Montreal, March 22, 2016 – The Montreal Port Authority (MPA) and the St. Lawrence Global Observatory (SLGO) have greatly improved the Marine Conditions application on the SLGO’s web portal, a valued source of information for marine industry players, by integrating data on water levels from the Canadian Hydrographic Service of Fisheries and Oceans Canada.
The SLGO web portal, and more specifically its Marine Conditions application, make it possible to get an overview of data in near real time on territory stretching from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
The addition of water levels greatly improves this web application that is a focal point of data for users of the St. Lawrence River, especially seagoing personnel. In addition to water levels, the Marine Conditions application includes weather conditions and several other informative factors.
One of the great benefits of this collaborative project is that the application becomes a customizable virtual workspace for marine industry users. Once they have created their user profile, they can add configurations according to their needs. This, in turn, gives them a customized dashboard.
“Through the integration and dissemination of scientific data from the SLGO’s various member organizations, the public has access to a wide array of data on air, currents, water, waves and winds. This lets users get an accurate picture of marine conditions at a given time and place, thanks to data from Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Environment and Climate Change Canada and the Rimouski marine science institute l’Institut des sciences de la mer,” stated Claude Tremblay, Executive Director of the St. Lawrence Global Observatory.
“The St. Lawrence River is a complex environment, so having fast, direct access to the environmental conditions happening there is mission-critical for all users. Such integrated, user-friendly accessibility to water level data was a key component of the web portal project, which benefits marine clients and supports port operations. That’s why this improved app will be available through a link right on the home page of the Port of Montreal’s website,” added Daniel Dagenais, Vice-President, Operations at the MPA.
The Marine Conditions application bundles intuitive features that simplify search parameters and station types according to a set period of time and place. There are various display modes: map, tab, grid or real time. A dashboard and a control centre were also developed to enable users to view the desired information in an accurate, customized way in the application.
With the information generated by the interface at hand, users can view the information pertaining to the marine and river environment at a glance, and make decisions for safe navigation.
About the SLGO
The St. Lawrence Global Observatory (SLGO) is a non-profit organization providing integrated web access to scientific data on the St. Lawrence ecosystem by networking various data-producing and data-retaining agencies (governments, universities, NGOs and others) in order to meet their needs and those of their users, to improve knowledge and to assist decision-making.
About the Port of Montreal
Operated by the Montreal Port Authority (MPA), the Port of Montreal is a major diversified transshipment centre that handles all types of goods – containerized and non-containerized cargo, liquid bulk and dry bulk. It is a leading container port served by the largest container shipping lines in the world.
Based on preliminary data, the Port of Montreal handled 32 million tonnes of cargo and welcomed 91,000 passengers and crewmembers at its cruise terminal in 2015. It has its own rail network directly dockside. It is connected to the two national rail networks and a highway system.
Port activity supports 16,000 jobs and generates $2.1 billion in economic spin-offs annually.
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Sources:
Claude Tremblay
Executive Director
St. Lawrence Global Observatory
418-723-8372 ext. 1195
tremblayc@SLGO.ca
Mélanie Nadeau
Director of Communications
Montreal Port Authority
514-283-1385
nadeaum@port-montreal.com