HALIFAX, Nova Scotia—April 24, 2024 — Global Spatial Technology Solutions (“GSTS” or “the Company”) announced that it has been awarded a contract for a Voyage Information System (VIS) by St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation (SLSMC) and Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway (GLS) to enhance joint management of bi-national waterways. GSTS will provide predictions for VIS through OCIANA®, its proprietary, AI powered SaaS platform. OCIANA® is a cyber-secure and scalable system which has been developed in collaboration with, and is used by, ports, shipping lines, pilotage authorities, civil agencies and border security organisations.

At the heart of OCIANA’s offering is robust, predictive data analytics, powered by novel AI algorithms. OCIANA’s data integration framework will assimilate critical information from the Seaway Traffic Management System and GSTS data streams into a predictability model to accurately forecast vessel ETAs, thus providing improved management of voyages and eventually optimizing lockage schedules. 

OCIANA® is a flexible platform designed to incorporate the intricate Locks System Rules, ensuring that all vessel movements adhere to safety and operational guidelines. While focusing on a specific segment of the St. Lawrence, vessel management is impacted by dynamic events stretching from the Atlantic approaches to the Great Lakes. The dynamic Lock Schedule Engine leverages various inputs, employing advanced algorithms to manage vessel traffic and schedule lockage, thus enhancing throughput and reducing delays. Through this innovation, OCIANA® will be well positioned to offer superior optimization capability to all major waterways.

“This project will demonstrate OCIANA’s capability to provide unparalleled planning and optimization in a highly dynamic environment impacted by multiple geographic, operational and environmental factors”, said Richard Kolacz, Chief Executive Officer, GSTS. “This award continues to illustrate the versatility of OCIANA® in facilitating enhancements to maritime safety, security and supply chain resilience globally.”

The Great Lakes Seaway system serves as a key supply chain, moving $66B in goods and supporting 356,000 jobs. Optimizing the flow of goods, in a highly dynamic marine trade environment, is crucial to the economies of Canada and the United States.

OCIANA® is configured to adapt to the evolving demands of maritime traffic management, with provisions for incorporating additional data sources and enhancing the Predictability Engine with emerging technologies such as weather machine learning models. GSTS continues to expand its offering to maritime and logistics stakeholders further enhancing its leading position in maritime digitalization and innovation.