ELWIS GO!
Electronic Waterways Information Service (www.ELWIS.de) for Inland and coastal Users, commercial and pleasure crafts, going mobile: ELWIS go!
Imagine you’re travelling on water by boat. The sun is shining, the birds are singing and the air is refreshing. On your tour, you’re exploring rivers and lakes in the heart of Germany, with the landscape gliding serenely past. You’d like to keep your adventure going a little bit longer. But how long have the two locks been open for? Can you get through them before reaching your destination for the day? How are the two locks equipped, is it possible to carry the boats around upon arrival if the locks have already been closed?
These are some typical questions that arise during such trips. The Federal Waterways and Shipping Administration (WSV) in Germany is currently preparing the “ELWISgo” app to support recreational boating. “ELWISgo” provides recreational skippers with all the important information they need when travelling on the German federal waterways. For example, lock operating times, equipment and lock accessibility. But also information on moorings and water levels. All information is displayed on a map so that the regional environment can also be seen. For example, what is the name of the nearest town, how far away is it? The WSV has organised workshops with representatives from the leisure boating sector to determine which information in “ELWISgo” would be important for leisure boating. Further information will be added to “ELWISgo” over time. According to surveys, users are more interested in an early launch date with little information in the app. This has been deemed preferable to having lots of information straightaway, but a much later launch date. To increase safety on the water, “ELWISgo” will also have a learning area where users can look up and familiarise themselves with navigation signs. In order to increase the app’s user-friendliness, the information will be offered in a responsive design. Depending on the screen size (computer, tablet, smartphone), the information will be displayed differently to ensure an optimal user experience on all screen sizes.
Data quality is a particular challenge. Nowadays, an app can be programmed quickly. However, it takes a great deal of effort to permanently ensure that the information displayed is correct, up-to-date and complete. And only if users can always rely on the information, only then(!) does the app have value for the user. In this respect, in addition to the technical implementation and preparation of the contents of “ELWISgo”, the business processes are also planned and defined in parallel in order to protect the quality assurance aspects of the “ELWISgo” data in the long term.
“ELWIS” stands for Elektronischer Wasserstraßen-Informationsservice or in English “Electronic Waterway Information Service” (www.elwis.de). “ELWIS” is the WSV’s website with all relevant shipping information for the German federal inland and maritime waterways. The intended further development “ELWISgo” is part of ELWIS (www.elwis.de) with information aimed at those on the water. In “myELWIS”, users will be able to customise the ELWIS homepage according to their informational requirements so that they can access all the information they need at a glance. In the further developments of ELWIS, some of the information and the menu navigation will be offered in two languages, namely German and English. All information is provided free of charge by the WSV. The WSV wishes all users of “ELWISgo” a safe journey at all times and always enough water beneath your keel.
