United States Coast Guard Feasibility Study for Development of a Waterways Management Decision Support Toolkit

This report discusses the feasibility of implementing the Waterway Managment Decision Support Toolkit with respect to technical issues, cost, and benefit to the organization. The concept is explored through the development of a Waterways Analysis Database Repository (WWADR) that supports the gathering, standardization and validation of waterways related data to support analyses; a revision to the Waterways Evaluation Tool (WET), and integration of data to support the Waterways Analysis and Management System (WAMS) and Port and Waterways Safety Analysis (PAWSA). A web-based system is recommended with centralized administrative support for data gathering from available Coast Guard and other federal agencies data sources to allow direct access to field users. Significant efficiencies may be expected through the availability of waterway data, the implementation of WET as the standard waterway assessment process, and the ability to compare similar waterways to performance standards developed from the Coast Guard strategic goals. Appendices to the report list the development of the revision to WET, including the development of anchors and national weights, data sources that should be included in the WWADR to support WET, WAMS and PAWSA, and the framework of a Computer System Development Document (CSDD).