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Project Background
In June, 1997, the Maritime Exchange for the Delaware River and Bay (MX), in conjunction with the Pilots Association for the Bay and River Delaware, contacted the National Ocean Service (NOS), Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services, requesting information regarding the NOS Physical Oceanographic Real-Time System (PORTS®) program. The Burlington County Bridge Commission is an active member of the MX.
In September, 1997, NOS briefed representatives from the local maritime community on the capabilities of PORTS®. In attendance were members of the MX, the Pilots Association of the Bay and River Delaware, the US Coast Guard, and the US Army Corps of Engineers.
As a follow up to this meeting, the MX sent a letter to the NOS Deputy Administrator requesting that NOS provide a cost estimate and implementation strategy for a PORTS® installation in the Bay. A preliminary requirement assessment was prepared by NOS, at the request of the local user community, and refined during a user meeting in March 1998.
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In late 1999, the Delaware maritime community identified funding from the Delaware River Port Authority for the hardware and installation of a PORTS®. In March 2000, NOS commenced to finalize the requirements. Seven (7) new locations were added to the existing four (4) locations to create the new eleven (11) locations PORTS® system.
The Commission entered into a formal agreement on August 14, 2001, with NOAA, for the installation of certain project related equipment at the Tacony-Palmyra and Burlington-Bristol Bridges.
NOAA installed the necessary equipment in mid-2002 at the Commission's Delaware River bridges. The data generated at these sites became available starting in September, 2002.