The Internet of (Marina) Things

One of the big technology trends is the ‘Internet of things’, which for marinas means the seamless and automatic integration of multiple systems.

We’ve had requests from marinas around the world to integrate external systems into Harbour Assist. Systems like remote electricity monitoring, water metering, automatic number plate recognition on access gates and more.

The idea is to make life easier for marina staff by removing manual data input, reducing system duplication and automating some activities. The benefit for customers is a more seamless service and enhanced access to personal data.

Some of the ways that the Internet of Things could work in marinas:

Example 1:

As the customer drives into the car park the ANPR system opens the car park barrier and informs Harbour Assist. Harbour Assist sends the customer an automatic SMS with a welcome message and the day’s WiFi code.

Example 2: 

When a customer’s contract ends without renewal, Harbour Assist informs the access systems so that the customer can’t continue to use the car park or access marina facilities.

Example 3: 

When a boat is launched from the boatyard into the marina, Harbour Assist connects with the electricity system to switch on the supply to the berth.

There are so many practical applications for integrations of this sort, from simply enabling the customer to view his electricity usage, to more complex automation like the examples above. 

We’re starting by looking at smart metering – remote control of electricity supply to boats – but we’d like to know what you think.

  • Do you charge for electricity at a metered rate?
  • Would you like to have pre-pay or post-pay metering?
  • Is it a hassle walking the dock and taking readings?
  • Do customers get upset when they think other boats are using ‘their’ electricity?

Click the button for a short (only 6 questions!) survey about smart metering and other integrations.

TELL US WHAT YOU WANT

How can we help your business?

If you’d like to talk about how Harbour Assist can help your business to connect with your customers,  email Nick direct [email protected]