Air Gap Data: 6-Minute Bridge Clearance Observations from U.S. Waterways

Preliminary 6-minute air gap observations from bridges spanning navigable U.S. waterways, collected by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services. The data is part of the National Physical Oceanographic Real-Time System (PORTS) Program and is used to ensure navigation safety, improve economic efficiency, and protect coastal resources.

Use Cases

• Modeling real-time navigational safety based on instantaneous bridge clearance data
• Analyzing economic efficiency of maritime transport based on waterway clearance trends
• Monitoring coastal resource protection based on bridge sensor observations
• Developing predictive models for bridge clearance under varying tidal or weather conditions

Strengths

• Data is part of the national Physical Oceanographic Real-Time System (PORTS) Program.
• Observations are collected at a 6-minute temporal resolution.
• Data is collected by the authoritative NOAA Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data is described as 'preliminary' observations.

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce

Collection Method

Collected via a network of downward-looking long-range microwave sensors operated by CO-OPS.

Time Range

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Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-10 19:31:46.574937; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Bridges spanning navigable waterways in the United States.