# Simulation Study on an ICT-Based Maritime Management and Safety Framework for Movable Bridges
## 1 Introduction  
Movable bridges represent an alternative navigation route to cross an active waterway where the construction of fixed bridges with a desired vertical profile is beyond our reach. With economic globalization, the complexity of waterways is increasing to maintain vessel navigation in inevitable routes for faster shipping and supply. Especially for human-made waterways like the Suez Canal is an exemplary route where gigantic vessels transport through a very complex waterway. Such transportation policy requires precise monitoring and management of a navigation system. Movable bridges are an effective solution to many complex waterways of inevitable routes facilitating transportation management for both vehicles and ships. It also has the potential to enhance security by restricting unauthorized access. In 1666, the movable bridge was used to prevent riots during the Great Fire in London [1]. At present, a remarkable number of movable bridges reside all over the world. These bridges are familiarized with their unique motions to calibrate flexibly with internalstructures and give navigation path-away and vehicle passage. Most commonly, bascule bridges rotate transversely with the horizontal axis and permit vessel transit regardless of the vessel height [2]. Tower Bridge in London and Woodrow Wilson Bridge at Washington resemble a bascule bridge [1]. Among other movable bridges, swing bridges circulate horizontally, and vertical lift bridges translate the entire moving part to an upward limit. The Sale Swing Bridge at Victoria and The Paringa Bridge over river Murray in South Australia are two renowned heritages in Australia. Lastly, foldable bridges, such as those in Kiel, Germany, present folding movable bridges which rotate about multiple transverse horizontal axes. Retractile bridges are capable of translating the moving span horizontally, and gyratory bridges rotate about the longitudinal axis [2]. In New South Wales, different movable bridges are subdivided based on generation and ages [3]. In the modern age, war support bridge-launching vehicles (e.g., M60 AVLB) can launch a movable bridge with folding capabilities which enables movement over craters, moats, damaged bridges, railroad nuts, water canals, and other untraversable zones [4]. Nonetheless, there exist many movable bridges of colossal embodiment over the world; they are manually operated. Due to high expense and complex structure, few are bestowed with modern technologies. With the advancement of information communication technology (ICT), automation of movable bridges is desired that aspire the requirement for maritime management and safety as well. Manual inspection of movable bridges by human operators does not achieve the same advanced level of safety and reliability as an automated bridge. The sheer automation of a movable bridge requires control of internal mechanical structures, maritime management, and bridge traffic management. It is evident that movable bridge automation refers to the automated operation of bridge leaf structures and subsequent gears. However, to set the condition of automated bridge-leaf rotation, the controller system must identify the approaching ships leading to the bridge leaf opening command. Furthermore, bridge-leaf opening requires fulfilling pre-condition on evacuating bridge of any vehicles followed by sensing approaching ship. Therefore, a movable bridge automation system incorporates ship sensing, navigation control, collision avoidance for maritime management, and signalization of bridge traffic and other advanced technologies to ensure the bridge can be evacuated successfully out of any bridge vehicles when any water traffic comes closer to the bridge. Movable bridge automation requires imposing concern over these phenomena when considering observation and security. For example, failure in the automation of internal mechanical control may cause the bridge to move inappropriately or get jammed in the middle of the operation.