Ports 4.0 GAROTES project successfully completed

Spascat has successfully completed project I-4.75 “GAROTES”, developed within the framework of the Ports 4.0 programme of Puertos del Estado. This initiative supports early-stage technological concepts that drive innovation in the Spanish logistics and port ecosystem.

The GAROTES project has explored the feasibility of a system for continuously obtaining bathymetry of the areas around the Port of Barcelona by combining Earth Observation data and in situ measurements. The concept is based on a network of IoT buoys equipped with depth sensors, GNSS Galileo positioning and wireless communications, capable of providing calibration points for Satellite Derived Bathymetry (SDB) models.

During the study, Sentinel-2 satellite imagery from the European Copernicus programme was processed and integrated with historical bathymetry data from the Port of Barcelona and coastal data from the Barcelona Metropolitan Area. From this information, various depth estimation models were developed and compared, including empirical methods and machine learning models.

The proof-of-concept results show that the developed models provide good estimates at depths of up to approximately -15 metres, the range in which satellite-derived bathymetry is most reliable. In addition, the simulations carried out indicate that a homogeneous network of between 8 and 12 buoys per km² could provide sufficient calibration information to generate continuously updated bathymetric maps.

The study thus confirms the technical feasibility of the IDEA presented, and demonstrates the potential of combining satellite data with marine IoT sensors to improve bathymetric monitoring in port environments. With this proof of concept, the foundations have been laid for the future development and validation of real buoy prototypes in controlled maritime environments.