gangway
Enable an AI agent to recognise a gangway, record its access function and operating limits, and determine whether its current configuration supports an intended crossing.
Bundle → Layer → Finding → Questions Filled
5 bundles · 9 layers · 15 findings · 26 questions
Crossing identity Establishes which physical access arrangements count as gangways and what crossing each arrangement serves.
Gangway boundary
Distinguishes the boarding bridge from adjacent access structures.
Boarding bridge test
Record whether the object supplies a pedestrian crossing between distinct landing points and how local terminology separates it from ladders, ramps and aisles.
- Does gangway here mean a boarding bridge, an internal passage or another physical arrangement? definition
- Which features distinguish this arrangement from an accommodation ladder, passenger boarding bridge or vehicle ramp? boundary
Served crossing
Identifies the access points and intended pedestrian traffic.
Landing and user context
Describe both landing environments and the users or carried items the crossing is intended to accommodate.
- What types of landing does the gangway connect, and which can move during use? boundary
- Which users, mobility aids and carried loads are included in its documented intended use? definition
Span and landing engagement Captures the geometry and support conditions that make a continuous crossing possible.
Crossing geometry
Records the deployed walking route and its limits.
Usable route envelope
Keep actual span, clear width, slope and transition dimensions separate from their permitted ranges.
- What are the deployed span, narrowest clear width, slope and end-transition gaps or steps? measurement
- Which documented limits apply to this configuration and intended crossing use? provenance
Support and motion
Describes attachment, bearing and accommodation of endpoint displacement.
Retained end engagement
Record how each end is supported or restrained and what movement can occur without losing engagement or imposing an unsupported constraint.
- How is each end attached or supported, and what minimum engagement must be maintained? definition
- What endpoint translation and rotation can this configuration accommodate? measurement
- What observed movement or loss of engagement requires closing the crossing? action
Pedestrian passage and loading Connects pedestrian movement, walking-surface protection and structural loading to the intended crossing.
Walking route protection
Examines the deck, edge protection and transitions as a continuous pedestrian route.
Continuous traversable route
Record surface traction, obstructions, guard continuity and transition features, including their suitability for intended users.
- Where do the deck, handrails, guards or landing transitions have defects, interruptions or obstructions? measurement
- Under which surface and transition conditions must passage be restricted or closed? action
Crossing load limits
Relates permitted loading to deployment and traffic assumptions.
Configuration-specific capacity
Record applicable load ratings and any separate occupancy or traffic restrictions for the deployed arrangement.
- What total, distributed and concentrated load limits are documented for the current span and support arrangement? measurement
- What evidence establishes any occupancy, passing or carried-equipment restrictions? provenance
Deployment and serviceability Governs transitions between stowage, deployment, crossing use and withdrawal using condition and operating evidence.
Deployment controls
Identifies mechanisms, securing arrangements and conditions for changing access state.
Controlled access transition
Record how the gangway is positioned, secured and opened, including relevant locks, controls and interruption behaviour where fitted.
- Which positioning, securing and access-control checks precede opening this gangway? action
- How does the deployment mechanism behave on loss of power or control, where applicable? definition
- Which adjustments are permitted while people are crossing? action
Condition and return to use
Connects inspection evidence and operating exposure to continued availability.
Serviceability evidence
Record checks of load-bearing members, deck, pins, hinges, rollers, attachments and fitted actuation equipment against applicable acceptance criteria.
- Which inspection records and manufacturer or applicable authority criteria support the current serviceability assessment? provenance
- Which defects, impacts, overloads or environmental exposures trigger closure and reassessment? action
- What inspection, repair or functional verification is required before reopening after a restriction? action
Evidence and external alignment What the world already says about this thing, gathered so the model can be checked against it.
Reported evidence
Findings from the breadth pass, kept separate from the structural claims.
Check these first
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Which of these check these first hold for the sense of gangway this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Kinds and varieties
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Which of these kinds and varieties hold for the sense of gangway this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Standards and regulation
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Which of these standards and regulation hold for the sense of gangway this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Real-world use
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Which of these real-world use hold for the sense of gangway this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Failure modes and hazards
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Which of these failure modes and hazards hold for the sense of gangway this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Regional variation
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Which of these regional variation hold for the sense of gangway this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Neighbouring kinds and how to tell them apart
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Which of these neighbouring kinds and how to tell them apart hold for the sense of gangway this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Classifiers Filled
- Family
- Thing Registry
- Category
- Physical world and living systems
- Entry kind
- thing
- Plane
- PHY
- Domain
- PHY.OBJ
What it is Filled
A gangway is a fixed or movable walkway or bridge that provides pedestrian passage across a gap, especially between a vessel and shore or between vessels.
In scope
- Portable, fixed, hinged, telescopic and articulated pedestrian boarding bridges
- Walking surface, supporting structure, handrails, guards and end transitions
- Connections, supports and restraints at both landing points
- Deployment geometry and accommodation of relative endpoint movement
- Rated use, inspection condition and availability for crossing
Out of scope
- The vessel, quay, offshore installation or building served by the gangway
- Internal aisles and circulation passages unless the registry explicitly includes that meaning
- General-purpose bridges whose primary role is route continuity rather than boarding access
- Vehicle loading ramps and cargo transfer equipment
- Passenger processing, security clearance and boarding operations
- Product catalogues and individual gangway asset records as separate registered kinds
Why it exists Filled
Enable an AI agent to recognise a gangway, record its access function and operating limits, and determine whether its current configuration supports an intended crossing.
Distinguishing features Filled
- Provides a supported walking route across a separation between access points, rather than merely marking an aisle within an existing floor.
- Has identifiable landing interfaces whose support, attachment and alignment affect whether the crossing is usable.
- Serves pedestrian boarding or transfer; a primarily vehicle-bearing loading surface belongs to a ramp model unless a combined-use boundary is established.
- A ladder is distinguished by rung-based climbing; sloping or stepped gangway variants require an explicit boundary with accommodation ladders.
- Portable and articulated variants form a usable crossing only when deployed with suitable endpoint engagement and geometry.
What robots and AI may and may not do Filled
Must not
- Allow boarding by a gangway that is unsecured, damaged or without required safety netting.
- Let people board a vessel without the master's or terminal's authorization.
- Overload a gangway beyond its rated capacity.
- Move or remove a gangway while people are on it.
Only with a human decision
- Rigging, removing or approving a gangway for use.
- Refusing boarding to a person in a dispute or emergency.
May
- Inspect a gangway for secure rigging, handrails, safety net and lighting and report defects to the officer on duty.
- Log who boards and leaves a vessel by the gangway when authorized to keep the record.
- Warn people about tide, swell or vessel movement that makes the gangway unsafe.
Moral aspects Filled
- Falls between ship and quay can kill or seriously injure people.
- Access control at the gangway protects crews and passengers from intruders.
Who is affected
- Crew and passengers
- Dock workers
- Visitors
Owners Filled
Steward
The master of the vessel or the terminal operator that provides it.
Links to other meta-models Filled
parent
- Q15688633 - registry parent class
- Q15844302 - registry parent class
What else AI and robots need to interact with it Filled
Identity and identifiers required Filled
- Vercy registry: vr.tr.gangway
- Wikidata: Q1807489 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1807489)
Direct properties required Filled
- Access setting: ship-to-shore | vessel-to-vessel | offshore transfer | other documented setting
- Deployment mechanism: fixed | manually placed | hinged | telescopic | articulated | documented combination
- Usable crossing geometry: clear width and deployed span in m; slope in degrees; transition gaps and steps in mm
- Permitted loading: documented total and concentrated load in kN; distributed load in kN/m² where specified; occupancy in persons where specified
- Endpoint engagement: each end linked to its landing, support, attachment, bearing overlap and permitted movement
- Relative movement envelope: permitted translation in m and rotation in degrees, with rate limits where documented
- Crossing protection condition: walking surface, edge protection and end transitions each assessed as serviceable | defective | unverified
- Access state: stowed | deploying | deployed and closed | open for crossing | withdrawing | out of service
- Actuation and loss-of-power behaviour: manual | gravity-assisted | electric | hydraulic | other; documented hold, stop or recovery behaviour
Recognition required Filled
- A narrow walkway or ladder with handrails bridging a ship and a quay or another vessel.
- Often has a safety net slung beneath and a wheel or roller at the shore end.
Capabilities and actions required Filled
- Match a proposed crossing to the gangway's documented span, slope, width and landing requirements.
- Check endpoint engagement and movement allowance before opening pedestrian access.
- Identify whether an intended user, mobility aid or carried load fits the documented passage and loading limits.
- Select deployment, adjustment or withdrawal actions from the applicable operating procedure.
- Restrict access when defects, endpoint movement or environmental conditions invalidate the operating limits.
- Request inspection or maintenance evidence before returning the gangway to service.
Hazards and failure modes required Filled
- Tide and swell can shift or detach a gangway and throw people into the gap.
- Wet or icy treads cause slips and falls.
Standards and interfaces required Filled
- International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS), International Maritime Organization, which sets requirements for means of embarkation and disembarkation.
Context of use required Filled
- A gangway provides pedestrian access between a watercraft and a quay, pontoon or another vessel.
- It is used during boarding, disembarkation and vessel servicing where a gap or height difference prevents direct passage.
- Its suitability depends on the vessel's movement, water level and the needs of the people crossing.
Sources Filled
- Wikidata item Q1807489: gangway - identity and sense of the item
- Wikipedia: Gangway (nautical) - general description of the item
Open questions
- Does vr.tr.gangway identify a maritime boarding bridge specifically, or does it also include internal passages and other boarding structures?
- Which existing registry entries or world models own accommodation ladders, passenger boarding bridges and motion-compensated offshore gangways, and where should their boundaries fall?
- Which standards, issuing bodies and inspection requirements apply to each confirmed setting and jurisdiction?
- What source-backed geometry, load and movement ranges distinguish the relevant gangway variants without implying universal limits?
- Which accessibility provisions and operating restrictions apply to mobility aids, assisted passage and changing endpoint elevations?
Machine files
Provenance
thing registry research (pass 2) · unreviewed
Built from: models/things/publications/thing-q1807489/spec.json