Lockheed vessel traffic system accepted for operational use.

Date

1977

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Abstract

The U.S. Coast Guard has accpted Lockheed Electronics' Vessel Traffic Data Acquisition and Control System (VT-DACS) for operational use in monitoring all ship traffic in the Houston/Galveston, Texas area. Believed to be the first computer based system of its kind, it will provide U.S. Coast Guard personnel with comprehensive up-to-date information on the status and location of vessels in the ports of Houston, Galveston, and Texas City, and fifty miles in interconnecting waterways. Serving one of the world's largest petrochemical complexes, an area which accounts for approximately 18% of all oil spills occurring annually in the United States' waters, the VT-DACS is designed to facilitate the scheduling of tankers and other wide-beam and deep-draft vessel traffic to minimize the possibility of collisions and other accidents, and expediate the movement of ships through the port complex. The system design employs a redundant minicomputer configuration guaranteeing an availability level in excess of 99.9% in around-the-clock operation. Six display-oriented operator stations permit Coast Guard personnel to selectively view graphic representation and text listing of channel traffic, projected vessel meeting/overtaking situations, daily departures and vessels in port and detailed characteristic data and status information for individual ships. Hardcopy reports of traffic data are generated on a periodic basis for records, analysis, and management information. The VT-DACS was designed and developed as a turnkey system by the Lockheed Electronics' Systems and Services Division located in Houston. The division's computer based monitor and control systems are also in operation supporting facility management, test automation, and a variety of other industrial, commercial and scientific applications.

Description

40 p.

Keywords

surface craft, traffic management, transportation, shipping, ship canals

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