Maritime Navigation Hazards (Citizen Engagement, Crowdsourcing)

Owned by Diego Cesa de Meira (Unlicensed)
Jul 30, 2019
3 min read

Prerequisites

  1. Open the following websites in separate browser tabs or windows:

  2. One or two image files depiciting (a) hazard(s) to maritime navigation (example ) downloaded to your desktop.

Scenario

Suppose, for example, that I'm a citizen who identifies a hazard to marine navigation. Here I am out doing some recreational fishing, and I notice a navigational buoy whose light isn't working.

Steps (Citizen)

To report this, I can open a web app on my smart phone to report the hazard to Transport Canada.

  1. Open Maritime Navigation Hazard Reporter .

I can log in using Twitter or an eGIS account, but, since I don't have either of these accounts, I'll just access the app as a guest.

  1. Click Proceed as Guest.

The app starts, and the map automatically zooms to my location. I can see some transportation features, including navigation buoys. I tap Submit a Report ...

  1. Click Submit a Report

... and I can fill out the details on the hazard. I can choose the severity of the hazard from a dropdown list ...

  1. Click the Severity dropdown list, and choose 2 (Moderate severity).

... and then type a description.

  1. In the Description text box, type "Navigation buoy light not working".

To find a location, I can click the Find my location button to use my current location ...

  1. Click the Find my location button.

     

And you can see that my current location is circled on the map. However, I'm going to click the correct location of the buoy on the map.

  1. Click the red buoy icon near Britannia Island.

And, I can take a picture of the buoy and upload it.

  1. Click Browse.

  2. Browse for the image file that you downloaded, and click Open.

Now, I've filled out the information on the hazard, so I click Report It.

  1. Click Report It.

Steps (Transport Canada)

Back at Transport Canada, I can use a different web app to manage the reports that people are submitting.

  1. Open Maritime Navigation Hazards Report Manager .

  2. Click the Refresh button (the one in the app, not the browser's refresh button), and click OK.

I can see on the map all of the active reports. I can either click on a report on the map, or from the list, to see its details.

  1. Click either on the row in the table or on the point on the map.

Here are the details of the report that's been submitted. If I click on the Media tab ...

  1. Click the Media tab.

... I can see the attachments that the submitter has added to the report.

  1. Click the Info tab.

If I assign this report to someone, I can update its status here.

  1. Click the Edit button.

  2. Click the Status dropdown list, and choose Assigned.

  3. Click Save.