Taiwan International Ports Corporation, Ltd.

The maturation and successful commercialization of critical emerging technologies in recent years is promoting digital transformation across a broad spectrum of industry sectors. Many ports around the world are now implementing ‘intelligent transformation’ initiatives to streamline and further upgrade port operations. The Port of Kaohsiung, learning from the smart-tech implementation experience of benchmark ports, continues to make significant progress toward its green-port development goals. Port administrators have just completed work on the ‘Port of Kaohsiung Smart Environment Network’ (SEN), an advanced, 3D-landscape-based multimedia platform that will increase the comprehensiveness and effectiveness of environmental monitoring at the Port of Kaohsiung.

To increase public awareness of the SEN, the Port of Kaohsiung organized a booth during the Ocean Affairs Council-sponsored World Oceans Day event on June 15th that highlighted the port’s ongoing efforts to raise the efficacy and impact of Taiwan’s green-port operations and to make related data regularly open and available to the public.

The Port of Kaohsiung SEN website presents regularly updated information in the four aspects of air quality, weather, port operational status, and geospatial tool-enhanced visual map toggling. Air quality information delivers real-time data both from TIPC’s 3 air-quality monitoring stations at the Port of Kaohsiung and from Environmental Protection Administration air-quality monitoring stations nationwide. Weather information includes real-time satellite cloud imagery, temperature, precipitation, radar weather tracking, and UV index data provided by the Central Weather Bureau. Port operational status information accessible through the network includes basic data on port-administered wharves; video images from CCTV cameras monitoring in-port activities and Kaohsiung City traffic conditions; and real-time marine meteorological data from both MOTC’s Harbor and Marine Technology Center and TIPC. Functions such as image save, measurement tools, and ‘save as KML file’ allow users to customize information to their specific needs and applications.

Once available online, the Port of Kaohsiung SEN is expected to reduce the time and resources currently required to collect and publish related information as well as to schedule vehicles and staff to follow up on pollution-incident reports. Moreover, the website will allow users to obtain real-time data on approaching bad weather in order to better prepare for and plan relief and rescue response work and then to follow rescue operations in real time via port CCTV cameras.

Furthermore, the Port of Kaohsiung plans to launch a publicly available version of the SEN, which will be accessible through the Port of Kaohsiung’s official website. The public version will highlight the current status and development of green port and environmental education initiatives at the port, solidifying TIPC’s image as an environmentally responsible corporation, giving the public access to the port’s environmental information, and implementing environmental information transparency in line with national government policy.