Maritime regulation in the Venice Lagoon: analysis and optimisation of the Port Authority’s web platform for navigational regulation

The Lagoon of Venice is a delicate and dynamic ecosystem that must be preserved, not only for its environmental value, but also for its historical, cultural and economic importance. Among the many risk factors, maritime traffic has a significant impact on the equilibrium of the lagoon and therefore requires the adoption of an effective regulatory system that reconciles the operational needs of the port with environmental protection. The Coast Guard and, in particular, the Port Authority of Venice, as a competent body on the territory, are responsible for monitoring maritime activities in the Lagoon of Venice. Together, they deal with ship traffic management, with the aim of ensuring safe navigation, environmental protection and long-term operational stability. This is achieved through a series of ordinances and official notices that govern navigation routes and maritime access. These ordinances are published on the official website of the Coast Guard, which thanks to recent updates now allows users to filter ordinances by area of competence and visually identify the topics and zones involved. This thesis first evaluates the advantages of the recently updated Coast Guard platform. It then explores potential improvements to the system to promote a more efficient and data-driven approach to maritime traffic management within the Venice Lagoon. The main objective of this thesis is the integration of AIS (Automatic Identification System) data to improve the platform with dynamic information on ship traffic and the use of artificial intelligence to automatically interpret and structure the content of maritime ordinances.