Smart Port Shuttle: Sensor-Based Navigation for Inland Waterway Transportation

Germany has a wide-meshed waterway network. Although inland navigation is one of the most efficient transportation methods, its share of transport is steadily decreasing. The research project Smart-Port-Shuttle Hildesheim aims to strengthen the waterway system both from the aspect of inland navigation and from the aspect of ports. For this purpose, a holistic approach is chosen, which includes technological innovations on the one hand and integration into a logistical concept on the other. This paper focuses on the first point: a technological approach for a (partially) automated inland vessel. It will present the hardware setup and an evaluation of the sensors at a selection of critical points, such as in a lock, at a bridge passage, or during the passing of an obstacle. Different methods, such as Galileo E5a measurements for positioning or Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) for constructing and updating the map of the branch canal, are analyzed. The data structure of the Robot Operating System (ROS) is presented, as the raw data are available to the audience.