This project team created a first-of-its-kind information system that integrates biological, commercial, and transportation information to generate detailed profiles of each vessel transiting the St. Lawrence Seaway. Profiles included their destinations, their prior ports of call, and the ecological and public health conditions existing at those locales. The team also designed a searchable computerized system that collects relevant real-time information on the likely risks presented by a particular vessel.

The team’s work resulted in a private alpha version of the prototype system that successfully answered specific questions related to vessel traffic into and within the Great Lakes. This empowering technology allows users to view ships and disease outbreaks anywhere and at any time, effectively arming individuals with the information needed to act.