Modernizing America’s Waterborne Commerce Intelligence

Every day, millions of tons of cargo flow through America’s ports and waterways. Behind that steady movement is a complex web of data and one key agency tracking it all. For decades, the Waterborne Commerce Statistics Center (WCSC), part of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), has powered decisions that keep goods moving, infrastructure functioning, harbors dredged, and maritime policy informed by shipping patterns and on-the-ground conditions.

Today’s navigation landscape is shaped by globalized trade, environmental and security risks, and increasingly complex data streams.  WCSC is advancing its Transportation Operations and Waterborne Statistics (TOWS) system to meet evolving mission demands. This modernization effort means integrating automation, cloud-based data management, and AI readiness to keep U.S. navigation intelligence accurate, timely, and actionable.

Approach: Build a modern, AI-ready foundation

Working side by side with USACE, Abt enhanced the TOWS system with targeted upgrades that improve data accuracy, security, and performance. The work included:

• Cloud migration to enable secure, scalable access to essential navigation data.
• Automated data ingestion and intelligent validation tools to streamline processing of millions of vessel and dock records.
• Data engineering and geospatial integration to improve how data moves between applications and analytical tools, enabling faster and more reliable reporting.
• Enhanced analytic and visualization capabilities to simplify how users interpret national commerce data.
• AI/ML enhancement assessment to identify where automation and machine learning can provide meaningful operational value, reduce manual burden, and improve reporting accuracy.

Abt’s team combined strong technical expertise with deep familiarity with TOWS systems and USACE’s mission priorities. That meant we could identify and implement changes that matter, avoiding bells and whistles in favor of resilient, mission-aligned improvements.

So far, the effort has delivered clear, measurable results:

• Streamlined 17 enterprise applications and tools into a modernized system for TOWS that enhances operational efficiency, security, and performance.
• Enhanced data accuracy and completeness through geospatial routing models—enabling more accurate vessel path mapping  from origin to dock for 10 million vessel trips processed annually.
• Improved efficiency and data quality for the 10 billion tons of cargo tracked in the Waterborne Commerce of the United States (WCUS) report—the nation’s flagship source of navigation data.
• Advanced analytic and visualization tools that support faster, data-driven decision-making across the maritime community.  
• A solid technical foundation for scaling AI-driven functions.

What this means for USACE—and the nation

Through this work, USACE is positioned to make faster, smarter decisions that keep goods—and the economy—moving. By investing in the right technical upgrades at the right time, the Corps can better respond to changing demands and support the safe, efficient operation of America’s ports and waterways.

Ready to modernize your mission-critical data systems?

Abt brings the technical expertise and deep domain knowledge needed to turn complex data challenges into actionable intelligence. Let’s talk about how we can help you prepare your systems for what’s next.

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