registered user in the Maritime Cloud can sign into BalticWeb and connect to approved services, which will then be displayed in a safe and easy way.
Examples of services that will be included in the Maritime Cloud were also given. Service providers will in the future be free to provide solutions based on certain standards, but services such as navigational warnings and satellite images, developed by EfficienSea2, were demonstrated.
Feedback from the industry
More than 170 participants attended the conference and the chance to get feedback was an essential goal for the EfficienSea2 project.
Some participants praised the project for its ambitions, others suggested that the Maritime Cloud should add storage of data as a feature, and many urged the EfficienSea2 project to enhance focus on harmonising standards.
Another feedback point heard throughout the conference was the need for fast implementation of digital ideas in the maritime sector.
“It is time to move from idea and development to implementation” was one of the things repeated from the participants.
In the days following the conference, the 32 partners included in the project met for a partner’s meeting. The conference and the feedback received were discussed and will be used to complete the EfficienSea2 project and ensure the solutions have a long term impact. The project is set to be completed by May 2018.
Take a look at the different presentations given at the conference here.
Take a look at the pictures taken at the conference here.
