Pierside current information via AIS

Another way to use AIS broadcast information. I haven’t seen any AIS ATON in my travels yet. Only one I know of is on the GG Bridge. Anyone else seeing AIS tech in various ports?

I’ve seen several in Europe, and I want to say I saw a couple around the Panama Canal Zone too.

I can always look at the water when I’m alongside the pier, but still think it’s kinda cool to have data from a current meter broadcast to you.

That is an improvement from the method we used in the Buka Passage, Solomon Island, where the surface current could appear to be calm, but still ripping a couple of meters down:
Drop a full soda tin overboard and watch it sink. If it disappeared after sinking fairly straight down it was safe to let go. If it took off you got another tin ready and waited a while.

PS> Always soda tins with shiny top. “Stubbies” of XXXX, or South Pacific beer wouldn’t do.

ATONs were tested in SFVTS years ago. More recently they have been used to denote buoys removed by weather (such as hurricane Harvey’s impact on Aransas pass in Texas.)

Also used in long term studies of current in conjunction with civil engineering projects, (bridge building, port development etc.) In offshore engineering and wind farm development etc.
Even for planning difficult tows with deep draft it has been used.

PS>There are seven ATONs placed in Breisundet and Hareidsfjorden near Aalesund, Norway in conjunction with plans for a bridge or floating tunnel to be built there, as seen on Marine Traffic:
https://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/home/centerx:6.1/centery:62.4/zoom:11

Sorry I didn’t notice until now that this was an old thread. It came up on the list of current posts for some reason.