In the Scheveningen Harbour Registration System (RSH) project, an innovative registration system is being developed to detect, identify, and record vessels entering and leaving the harbour. This is achieved through an intelligent video management and analysis system powered by Artificial Intelligence (AI). The system provides the municipal Harbour Authority with greater insight into activities taking place in the Scheveningen harbour.
The municipality aims to strengthen its harbour management. Unlike cars, vessels do not have license plates, which means an alternative method is needed to identify and register them. Such a system does not yet exist in the Netherlands.
Through the Living Lab Scheveningen, an extensive fiber-optic infrastructure network has been installed along the Scheveningen boulevard.
Several applications are already connected to this network. The new registration system combines Artificial Intelligence (AI) with camera technology, making this use case a natural fit with the Living Lab’s approach.
The system supports harbour management by registering vessels entering and leaving the harbour, capturing snapshots of each vessel. For every vessel, the date, time, sailing direction, and vessel type are recorded. This is done in a privacy-friendly manner, ensuring that no personal data is collected.
This data will help the Harbour Authority carry out its tasks to ensure maritime safety and effective management. At the same time, the registration system will generate reports and statistical insights on the number and types of vessels using the harbour.
The expectation is that a fully functioning registration system will go live in early 2023. The municipality has also defined further ambitions for the future development of the system, for instance by integrating additional data sources such as weather conditions or Automatic Identification System (AIS) data from commercial vessels. In the longer term, the system could also support law enforcement efforts by providing the police with information relevant to detecting criminal activities involving the use of the harbour.
The system is being designed so that all components, as well as the suppliers and their products, operate independently from one another. This approach allows the municipality to maintain control. It also makes the system easier to expand and enables other harbours to adopt it in the future.
In this use case, several municipal departments are working together. Colleagues from Safety, City Management, Economic Affairs, and the Living Lab Scheveningen are all involved in the project, with the harbour master serving as the project’s principal client.
The Expert Centre for Digital Innovation and Smart City of the municipality facilitates the connection to the Living Lab infrastructure and contributes to the development of the system.
Interested in more information about the Scheveningen Harbour Registration System? Please contact the use-case point of contact, Hidde Kamst (hidde.kamst@denhaag.nl) or send a general inquiry to the Living Lab Scheveningen via email at smartthehague@denhaag.nl
