Protecting America’s Ports: Improving USTRANSCOM’s Preparedness

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Client: United States Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM)
Location: United States of America

United States Navy USNS Rappahannock (T-AO-204), Henry J. Kaiser-class underway replenishment oiler at berth.

CHALLENGE

In 2018, faced with the ever-changing landscape of national security, the United States Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM) identified gaps in their bandwidth, specifically regarding personnel that had experience in both geospatial technology and security. USTRANSCOM is responsible for managing two major military ports: Military Ocean Terminal Sunny Point, or MOTSU, and Military Ocean Terminal Concord, or MOTCO, as well as several other commercial ports around the country. In the case of an emergency deployment, all ports (commercial and military) transition to the needs of the Department of Defense. When transitioning commercial ports to military use during a deployment, the port data must reflect current capabilities. To respond to national security threats, USTRANSCOM needed up-to-date data visualizations to better understand their berth availability, storage capacity, and route optimization at the Ports of National Defense (PND).

SOLUTION

Expanding on a relationship with USTRANSCOM that goes back over 20 years, the GeoDecisions’ team, certified as both Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Professionals and CompTIA Security+ personnel, used their unique skillset to assist the Department of Defense. Using Esri’s ArcGIS Pro, as well as throughput analysis, GeoDecisions visualized data to increase the PND team’s analytic capabilities, better preparing them in the case of an emergency deployment. Utilizing asset information provided by PND’s database, tabular information is then digitized into geospatial maps, making important attributes (lift on/lift off data, berth size, crane capability, terminal storage space, rail line/road access, etc.) more easily discoverable. In addition to ArcGIS Pro, GeoDecisions also worked with other USTRANSCOM modeling and simulation platforms, such as AMP (Analysis of Mobility Platform) and JFAST (Joint Flow and Analysis System for Transportation), to create smoother deployment exercises. Throughout the project period, the team working with USTRANSCOM also trained PND staff to understand these additions and modified the application by writing custom scripts for the program, such as filtering, to help with data management.

Another deliverable of this project was a series of route optimization tools used to increase efficiency when planning for deployments. These tools included the Rail Analysis Tool, Road Route Efficiency Tool, and Seaport Dissemination Tool. The Rail Analysis Tool was designed to analyze the various paths railroads take to specific berths, ultimately designating the most efficient route. There are several factors to help inform this analysis, such as train length, berth location, and the type of ship used for transport. Similarly, the Road Route Efficiency Tool uses this same technology, but focuses on the road paths leading to a berth. The Seaport Dissemination Tool helps extract data from the PND database without using a geospatial capability. In instances where attribute data would be best viewed tabularly, the Seaport Dissemination Tool pulls out the data into an Excel report, making it easier to review.

Overall, GeoDecisions’ team of GISP’s and Security+ professionals used these tools, along with ArcGIS Pro, to increase UNTRANSCOM’s preparedness in the face of a national security crisis.

KEY TECHNOLOGY

  • Esri ArcGIS Pro

  • Esri ArcGIS Enterprise Portal

  • Python

KEY RESULTS

  • Strengthened USTRANSCOM’s ability to plan deployments faster and more efficiently.

  • Developed processes that enabled USTRANSCOM to have more discoverable assets and information, leading to better analytics and more deliberate strategic planning.

  • Integrated with M&S (Modeling and Simulation) tools such as AMP (Analysis of Mobility Platform), JFAST (Joint Flow and Analysis System for Transportation), the Seaport Dissemination tool, and two route efficiency tools (one for roads and one for rail) for improved deployment exercise planning.