Planning the Port's waterside with a digital twin
My role: Technical product manager on the Port's side. I lead technical delivery: translating the Port's needs into requirements for the University of Manchester's AI and hydrodynamics team, testing the model and planning its handover.
- Role
- Technical product manager, Port side
- Partners
- Universities of Manchester and Plymouth
- Technology
- Unity 3D
- Timeline
- Handover due 2028
- Outcome
- Better berth and traffic planning
The problem
Decisions about berth planning and traffic flow on the water side of the Port are complex. A digital twin gives the Port a model to test those decisions against before acting on them.
Key decisions
Start from the Port's real decisions. The model is built to support berth planning and traffic flow, the decisions the Port actually needs to make, rather than as a showcase.
Evaluate before trusting. We test the model for accuracy and for cost reduction, so the Port can rely on what it shows.
Plan the handover early. The Port's own team will maintain the twin, so planning its handover is part of delivery, not an afterthought.
What I do
- Lead technical delivery on the Port's side of a collaboration with the Universities of Manchester and Plymouth.
- Translate the Port's needs into requirements for the University of Manchester's AI and hydrodynamics team.
- Test and evaluate the model for accuracy and cost reduction.
- Plan its handover to the Port's own team for maintenance.
Where it stands
The 3D model is built in Unity and in development, with handover to the Port's team due in 2028.