SMART Planning Requires Smart Modeling: Getting the Most Value for Your Ship Simulation Dollar

In 2012 the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) implemented “SMART” planning for conducting civil works feasibility studies for water resources development projects. Prior to the implementation of SMART planning, ship simulation was normally conducted as part of the feasibility portion of the project. SMART planning implementation moved the ship simulation effort into the pre-construction engineering and design (PED) phase of the project, primarily based on considerations for time and cost associated with the ship simulation effort. The implementation of SMART planning, and the associated delay of the ship simulation effort until the PED phase, has inadvertently resulted in pertinent decisions regarding channel layout being made prior to the benefit of expert analysis of piloted simulations. To address needs specific to feasibility studies in the SMART planning era, the USACE Engineering Research and Development Center (ERDC) developed the feasibility level screening simulation program (FLSSP). The FLSSP consists of low-resolution ship simulation modeling and a very limited testing program with pilots. The FLSSP approach was first implemented for the Long Beach, CA, project, with great success. This paper will outline the approach used, including environmental modeling considerations, to conduct FLSSP and provide the relevant project delivery team (PDT) with project guidance during the feasibility phase of navigation improvement studies.