SPADE for PORTS and MARINAS

SPADE for ports and marinas

Mathclick's SPADE turns sparse bathymetric surveys into continuous water-depth intelligence — predictive maintenance that cuts costs, improves operations and shrinks the carbon footprint. Prediction drift under 9 mm/day, tested at major world ports.

The challenge

Traditional bathymetric surveys are…

  • Expensive — specialised vessels, equipment and personnel
  • Infrequent — months or years apart
  • Historical — past conditions, not current or future depths
  • Incomplete — no daily insight between surveys
  • Reactive — problems found after they occur

Without continuous depth intelligence, operators must over-dredge (wasteful, higher impact) or under-dredge (risking groundings). SPADE removes the dilemma.

From sparse surveys to dense intelligence

Without SPADE
  • Quarterly or annual surveys only
  • Gaps between surveys
  • Reactive dredging
  • Uncertainty about current depths
  • No advance planning
  • Survey cost without strategic value
With SPADE
  • Virtual daily depth surveys
  • Continuous understanding, 24/7
  • Proactive predictive maintenance
  • Depths anywhere, anytime
  • 5-day forecasting
  • Surveys become strategic assets

Data inputs

  • Your periodic bathymetric surveys (ground truth)
  • Copernicus Marine regional data
  • Local buoys, where available
  • Historical records

Output: continuous depth predictions for any location — nowcasting up to three years back, forecasting up to five days ahead.

Five ways SPADE delivers value

1

Reduce and optimise survey costs

Extend intervals between full surveys with continuous depth intelligence; survey only where SPADE flags uncertainty.

2

Improve dredging efficiency

Know when and where dredging is needed before depths become critical, reducing emergency dredging.

3

Enable virtual daily surveys

Replace infrequent physical surveys with continuous AI depth monitoring across the whole facility.

4

Turn surveys into strategic assets

Each survey trains and refines the model — your survey investment compounds.

5

Targeted single-point surveys

SPADE directs spot-checks to specific locations of interest, verifying predictions with minimal effort.

Proven performance

  • Under 9 mm/day prediction drift
  • 3 years historical nowcasting
  • 5 days forward forecasting
  • 24/7 continuous monitoring

Across port and marina operations

Industrial ports

Industrial ports

  • Optimise berth assignments by predicted depth
  • Plan maintenance dredging in optimal windows
  • Reduce emergency dredging
  • Support deep-draft navigation
  • Minimise dredging's environmental impact
Marinas

Marinas & yacht clubs

  • Predict safe entry/exit windows for deep-draft yachts
  • Optimise berth pricing by maintained depth
  • Plan seasonal dredging precisely
  • Reduce depth-related liability

Operational benefits

  • Cost reduction — lower survey frequency, optimised dredging
  • Improved operations — decisions on current depth intelligence
  • Lower carbon footprint — fewer survey-vessel trips, less over-dredging
  • Enhanced safety — reduced grounding risk
  • Better planning and regulatory compliance
  • Competitive advantage and environmental stewardship

Built on Copernicus Marine

Trained on your historical survey data with Copernicus Marine environmental data, SPADE learns sediment transport, seasonal variation and the link between regional oceanography and your facility's local depths.

Contact us to discuss your port or marina and receive a preliminary assessment.