From a stopover in Les Glénan to artificial intelligence
When 3 young engineers, also passionate yachtsmen, find themselves on a stopover together in the Glénan archipelago in Brittany, they not only enjoy the anchorage, but also observe their surroundings. This observation gave birth to Opti'Sea, as Samuel Chevallier, who co-founded the company with Laura Le Du and Sylvain Desancé, explains: "All 3 of us in Les Glénan saw how difficult it is to manage a remote port area, with an agent still knocking on the hull. We shared the constant together. We then took a tour of the ports, interviewed people, took stock and came up with Artificial Intelligence applied to vision as a solution for ports. Laura, a doctoral student in innovation who has worked for large companies such as Renault, brings her ability to stand back and look at the market. Sylvain, an electronics engineer, has a highly technical outlook with experience as a design office manager, and for my part, I was a plant manager and have the experience of always looking for optimization."
Collect port data automatically, with a single tool
In 2020, development will begin with the Port-la-Forêt teams. Using a camera, Opti'Sea is able to collect a wealth of data, without the need to call on agents, who can then devote more time to boaters. Samuel Chevallier explains: "These cameras are actually more like sensors, as there is no video recording. All images are processed locally and only selected data is sent, to comply with the law. A specialized lawyer accompanies us, while the data remains the property of the port. A camera at the harbor exit can identify boats, their type and size, as well as their speed. We can also analyze slipways. This data is collected 24 hours a day, adding considerable value. It's a tool that can be upgraded without changing equipment, and that doesn't depend on any third party."
The Opti'Sea system has now been trained in existing ports, making the solution operational from the moment it is installed. After one to two months, all levels of functionality are deployed. Data is hosted in France.
Analysis for a better port strategy
But once the data has been collected, it needs to be processed and put to good use. And that's exactly what Opti'Sea does. Its founder explains: "We sell a service. We are able to design the best possible services associated with the use of data, which will be different on an isolated island or in a port on the Brittany coast. We process the data to feed it back into business software and provide strategic analysis support for ports. We position educational radars, provide information on berth occupancy, and keep a constant watch on boat departures. For example, we were able to confirm to the CROSS the return to port of a boat reported lost. By measuring the number of people using a slipway, we can provide the information directly on the port's website, so that boaters can choose the least busy slipway. The potential for exploitation is immense, which is why we support harbors in the analysis and creation of suitable indicators."
Officially created in 2021, the company has now deployed its solution in 4 ports in the Atlantic, Mediterranean and Overseas, and is working on the Channel sector. With recruitment underway, Opti'Sea is accelerating its growth.
