FREMONT, Calif., Sept. 13, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The commission that oversees a leading fishing port on the East Coast recently discovered the empowering benefits of being in control of its own data to tighten compliance with fish-landing documentation and landing-fee remittances.

Undocumented or incomplete documentation of landings at the harbor inhibited the fleet's progress in sustainable harvesting practices, operational safety and financial strength. The estimated financial impact of these reporting challenges was estimated to approach or exceed $100,000 annually.

The commission reached out to INEX ImpactLABS to see if the problem could by fixed by Industrial IoT (Internet of Things) technologies. The unprotected outdoor operating environment presented significant physical challenges. The ideal site for monitoring offered no main power, wireline or wireless connectivity. The lack of a connection to the power grid led ImpactLABS to collaborate with V5 Systems and Dell EMC. 

ImpactLABS deployed a self-powered portable security system, which was developed by a California company called V5 Systems. It was implemented as part of V5 Systems' partnership with Dell EMC and IoT ImpactLABS.

Results

Once the security unit began to record vessels approaching the bulkhead, which it did 24/7, unauthorized access or out-of-compliance landings became impossible to conceal. A key reason is that the unit sends real-time video alerts of a ship's presence to the smartphones, tablets or desktops of the appropriate enforcement personnel.

As a result of the docking being monitored by the V5 Portable Security Unit (V5 PSU), the harbor realized an estimated return on investment of nearly 300% in the first quarter, or more than $35,000.

Background

Harbor Stats:

• Home to about 100,000 people and a center for US commercial fishing.
• Hosts approximately 550 commercial fishing fleets a year. These fleets land fish dozens of times per day, thousands of times per year.
• Operated by the Harbor Development Commission, a quasi-public agency whose Board includes the Mayor and private citizens operating maritime businesses.
• HDC manages the harbor, keeping it safe and compliant with all maritime regulations, as well as profitable and sustainable in accordance with the region's reputation for innovation.

Boats pay a fee to land at the dock and offload their catch, which is delivered to seafood markets. The landing fees are an important source of revenue and operational indicators for the harbor.

Industrial IoT Technology

The commission that oversees the leading harbor needed to track vessels coming in and out of the port accurately. IoT Impact LABS was presented with the challenge to track actual landings, reported landings and landing fees paid for dockings. To meet the challenge of lack of wired power, ImpactLABS installed a self-powered V5 Systems Portable Security Unit, supported by Dell Gateways technology.

The V5 PSU can be installed without the need to trench for power lines and connectivity, enabling intelligent surveillance without the cost and time associated with trenching.

A V5 PSU was deployed at the harbor's lighthouse and pointed toward the mile-long bulkhead, so it could identify boats coming in and out of the harbor. It was aimed at the bows of commercial fishing vessels offloading their catch, where the sterns are tied up, so hull registration numbers could be documented. Analytics on board the V5 Systems unit sent an alert when a boat entered a defined zone.

Chris Rezendes, Founder/Managing Director of IoT Impact Labs, stated, "The technology, craftsmanship and efficiencies of V5 Systems' technology exceeded any other security company ImpactLABS considered at the time." He added, "ImpactLABS, Dell, Intel and V5 Systems share the same vision, values and mission, along with a special commitment to customer support." 

Tested in Extreme Weather

Since its installation in August of 2016, there has been zero downtime, although multiple nor'easter storms have hit the harbor. Even the worst kind of storm, combining heavy rain, hail, snow with wind gusts over 50 miles an hour, which sent salt spray into the air, resulted in zero downtime. The solar panels that make the unit self-powered were also unharmed.

As a result, V5 Systems' PSU enabled the commission to monitor vessel activity in high security areas for compliance and safety 24/7, regardless of even extreme weather.

To pre-empt public concern about privacy, the security units are programmed to record only the entry of vessels into specific high-security, high-risk areas of the harbor.

Future Plans

The harbor is also exploring other ways to utilize the features of the V5 PSU.  For example, fleet members of The Harbor Development Commission lose a handful of crew members each year to accidents, and the Commission is initiating discussions with fleet owners and operators to explore making some of the video feeds from the V5 Systems unit available to captains to empower safety training and reinforcement.

Bringing Cost Savings to Traditional Businesses

The endeavor proved to be another demonstration of the value and cost-savings the Industrial Internet of Things network can bring to a variety of traditional businesses, large and small. Today, a major local fishing harbor can own and control data to empower management to make their own decisions on how to protect their interests and the safety of the community.

Learn more about how to quickly secure any outdoor area here: V5 Systems Security Overview

Take a look at our portable, self-powered security technology here: www.v5systems.us  

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SOURCE V5 Systems