Ports
LED Message Boards for the Smart Port Solution at Port of Tallinn
The challenge
The problem to solve
Old City Harbour is one of the busiest passenger ports in the Baltic — Tallink, Eckerö Line and Viking Line all depart from here. When a vehicle enters the port, its licence plates are read, dimensions measured and weight recorded by WIM sensors. That data flows automatically to the port management system. The challenge: communicate the resulting gate assignments, terminal directions and queue positions to hundreds of drivers simultaneously, in real time and automatically. Displays had to be port-grade, deeply integrated with third-party software and capable of modern content.
The solution
What Ampron delivered
Ampron supplied rugged outdoor LED message boards in five formats — overhead portal boards, check-in and directional boards, collection-area lane boards, loading-area boards and roof-edge lane lightboxes — across Terminals A and D, with DR Series units used as replacements since 2022. All displays integrate directly with Nortal's Smart Port platform via Ampron's software communication protocol, receiving gate assignments, terminal directions and real-time queue updates automatically. Delivery was phased: Terminal A in 2016, Terminal D in 2017–2018.
The Smart Port platform knows each vehicle's gate and lane as soon as it has been weighed and its plates read. The boards put that assignment in front of the driver at the point of decision, so routine guidance needs no one in the loop.
“Ampron has kept our boards running reliably for close to 10 years, contributed to the digitalisation of our signage, and proactively engaged on how to improve the solutions further.”
Outcomes
Results
- ✓ About 170 LED message boards across Terminals A and D
- ✓ Fully automated vehicle guidance — gate and terminal assignments pushed from Smart Port platform without operator intervention
- ✓ Display content updates in real time as WIM weighing and ALPR data flows through the port management system
- ✓ In service since 2016, with DR replacement units supplied since 2022
Installation photos
From the field
Hardware
Products used in this project
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