Commissioned: Consorzio Venezia Nuova - Magistrato alle Acque di Venezia
Period: 2005 - 2007
Country: Italia
SIMNAV is the acronym for “Sistema Informativo e di Monitoraggio della NAVigazione per la Laguna di Venezia” or Navigation Information and Monitoring System for the Venice Lagoon.The objective of the project is the development of a working design for a navigation monitoring system, which is part of the planned intervention to regulate the flow of the tides at the lagoon inlets. While the flood protection barriers are being built, the presence of the construction sites will effectively decrease the size of the port inlet openings; this situation will necessitate the availability of adequate monitoring capabilities to ensure navigation safety. Once the barriers are functioning, the raising and lowering of the barriers will require that ships be informed before the manoeuvre and continue on their course, safely and in a controlled manner, immediately afterwards. SIMNAV was designed to respond to these needs; the telematic system oversees ship traffic in the areas near the mobile barriers, permitting accurate visualization of the ship traffic through the use of integrated technology (radar signals, GPS, AIS, CCTV) and a mobile pilot assistance unit (PPU – Portable Pilot Unit).
