Smart River Information Services in managing Nile River navigation system

Large rivers play an important role in global economies and ecosystems. Because many urban areas are concentrated along the banks of large rivers and deltas, the importance of large rivers to societies is readily apparent (Alexander et al. 2012; United Nations 2019). The global population is estimated to increase by 9.7 billion people by 2050 (United Nations 2018). As the population continues to rise, so will the required goods and services increase (United Nations 2018; World Bank 2018). To accommodate this growth, additional hydraulic infrastructure development will be required. Inland navigation is a rapidly evolving mode of transportation (World Bank 2020). The characteristics of inland waterways have brought about the development of dedicated technological solutions, of which Inland Electronic Chart Display and Information System ECDIS and Inland Electronic Navigation Charts IENC are few examples (Vries 2017). As the difficulties of water-related issues such as water scarcity, navigational bottlenecks, and decaying infrastructure have grown, conventional techniques have gradually revealed their flaws (European Commission 2010). There is a necessity in creating a smart navigation service for controlling the navigation of riverboats, forecasting the situation and giving advice to participants (Nguyen et al. 2018). Smart waterways is a sophisticated navigability monitoring and forecasting system. It relies on sensors mounted on river ships as eco-sounders, collection and processing data unit, a mode1 for forecasting hydrological low-water, and morphological bed-topography and for real-time navigability forecasting techniques (IWAC 2006; Choi et al. 2016). Computer-based Geographical Information Systems (GIS) are increasingly being used to aid in spatial data acquisition, storage, and processing (Christiaan 2011). Recently, IENC was recognized as one of the most advanced navigability monitoring systems in large rivers. Its tenacity is to provide inland navigation safety and efficiency. ECDIS contains all chart information required for safe navigation (Willems 2011; Kamal 2017). Inland navigation systems should be harmonized using the internationally accepted River Information Services (RIS) approach. Rivers in the context of RIS include all types of inland waterways (European Parliament 1996; Gong et al. 2015). It is feasible to determine the levels of navigation safety in crowded seas and rivers, on inland waterways, when approaching routes to ports and berths using the situational strategy based on mathematical statistical approaches (Central Commission 2001). This presented insights into the configuration of these extended navigation-related forecasting services, where communicating prediction uncertainties remains a significant difficulty (Karetnikov et al. 2019). The smart techniques and the use of artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms as different Artificial Neural Network (ANN) algorithms and multiple linear regression could be used for daily streamflow prediction (Meißner et al. 2022). The roadmap for river sustainability is a beacon for foreseeing future river scenarios, a long-term catalyst for environmental sustainability. It is advanced paraphernalia to invest and maximize water resources and to coexist harmoniously (Burgan 2022).

This article analyzes and evaluates the use of smart technologies and GIS in the management of large river navigation system concepts, as well as establish a structure, to enlighten future research fields on its implementation and realization along the Nile River in Egypt.

Three stages of development were identified based on the history of RIS in Europe as a pioneer in smart navigation systems. The first stage had begun before 1998, with an increase in general awareness and knowledge of the true potential of IW transport in the European Community. Legislation in Europe sparked the policies and strategies involved in IW transport. The Inland Navigation Demonstrator for River Information Services (INDRIS) evaluated communication technologies, management procedures, and information services for the first time between 1998 and 2004, presenting the concept of RIS for the first time (Willems 2011). PIANC (the internationa1 organization for Ports and Waterways) developed the RIS Guidelines in 2002, which were formally adopted in May 2004. From 2004 to the present, obligated fundamentals for data communication and RIS equipment, as well as the minimum level of services for future RIS implementations, have been defined, which has the structure and framework for the deployment of harmonized RIS all over Europe (Administrative Tribunal 2001; Willems 2011). It is challenging to anticipate river flows accurately because of the stochastic and complicated character of streamflow in the basins; in recent years, AI and machine learning techniques have gained popularity for stream flow predictions (Karim et al. 2022; Ibrahim et al. 2023). Smart systems and more detailed bed level information for transport vessel captains could improve IW safety, and as a result, navigation will be easier. Maneuvering difficulties in inland waterways can be caused by width restrictions, particularly in bends, and depth restrictions, particularly in upright parts of the cross-section (Weijun et al. 2011). Investments in smart transportation infrastructure, on the other hand, indicate political importance: Between 1992 and 2011, the Chinese investment reached 8.5% of its GDP in water infrastructure.

In contrast, Europe invested 2.6% of its GDP in water infrastructure. In Brazil, investments in waterway infrastructure are a minor priority. In general, Latin America spent only 1.8% of its GDP on infrastructure (Paul et al. 2009; Weijun et al. 2011). The overall goal of the ‘Smart Waterways’ operational monitoring and forecast system is to improve IW navigational safety, enable more cost-effective cargo transportation, and promote inland water transport in an environmentally conscious manner.

BOS-Baggeren is essentially a GIS database that gives the user online access to a hydraulic map including data on bed level soundings and low-water depths, thus giving regional, graphical information on allowable cargo loads. By this way, it can be considered a precursor of smart waterways using GIS. Every two weeks, the bed level survey is conducted as a routine activity over the entire river section of the Waal. This routine management sounding is principally motivated by (RWS ON) to check the river dredger's performance (International commission for the protection of the Danube River 2009). Applications of GIS and remote sensing technologies have increased dramatically since the mid-1980s (Meaden & Kapetsky 1991; Meaden 2009). GIS and remote sensing applications in inland waterways have been studied, particularly as they relate to spatial decision-making (Meaden & Kapetsky 1991). GIS has been widely applied to navigation systems, and in the United States, there have been fewer applications of these technologies in inland waterways management and planning. Smart navigation-based GIS is increasingly being used in order to assist in the process of capturing spatial data, processing relevant information, and making this information available as required. The use of GIS, therefore, has great potential to optimize the value of information as a resource for navigation.

The Nile River was crucial in the establishment of Egypt as an ancient superpower, and its contribution was unrivalled in social, religious, and political dimensions. The rise of the Nile as a culture of significance, dominance, and prosperity was a direct result of river's geographical location and how its residents used the available resources to establish a great civilization. The 1959 Nile Waters Agreement with Sudan allocated 55.5 billion cubic meters per year to Egypt (Raslan & Abdelbary 2001). The Aswan High Dam is the major storage and regulatory facility on the Nile. It began its operation in 1968, ensuring Egypt's control over annual flood waters and guiding their utilization. From Aswan High Dam to Cairo, the Nile flows for approximately 950 km through Egypt. The Nile is then divided into two branches, which are approximately 200 km long and eventually reach the Mediterranean Sea. The Aswan High Dam provides great control on the flow discharge. Throughout its course, the Nile is well controlled by barrages and locks (River Transport Authority 2019). From Aswan to Cairo, the Nile is divided into four reaches by four main barrages, each with a navigational lock that controls water level and discharge. Over a distance of 1250 km, the total drop in the bed level from Aswan to the Mediterranean is about 80 m (River Transport Authority 2019). The Nile, as a result, has a gentle slope and is a low-energy river with controlled discharge and water level. Navigation can be improved as a result of these facts.

The road system is currently well developed and improving, owing to the fact that road investment remains higher than IW navigation. New routes will be proposed, a permanent navigation channel will be established, and night navigation will be secured as a result of increased investment in navigation. Using and developing smart navigation systems, the overall scheme of navigation development will improve the performance of inland navigation.

Egypt's inland waterways can be classified into two main categories: the Nile River and the man-made canals. Along with the River Nile, a vast network of constructed canals of various sizes also exists. There is a sizable network of inland waterways in Egypt. The majority of the country is covered by its branches. Egypt's IWs network involves a set of waterways classified into three classes (River Transport Authority 2019, 2020). This classification is based on the width of the waterway, the Air Clearance, and the water depth (River Transport Authority 2019). Egypt's three most important waterways are included in the first-class IWs network: 953 km (from Cairo to Aswan), 220 km (from Cairo to Alexandria), and 242 km (from Cairo to Damietta). The second-class waterway includes El Khandal/El Sharki Canal, Tanta Navigation Canal, and Port Said/El Matareya. Among the third-class waterways are the El Mahmoudia Canal, El Bagouria Canal, Bahr Shibeen, and Damietta Bra/Shebin River, El Mansoria/El Tawfike Canals and Damietta/El Matareya in the Nile Delta area, and Ibrahimia Canal and Bahr Youssef in the Nile Valley area (River Transport Authority 2019).

RTA mandates the standards. However, they may be updated in the event of an upgrade of the necessary structures or modernization of fleet dimensions or transportation style to be efficient (Saber 2011; River Transport Authority 2019, 2020). Table 2 presents the classification of Egypt's IWs (River Transport Authority 2020).

The river fleet is split into two parts: cargo transport and tourist fleet. As per 1989 figures, there were approximately 1,300 barge units in operation. In 1992, on the other hand, there were 113 hotel boats. These hotel boats normally travel between Aswan and Luxor, making several stops at historic sites along the Nile (Saber 2011). As per the River Transport Authority (2019) report and the JICA Study Report from 2003, the total number of cargo boats fleet is 2,492 unit, and the total number of tourist boats is 364 boats (floating hotels) (Saber 2011; Radwan 2020). There are also a few hotel boats that run from Cairo to Aswan during the peak season of November to February, as well as a number of boats cruising the Nile as restaurants and sightseeing in Cairo.

The cargo flow that through Egypt has never been lower than it is today. These are the main causes:

• 1.

  Inadequate use of smart and new technology for safe navigation in navigable channels.

• 2.

  Transportation takes a long time due to only using daylight navigation.

• 3.

  The inability to operate second- and third-class navigational waterways due to a lack of maintenance and the construction of low-height bridges over them.

• 4.

  The absence of navigational aids is a major cause of vessel accidents and sinking barges.

• 5.

  Management's inability to improve service quality.

• 6.

  There is no coordination of door-to-door cargo delivery, which reduces the use of river waterways by companies and investors.

As a result, the goals for the development of inland water transport can be identified as introducing competitive river transport in comparison to other modes of transportation and encouraging ‘door-to-door,’ as well as developing and fully implementing smart navigation systems such as RIS.

A sophisticated information and communication technology enables the expansion of IW transportation opportunities while also ensuring the safety and efficiency of waterway users. The system acts as a link (interface) between the public and private sectors involved in IW transportation. RIS is estimated to assist with IWT organization and management. The RIS project includes AIS-based communication systems as well as a sophisticated Tracking and Tracing System with a DGPS Network. This will be the first RIS Project in the Arabic world as well as on the African continent.

The RTA, in partnership with the Austrian Via-Donna (the consultant), has set the technical requirements and studies necessary for the development of RIS over the Nile River in Egypt (Ibrahim 1984; River Transport Authority 2020). These requirements include:

• 1.

  Producing Inland Electronic Navigation Charts (IENC) for the navigational path from Aswan to Delta barrage.

• 2.

  Developing a Traffic monitoring system

• 3.

  Developing a control center, to communicate and control the movement of river units.

In 2013, the Installation Process of thirteen AIS devices was applied to tourism units. In 2016, RTA installed VHF radio station equipment (River Transport Authority 2020). In 2018, a number of BEACON stations were installed in the Cairo region.

In Table 3, the numbers for Europe, China, the United States, Brazil, and Egypt differ significantly: China has the longest available waterways, the highest transported volume, and the highest volume handled in ports compared to other IWs in large rivers for other countries. As clear, China's in1and waterway system is roughly equivalent to that of Europe, the United States, Brazil, and Egypt combined, but it also has an additional 37,000 km of c1assified navigable waterways (European Commission 2005), many of which already carry more than 3 million tons annually using small vessels. No doubt that the market conditions vary by region. Transport demand in China is growing more than four times faster than in Europe or the US and of course faster than in Brazil and Egypt.

Despite the fact that Brazi1 has more available and widest waterways than Europe, European IWs transport approximately 12 times more volume. It can be noted that Egypt has the lowest available waterways, as well as the lowest transported volume, narrowest width, and more volume handled in ports compared to Brazil. Furthermore, the sediment discharge in the Nile River in Egypt decreased due to the construction of the Aswan High Dam, which has virtually cutoff sediment transport and deposition to downstream areas by trapping vast quantities of sediment. On the contrary, in Brazil, stronger erosion processes caused by increased rainfall, altered land cover, or both increased the amount of sediment discharged into the Amazon River. It becomes obvious that each river basin has a very different sediment load and erosion characteristics. However, the sediment discharge decreased in Europe, China, and the United States as in Egypt.

These distinctions can be seen in relation to the importance of inland navigation in various countries. In Europe and China, IWs are regarded as important modes of transportation, and various measures are in place to promote their use. Advertising acts, in addition to financial assistance, are examples of such measures. In using smart inland navigation systems, Europe can be considered a pioneer in using RIS, followed by China and the United States. Egypt and Brazil are still developing the first level of RIS. In this case, investments in waterway infrastructure can be considered as a primary key to ensure inland navigation's competitiveness.

RIS is an integration of management and infrastructures and has originated from the modernization of the inland shipping industry. The multiplicity of RIS services necessitates an advanced level of interoperability and compatibility of the services themselves, as well as the enabling technologies and processes that support them. Due to the lag between the Egyptian inland shipping industry and the other ones especially the European and Chinese, RIS is a new concept to the Egyptian inland shipping sector. Obviously, the European Union and China's knowledge and experience achieved in RIS research and development will be beneficial in awakening general awareness in the sector and improving the quality and reliability of the IW network in Egypt. It should be noted that much of the investment and focus in the European, Chinese, and United States IW systems is on the use of new technologies, such as RIS, river obstruction removal, dam and lock construction, and canal creation. It should be emphasized that Egypt's share of IW transport is 1%, compared to 6.5, 24, 8.3, and 14% for Europe, China, the United States, and Brazil, respectively. This demonstrated the gap between these countries and Egypt, notably in terms of RIS use (Jiang & Luo 2019; Moustafa et al. 2022; Fahmy & Hekal 2023).

Egypt faces numerous challenges that must be overcome to maximize the benefits of RIS implementation. The most significant of these challenges is the organizational aspect, which is the real challenge in implementing RIS in Egypt. The development of RIS in Egypt will be hampered by some complicated relationships and overlapping functions between organizations. For example, two authorities, RTA and MWRI, coordinate operations and development of locks along the navigational waterways, in addition to the lack of use of the same technology for all locks. Furthermore, three authorities, RTA, MWRI, and localities, are responsible for the licensing of river transport units, as well as their safety and validity conditions and specifications. Taking the combination of these into consideration, it will be difficult to design RIS architecture and collect accurate data to support RIS. Furthermore, compared to the more advanced regions in Europe, China, and the United States, the inland shipping industry in Egypt is still in a relatively early stage of growth. Egypt's current inland shipping is characterized by a high proportion of old and small vessels. In addition to these challenges, there is also the lack of innovation in advanced navigation technologies. In RIS, inland ECDIS is a critical modem navigation technology. Because inland ECDIS can display geo-related information with the overlays of AIS and Radar images it is widely used in Vessel Traffic Services (VTS) and FIS. In Egypt, these advanced navigation technologies and infrastructures are still being developed in Egypt and are not yet available. Almost all of Egypt's VTS station equipment and applications are imported from Europe (River Transport Authority 2020). Undoubtedly there will be at least 5- to 10-year time lag for Egypt to develop independent RIS to its full extent. It is necessary to keep good cooperation with the European inland sector and refer to their experience and knowledge. Independent development research with innovative ideas, on the other hand, is in high demand.

No doubt that the knowledge and experience gained in RIS research and development by Europe, China, and the United States will be beneficial in raising general awareness in the sector and improving the quality and reliability of Egypt's IW network.

In Egypt, there has been a growing demand in recent years to improve inland navigation transport. Aiming to promote awareness using the smart navigation systems in large rivers, this article introduces the development of smart RIS in Egypt based on smart ICT, as well as proposes measures to tackle the challenges that may be faced, compared with the experiences and knowledge of RIS in large river smart navigation systems with possible solutions to developing RIS in Egypt. By highlighting the novelty of my system, the main goal is to establish a competitive river transport system compared to traditional modes like roadways and railways, by emphasizing ‘door-to-door’ connectivity and implementing advanced smart navigation systems such as RIS. This approach not only enhances the efficiency of cargo transportation but also positions inland water transport as an attractive option for potential investors.

It is strongly recommended to develop an action plan to build Nile RIS in Egypt as quickly and effectively as possible as follows: establishment smart RIS modules that cover all Nile River reaches in Egypt, staff qualification and training for supervisory and coordination roles in RIS control centers and stations, resolve overlapping organizational functions to collect accurate data to support RIS, and collaboration between research and organizations. Sustainable financing support is necessary throughout the development of RIS modules. It is essential that the government should take a leading role in this development, and finally, the independent research of development with innovative ideas is highly demanded.

From the point view of navigation technology, the followings are suggested for Egypt's RIS system development: start the development of some independent work packages or modules of applications in advance depending on new technologies for using real-time technology, open GIS and its application for smart rivers, in addition to using the Nile Information System NRIS developed by the author in providing information about Nile structures and projects (Piotr & Dura 2022), and develop a new smart and economic navigation system for the Nile River in Egypt based on information and communication technologies as real-time tracking systems for navigational depths via GPS devices attached to the navigational unit, allowing the navigational unit's skipper to identify the navigational path and safe navigable areas.

It is recommended to require RTA to introduce a time plan for implementing RIS along the Nile River in Egypt. In addition to including a part in their plans in their semi-annual reports, stating what actions they intend to take during the plan period is necessary to improve navigation management efficiency and effectiveness in using the smart technology in administration, lock management and development, dredging, and navigation aid maintenance. Smart technology as RIS will improve the utilization of navigation infrastructure, vessel productivity, and navigation safety. It can also improve the statistics used to populate Egypt's navigation data base. As a result, it is recommended that the RIS be implemented as a high priority, including ongoing communication with professionals working in comparable programs around the world.

This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

All relevant data are included in the paper or its Supplementary Information.

The authors declare there is no conflict.