Kickoff Meeting of the Starports Project for information on the status of maritime infrastructure

The Consortium of the Starports Project (Sistema inalámbrico distribuido de monitorización, prevención y actuación para la gestión costera), made for the development of an intelligent platform capable of providing in real time detailed and multiple information on the state of any coastal and maritime infrastructure, met at the facilities of the Oceanic Platform of the Canary Islands (PLOCAN) in Taliarte.

The Starports Project is financed by the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER) Innterconecta 2018, managed by the Centre for the Development of Industrial Technology (CDTI). It will be developed during 28 months, ending its activities in December 2020. It is coordinated by the FCC Construction Company, with Wellness Telecom y Sensorlab as Consortium members. The CEIT (Centro de Estudios e Investigaciones Técnicas de Guipúzcoa) and PLOCAN participate as associated research centers.

The main objective of the STARPORTS Project is the development of an intelligent platform capable of providing in real time detailed and multiple information on the state of any coastal and maritime infrastructure, and as well capable of quantifying, automatically and intelligently, changes in time, such as pathologies or other anomalies. It also aims to develop advanced sensor networks that can be integrated within that infrastructure to obtain significant and reliable data on its status.

It should be noted that maritime infrastructures are subject to daily use and severe environmental conditions (waves, rain, humidenvironments, salinity and corrosion problems, among many others), which can vary significantly depending on the location and the environment. These affect the integrity of the structures and their lifespan.

Given the importance of maritime infrastructures in our society (ports, dams, offshore platforms, wind turbines, etc.), where any problem can significantly affect the economy or safety of the locality, region or country, continuous inspection and maintenance of those infrastructures is necessary. The problem is that the current monitoring and maintenance strategies and techniques to avoid problems and failures entail a great economic cost, as well as enormous efforts and resources, for installers and operators.

This is why STARPORTS ‘innovative technology will mean a significant technological leap in the maritime market, which will not only mean a significant reduction in the monitoring, maintenance and conservation costs, but will also improve maintenance strategies through the early detection of future problems or failures.


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