The i2CAT Foundation participates in the presentation of the pilot test ‘5G Maritime’, which allows real-time and precise geolocation of ships

The pilot test, implemented at the Port of Barcelona, uses a pioneer tech solution that combines AI, cloud computing, 5G, and edge computing

Around 9.000 ships dock in the Port of Barcelona in one year. Specific and real-time information about their movement and geolocation is key to optimize space at the docks and maximize security. ‘5G Maritime’ aims to help the Port of Barcelona optimize maritime traffic, improving security and sustainability. 

The solution was presented on November 16th in an event hosted by the Port of Barcelona and the Minister for Digital Policy and Public Administration of the Government of Catalonia. It allows the highest precision geolocation fore and aft, easing the remote assistance of navigation. The 5G cameras installed around the port area allow knowing ships’ location, course, and velocity. This allows an accurate estimation of the entrance and berth of boats. 

The solution works due to these elements: 

• An AI model – IBM Maximo Visual Insights, created by IBM and tested in IBM Cloud to identify the ships. 
• Huawei’s high-performance camera sets and 5G workstations capture real-time entry of all ships. 
• Vodafone’s 5G commercial network provides extra-fast and low latency communications. The AI model receives images, recognizes, and interprets them.

Artificial Intelligence is distributed to a server placed in the Port’s control tower using IBM’s edge computing technologies. Subsequently, a geolocation algorithm interprets the images in geographic coordinates. Finally, the geolocation data is integrated into the rest of Port’s systems.

In the presentation, Mr. Jordi Puigneró, Minister for Digital Policy and Public Administration of the Government of Catalonia, highlighted that “projects like this one allow anticipating 5G’s impact and other technologies in social areas, and serve as reactivation and dynamization driving forces for the Catalan economy, boosting new technologies industries, and job openings”. 

This project, supported by the Ministry for Digital Policy and Public Administration of the Government of Catalonia, is framed in the 5G Barcelona Strategy and promoted by the Port of Barcelona, IBM, Vodafone, Huawei, Mobile World Capital Barcelona, and the i2CAT Foundation.