Case Study

Real-time Wind Data for Ogden Point, Victoria, BC

Custom monitoring solutions for unique customer needs.

In 2004, the Greater Victoria Harbour Authority (Victoria, , ) approached AXYS Technologies Inc. about possible ways of providing real-time data on wind conditions at the entrance to Victoria Harbour. Occasionally, strong winds were creating challenging conditions for cruise ships visiting the facility. The Greater Victoria Harbour Authority (GVHA) recognized the importance of real-time wind data to ship captains and pilots maneuvering near the breakwater.

Ogden Point is a local landmark situated at the end of a long breakwater. The "Point" is a large concrete pylon with a single navigational light. There is electrical power available for operating the light, however the dog-legged breakwater is nearly three-quarters of a kilometer of solid concrete, with no place to run additional data cabling.

AXYS Technologies Inc. (ATI), a Canadian company specializing in the design and manufacture of remote environmental data acquisition, processing and telemetry systems offered a solution by combining a R.M. Young anemometer reporting wind data to the AXYS Watchman500™ DCP. The Watchman500™ has the power and flexibility to integrate any monitoring device into virtually any data collection network. The Watchman500™ collects the wind data in real-time, as well as temperature and humidity. Data is relayed via line-of-sight VHF transmissions direct from the Point to the Pilot's office located near the breakwaters start. At first, a large cable-laying ship parked directly in the line of sight posed a challenge, however careful attention to antennae selection and placement negated this issue. The AXYS service team carried out the installation and commissioning in one day.

Today, real-time wind, temperature and humidity data is displayed on a custom GUI in the Pilot's office, as well as ten-minute updates posted onto the GVHA homepage. “This response to the safety needs of ship operators is a vital addition to service Victoria’s cruise sector and tourism industry,” states Paul Ridout of King Bros., the local brokerage and shipping agency that brings cruise ships to Ogden Point. And not just the cruise industry benefits from recent implementation of AXYS Technologies weather data to Ogden Point. Explains Michael Cormier, CEO of the GVHA, “This meteorological data will improve the safety and management of the harbour’s traffic schemes, benefiting , floatplane, yachting and commercial fishing and boating sectors.”

AXYS considers the state-of-the-art Ogden Point weather station to be a showcase project, which is now ready for an AIS Port Information System expansion; a full suite of weather information for ship docking and aviation use.

The following links provide a picture of how the data is use:

•http://www.victoriaharbour.org/index.htm •http://www.victoriaharbour.org/TenMinute_data.aspx

ATI applies their extensive knowledge and experience to marine & freshwater buoy platforms that measure aquatic, oceanic and atmospheric parameters. They also apply these technology solutions to terrestrial based weather, environmental, hydrological and water quality applications.

For further information, please contact Don Bryan, Manager Marine Systems Sales and Marketing, at [email protected], or at 1-250-655-5847.