Waterway Network Research Articles

Feasibility Study on Sustainable Development of Inland Navigation Under Changing Traffic Scenario of Kerala: A Case Study

Water transportation dates back to the time of ancient civilizations on earth. The demand for cost-effective and environment-friendly mode urges the use of waterways currently. India is a country with huge potential for waterways. States like Bihar, Assam, Goa, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala have good networks of inland waterways. These networks if developed can meet the travel demands of the area. A study was conducted to understand the potential and demand for the inland waterway in the state of Kerala between Kollam and Thiruvananthapuram districts for a stretch of 74 km. Traffic surveys were conducted to collect socio-economic characteristics and travellers preferences, and ArcGIS software was used to study the main features of the existing waterways, which is in the dormant stage for the past 50 years. The main findings of the study include the demand for the waterway, its social, technical and economic feasibility. It was concluded that if the neglected navigation system is developed efficiently and economically, it will be a milestone in the development of sustainable transportation systems in the country especially logistics and tourism on the verge of fast nearing completion of the international seaport in the south-east coast of India. From the study, emission and transportation cost was found to be 90% and 82% lesser and the overall cost was 20% higher for waterway development compared to that of roadways. But from the benefit–cost analysis, it was found that the project will yield 66% more benefit, compared to roadways in various aspects such as improved safety, reduction in environmental pollution, reduction in transportation cost, decongestion of roads and development of tourism.

Seasonal Cytotoxic Effects of Urban Watersheds in the Greater Houston Area

Steadily rising populations are turning Houston, Texas to the urban concrete jungle it is today. With communities growing and searching for homes, the need for new construction and establishments only increases the amount of impermeable surfaces relying heavily on the native waterways. Houston is known for its complex network of waterways surrounding and interweaving throughout the city, which are referred to as bayous. They work as a storm water runoff system to help prevent flooding, but many communities use the watersheds for recreational purposes. Local patrons boat, fish and swim in the bayous, unaware of the chemicals and pollutants lurking in the water. Due to the extensive flood history in Houston and the surrounding areas, communities do not have to be near the bayou to be inundated with the polluted water. Heavy rain for only an hour or two can cause bayous to rise, streets flood and water can make the find its way into low‐lying homes. Current studies have shown that there are high concentrations of As, Hg, Cr, Pb and Zn in the water. We hypothesize that the metals and chemical compounds identified could cause the water to have deleterious effects on living organisms occupying the watersheds or using its resources. My study objectives include observing the cellular response when the cells are subjected to the bayou water samples collected during the summer and fall of 2018 to compare cellular viability and to determine which of the watersheds has the greatest over cytotoxic effects.Water samples were collected in triplicates from Mustang Bayou, Dickinson Bayou, Horsepen Bayou, Houston Clear Lake, Cypress Creek and Cypress Creek Lake, which are six major waterways in the surrounding Houston area. The methods included buffering the water sample that will not be detrimental to the cells, then serial dilute the samples in media for varying concentrations (control or 0%, 12%, 25%, 50%, 100%) and tested the bayou water samples on the HT29 colon cells using a cytotoxicity assay and proliferation assays at 12, 24, and 48‐hour time points.We observed a linear decrease in viable cells as the treatment time points of bayou water increased. Cytotoxic effects were observed at every time point no matter the concentration of bayou water in the sample and the highest overall cellular viability was observed in the fall 2018 samples, because the overall viability percentages were roughly 20% higher than summer samples for both the 12hr and 24hr treatments although the 48hr results stayed consistent. Future studies include treating FHC colon cells with the same bayou water concentrations to compare to the HT29 cellular response and investigate the cytotoxic cellular effect with media containing the chemical elements at the concentrations determined from the chemical analysis.Support or Funding InformationThis research was primarily supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) through Texas Southern University (TSU) under the award numbers HRD‐1622993, BCS‐1831205, and HRD‐1829184

Cross-scale controls on the in-stream dynamics of nitrate and turbidity in semiarid agricultural waterway networks

Stream and riparian zone networks embedded in agricultural landscapes provide a potential intervention point to ameliorate the negative effects of agricultural runoff by reducing transport of nitrate (NO3−) and suspended sediments (SS) downstream. However, our ability to support and promote NO3− and SS attenuation is limited by our understanding of vegetative and hydrogeomorphic controls in realistic management contexts. In addition, agricultural landscapes are heterogenous on multiple management scales, from farm field to regional water management scales, and the effect of these heterogeneities and how they interact across scales to affect vegetative and hydrogeomorphic controls is poorly explored in many settings. This is especially true in irrigated agricultural settings, where stream and riparian networks are entwined with and sensitive to water management systems. To fill these gaps, we related the vegetative and hydrogeomorphic features of 67 waterway reaches across two water management districts in the California Central Valley to reach-scale NO3− and turbidity attenuation and district-scale water quality patterns. We found that in-stream NO3− attenuation was rare, but, when it did occur, it was promoted by shallow and wide riparian banks, low flows, and high channel-edge denitrification potential. Nitrate concentrations were consistently higher in upstream reaches compared to water district outlets, suggesting that while exports from the district were low, agricultural runoff may impair within-district water resources. Turbidity attenuation was highly variable and unrelated to vegetative or hydrogeomorphic features, suggesting that onfield controls are crucial to managing suspended sediments. We conclude that waterway networks have the potential to mitigate the effects of agricultural NO3− runoff in this setting, but that more effective monitoring and adoption of NO3− attenuating features is needed. Using our findings, we make specific management and monitoring recommendations at both reach and water district scales.

Spatio-temporal distribution of Oncomelania hupensis snails along the Danyang section of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal and the Danyang-Jintan-Liyang Canal

To explore the spatio-temporal characteristics of Oncomelania hupensis snails along the Danyang section of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal and the Danyang-Jintan-Liyang Canal, so as to provide scientific evidence for the dynamic assessment of the risk of snail spread in this region. O. hupensis snail status was collected in the plain regions with waterway networks in the study area from 2012 to 2017. The spatio-temporal variations of snail distribution were investigated along the Danyang section of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal and the Danyang-Jintan-Liyang Canal using buffer zone analysis, spatial autocorrelation, hotspot analysis and standard deviational ellipse with the geographical information system (GIS) tools. The number of snail habitats showed a tendency towards a rise in the study area from 2012 to 2017, and snail habitats were predominantly distributed in the 1 000 m long buffer zone of the Danyang-Jintan-Liyang Canal, notably along the Jiuqu River at the junction between the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal and the Danyang-Jintan-Liyang Canal. The distribution of snail habitats appeared spatial autocorrelations in 2014, 2016 and 2017, and the hotspot areas were mainly identified at the junction between the Danyang-Jintan-Liyang Canal and the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal. In addition, the overall distribution of snail habitats was located in the northeastern-southwestern part of the study aera, and gradually shifted to the southern and northern parts with the time. The spatial distribution of O. hupensis snails is complex along the Danyang section of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal and the Danyang-Jintan-Liyang Canal, and there is a risk of snail spread from the upper reaches to the lower reaches, where snail control needs to be intensified.

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The actual direction of maritime and inland water transport is alternative energy supply by the optoelectronic means. The study of brushless electromotor with electric energy delivery by the laser ray with using the fiber optic elements and photoelectronic transformers for the robotic digital complex for management and control of small-displacement surveying vessel motion is perspective. The connection between energy and information transmitted in the dynamic electromechanical transformers of the robotic digital complex is examined in the paper. It has been showed that the information and energy methods for processing the same experimental data lead to the identical results, namely, measuring information and energy are transmitted simultaneously through the measuring and information channel. Based on the conducted researches of brushless motor model and patents for inventions obtained by the Admiral Makarov State University of Maritime and Inland Shipping, a four-propellers robotic digital complex for managing and controlling the small-displacement self-propelled electric propulsion surveying vessel motion. The robotic small - displacement surveying vessels in conjunction with the base automatic surveying posts, combined by the atmospheric radio-optical and terrestrial fiber-optic communication channels, can be the basis of terrestrial segment of the digital measuring and information network of the Russian inland waterways.

The effect of low water on loading capacity of inland ships

Temporary low water levels can have a major impact on the loading capacity of inland ships, and as a consequence on the transport capacity of the overall waterborne supply chain. Insight in the capacity reducing effect of temporarily lowered water levels is important for the design and operation of robust transport chains on the one hand, and for the optimisation of fairway maintenance and long-term infrastructure development on the other. Knowledge on the effects of low water is clearly available at the level of individual ship owners, who adapt their transport operations to changing environmental circumstances, but less accessible at an aggregated level to assess the effects on the overall transport capacity of an inland waterway network. Based on a range of field observations and information collected from individual ships, this article introduces a general model to define the effect of low water constraints on the deadweight capacity and payload of inland ships, for which only the type, length, and beam of the vessel serve as input.

Revisiting dominant practices in floodwater harvesting systems: making flood events worth their occurrence in flood-prone areas

The lower Shire valley region in Malawi has long been characterized by floods which have accounted for many fatalities and disaster-related economic losses in the region. Rain-fed crop production has also been adversely affected by such floods, subsequently leading to the region registering the highest levels of poverty in the country due to low agricultural crop production. This study employed both qualitative and quantitative methods and based on what is practiced in the region and elsewhere, recommended strategies that would lower the risk of engaging in crop production under floodwater harvesting. Study results revealed that farmers in the region have sought to dig networks of water ponds and shallow wells as coping strategies to future water scarcity at a scheme level. The absence of well-designed networks of field waterways in the irrigation schemes results in an unequal distribution of floodwaters among field plots. The study concluded that in addition to digging a network of shallow wells and small water ponds to enhance infiltration of floodwaters and increasing groundwater recharge, a resilient and low-risk package of the floodwater harvesting system in the region must also include (1) construction of floodwater diversion structures to increase the chances of flooding even from relatively small rainfall storms, (2) construction of floodwater field distribution channel networks to facilitate field to field distribution of floodwaters, and (3) formulating water distribution rules to enhance equal floodwater distribution among field plots.

Collaborative Fleet Deployment and Routing for Sustainable Transport

Efficient multi-modal transportation in the hinterland of seaport terminals depends on consolidation of container volumes in support of frequent services of high capacity means of transport, such that sustainable multi-modal transport can compete with uni-modal road transport in cost and time. The tactical design of barge scheduled transport services involves fleet selection and routing through the inland waterway network. The resulting network service design should meet expected demand and service time requirements set by the shippers. We develop a tight MILP formulation for the Fleet Size and Mix Vehicle Routing (FSMVRP) especially adapted for the Port-Hinterland multi-modal barge network design. Also, an analytical model is developed to help understand important design trade-offs made. We consider the case of horizontal cooperation of dry port container terminals that share capacity. Our results show that in case of cooperation, both cost savings and service levels are improved, and allow for sustainable multi-modal transport to be competitive with uni-modal truck transport.

A Proposed Method for Determining Propulsion Coefficient Based on Testing Motor Freighters on Danube Waterway Network

A Proposed Method for Determining Propulsion Coefficient Based on Testing Motor Freighters on Danube Waterway Network

Reliability assessment of large hydraulic structures with spatially distributed measurements

Hydraulic structures, such as ship locks and weirs, form an essential part of waterway networks. An efficient life-cycle management is necessary to manage these large concrete structures safely and economically. Inspections and material testing form an important part of this process, as they enable an improved assessment of the condition, materials and properties of the structure. Traditionally, the limited data from tests is used to estimate probability distributions of material parameters; characteristic values for the assessment are then obtained from these distributions. Spatial correlation between measurement locations or different material layers is typically neglected. In this contribution, the spatially variable material parameters are modelled with random fields. The available data from local measurements is used to update the distribution of the random fields using Bayesian analysis. For comparison, the approach of Eurocode 0 for obtaining characteristic values is also applied. The structural reliability is then calculated applying subset simulation. It is shown that the employed random field modelling approach provides a more detailed statement about the material parameters. The results of an application to a ship lock wall demonstrate that modelling the spatial variability of concrete properties can increase the reliability estimate of large hydraulic structures when measurement information is included.

Cooperative Multi-Vessel Systems in Urban Waterway Networks

Urban waterways have great potential in cargo transport to relieve the congestion in the overloaded road networks. This paper explores the potential of applying cooperative multi-vessel systems (CMVSs) to improve the safety and efficiency of transport in urban waterway networks. A framework consisting of vessel train formation (VTF) and cooperative waterway intersection scheduling (CWIS) is proposed. Two types of controllers are introduced. Intersection controllers solve the CWIS problems and assign each vessel a desired time of arrival and vessel controllers are responsible for the VTF in waterway segments and the timely arrival at the intersections. An alternating direction method of multipliers (ADMM)-based negotiation framework is proposed for the cooperation among the controllers. The simulation experiments involving the scenarios in which up to 50 vessels sailing in the canal network in Amsterdam are carried out to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach. In the simulation of an isolated intersection, rescheduling is triggered when some vessels cannot arrive on time. Although some ASVs arrive later, the time that is needed for all the ASVs to pass through is the same after rescheduling. Moreover, we compare the cooperative situation with the proposed CMVSs with a baseline situation. In the baseline situation, vessels avoid collisions using the generalized velocity obstacle (GVO) method and cross the intersection with a first in, first out rule. The CMVSs show better path following performance, while the GVO method needs fewer velocity changes. From the perspective of efficiency, the CMVSs help to reduce the total time to pass through the intersection.

Research on the Collection and Distribution System of Container Port Group in Shandong Province

Shandong province is of great strategic significance to China. Shandong is not only China’s third largest economy, but also the second most populous province.The GDP of Shandong province ranks among the top three in China all year round, and its total GDP is up to one-eleventh of China’s total GDP. Shandong province has occupied the most competitive province in China for many years.Firstly, the hinterland of container port cluster in Shandong province is analyzed. The railway network of container port group in Shandong province is analyzed from four vertical channels and four horizontal channels. The container port group highway network in Shandong province is studied. Finally, the waterway network of container ports group in Shandong province is analyzed.

Status and Implications of Inland Waterways in Europe

유럽의 내륙수로 이용국가들의 물동량 처리실적을 바탕으로 물동량을 예측한 결과 전체국가의 물동량은 보합세를 유지하고, 후발 이용국가들의 물동량은 증가세가 이어질 것으로 예상된다. 유럽의 여러 도시에서는 이미 택배운송부터 폐기물 운송에 이르기까지 화물의 유통을 위해 도시 내 수로 네트워크를 활용하는데 상당한 잠재력이 있음을 파악하였으며, 도시계획에서부터 도시의 이동성 측면에서 내륙수로에 대한 접근이 이루어지고 있다. 하지만 아시아 태평양 지역의 국가들은 부적절한 사업투자나 단기적 경제성 측면에서 비효율성을 경험한 후 내륙수로의 개발 및 운영에 대한 부정적인 경향을 보이고 있다. 유럽지역에서 내륙수로가 친환경 물류시스템으로 지속적으로 활용될 수 있는 이유는 유럽연합 내에서의 투자 및 재정적 지원이 가능한 재원(TEN-T, CF, ERDF 등)들이 제도화 되어 있기 때문이다. 환경에 대한 관심이 더욱 높아지면서 유럽의 내륙수로는 지속 가능한 복합운송 시스템 을 달성하기 위해 많은 관심을 다시 받고 있으며, 자율운항 선박, 친환경 에너지 활용과 더불어 복합운송 거점으로서 내륙수로의 배후 터미널은 네트워크 활성화로 직접적인 친환경 녹색 공급망의 핵심에 서게 될 것으로 판단된다.As a result of forecasting trade volume based on the trade volume records of countries that use inland waterway in Europe, the stock prices are expected to hold steady for the countries as a whole, but for least developed countries, the stock prices are expected to increase. Many countries in Europe already understand the significant potential of using a waterway network in the city for freight distribution, from parcel delivery to waste transport. From the city planning stage, they are making approaches to inland waterway considering the mobility of the city. The reason why the inland waterway can be used consistently as an eco-friendly distribution system is because the European Union has a system that invests and provides financial support for it. The inland waterway of Europe is receiving a lot of attention again to achieve a sustainable combined freight system. Along with autonomous surface ships and eco-friendly energy use, the inland waterway terminal as the base of combined freight is expected to come to the fore of eco-friendly green supply chain through the activation of network.

ЕПОХА СЛОВ’ЯН НА БАЛТИЦІ: ЕКОНОМІЧНЕ ПІДНЕСЕННЯ СЛОВ’ЯНСЬКОГО ПОМОР’Я У РАННЬОМУ СЕРЕДНЬОВІЧЧІ

Abstract Background. The article attempts to explore the reasons of the economic rise in the Slav-inhabited Baltic Sea region, including the role of geographical factors; the impact of international trade on the economic development of the Slavic region; the role of the coastal Slavs in developing the Baltic trade routes as well as the network of river and land communications in Central and Eastern Europe. The paper mainly focuses on the participation of the Slavs in the formation of transcontinental trade routes and the development of trade between Europe and the Arab East. Purpose. To explore medieval written sources, archaeological sources and historical literature on the economic development of the Baltic Slavs; identify the main factors of their economic rise, including the establishment of cities and the development of trade. Results. The following conclusions are made in the article: the first early medieval cities in the southern Baltic were founded by the Slavs; as early as in the VII century in the Oder river basin alone there were about a hundred settlements in the lands of lutych tribes. The cities founded by the Slavs on the southwest coast of the Baltic were large trade centers such as Veligrad (ger. Mecklenburg), Volyn (ger. Yumna), Staryhrad (ger. Oldenburg), Kolobreg, Shchetin, Arkona and others. According to the German chronicler Adam Bremensky the Slavic city of Volyn located on the island at the mouth of the Oder river, was one of the largest early medieval cities in Europe and a major international trading center. The emergence of early cities was stimulated by economic development in the Baltic Slavic region, including agriculture and crafts. However, trade was the main factor in the economic rise of the Slav-inhabited Baltic sea region. The favorable geographical location contributed to the formation in its territory of a network of waterways and landways, which were branches of international trade highways. Contrary to established views of the Slavs as exclusively agricultural people, sources indicate that the main occupation of the coastal Slavs was trade. They also engaged in the maritime piracy, the centers of which were the islands of Fembra (ger. Femarn) and Ruyan (ger. Rügen). The coastal Slavic tribes were pioneers in paving the first trade routes and in developing international trade in the Baltic region. Trade activities of the coastal Slavs to a large extent ensured the establishment of trade links between different regions of Europe and the development of transcontinental trade between Europe and the Arab East. The transcontinental water and land routes passed through the lands inhabited by the Slavs (Slavonia). An important role in its development in the early Middle Ages also belongs to the Danube Slavs (the state of Samo, Great Moravia) and Rus. Key words: early Medieval Age, Baltic Slavs, obodrytes, lutyches, ruyans, international trade routes, trade with the Arab East.

Selection of China’s imported grain distribution centers in the context of the Belt and Road initiative

To increase the efficiency of distributing imported grain in the context of China’s Belt and Road initiative, this paper selects 23 imported grain distribution nodes based on qualitative approach, then evaluates the importance of each node in freight railway, highway, and waterway networks using complex network theory. The distribution capacity of imported grain distribution nodes is comprehensively evaluated using the improved entropy TOPSIS. Guangzhou, Lianyungang, Shanghai, Tianjin, Chongqing, and Xi’an are selected as the final imported grain distribution centers among the 23 nodes with consideration of government policies and the Belt and Road initiative operation experience.

Planning for Waterway Renewal: Balancing Institutional Reproduction and Institutional Change

ABSTRACTModern waterway networks are ageing and need to be renewed, yet the institutional context in the waterway sector is averse to change because of path dependencies. Waterway renewal requires actors to navigate between institutional reproduction and change. Applying an innovative framework for analysing institutions in a case study of the Dutch national waterways, we mainly find instances of institutional reproduction, which turns waterway renewal into a technical and financial exercise. However, institutional change becomes increasingly evident through a new functional-relational path, suggesting that planning for waterway renewal also entails reconsidering novel waterway configurations and incorporating neighbouring spatial developments.

Budgeting maintenance dredging projects under uncertainty to improve the inland waterway network performance

We model the problem of budgeting and selecting inland maintenance dredging projects to maximize the value of commodities that can be transported without disruption through the inland waterway system. We develop a heuristic to solve our stochastic optimization model and demonstrate that, by incorporating uncertainty in the amount of reactive (i.e., emergency) dredging, our model yields improved solutions as compared to related deterministic optimization models in the literature. We apply our model to provide a detailed analysis of U.S. waterway network.

Institutional Barriers and Bridges for Climate Proofing Waterway Infrastructures

Although the urgency for climate proofing waterway assets grows, to date, little is known about the organizational learning process of infrastructure operators to address this urgency. Climate proofing infrastructure increasingly requires infrastructure operators to rethink the original aims of their networks (such as bringing prosperity by enabling transportation), which relates to the notion of double-loop learning. The goal of this article is to identify institutional barriers and bridges that condition learning processes of infrastructure operators in climate proofing waterway infrastructures. This article is based on a case study of the Dutch national inland waterway network. Our findings suggest that climate proofing infrastructure requires an integrative and inclusive approach, in which the focus on waterway assets is loosened and infrastructure operators become more oriented towards wider, larger regional developments. However, the barriers and bridges encountered in the case study suggest that the Dutch waterway operator Rijkswaterstaat mainly focuses on refining and optimizing the current waterway network, i.e., single-loop learning. The questioning of underlying values, i.e., double-loop learning, is more complicated and has to be actively organized.

Beyond maintenance: Emerging discourses on waterway renewal in the Netherlands

Across the western world, ageing waterworks have to be renewed, but interpretations on transport policies for renewal differ and are indistinct. Our aim is to grasp the competing discourses on the public management of Dutch waterway renewal in order to understand the different interpretations and how these influence waterway planning. The analysis demonstrates that a technical discourse, in which renewal is framed as sustaining the waterway network, currently prevails in the Netherlands. However, this discourse is increasingly complemented by a financial and functional discourse. These new discourses emphasise co-financing arrangements between public governments and the incorporation of new functionalities and trends into the outmoded waterways. As recent practices are altered by the new discourses, the established technical discourse decreases in importance, as does the central role for infrastructure operators. Instead, renewal becomes a strategic, political matter for transport policymakers, in which new waterway configurations are discussed. For producing legitimate future renewal practices, this article recommends that the connection between strategic policymakers and apolitical operators could be improved.

Water Transportation in Bangkok: Past, Present, and the Future

Once, Bangkok was known to the world as the “Venice of the East.” However, the role of water based transport has diminished gradually over the last few decades and has vastly been replaced by traditional land-based transportation system. Nowadays, most of the waterway networks have been paved over with roads and the existing water transport facilities along the Chao Phraya river and its canals in Bangkok. Moreover, the existing system lacks adequate accessibility, inter-modal linkages as well as safety. This research study intends to present an overview of this public transport system together with its role and characteristics. In addition, it also intends to recommend some measures to improve the transportation system along these canals in Bangkok and exhibits how the reincarnation of this mode of transport can leave the urban transportation planners with substantial alternatives to provide mobility when traffic congestion and safety issues still remain unsolved in Bangkok. The study provides insight to incorporate water transport within the mainstream of transportation planning and progress towards a sustainable integrate transportation system which can alleviate the existing congestion and safety problems and eventually pacify the transformation of Bangkok from the “Venice of East” towards the “Jungle of Concrete.”