Congratulations to Mott MacDonald, Verdantas and the Maritime Exchange for the Delaware River and Bay for being awarded the 2025 EBJ Business Achievement Award from the Environmental Business International, Inc. Environmental Business Journal (EBJ) in the Information Technology category for the Maritime Exchange for the Delaware River and Bay‘s (MEX) Data Gathering Initiative (DGI).
The DGI is a first‑of‑its‑kind, freely accessible geolocated database that brings together over 200 environmental and regulatory data sources for the Delaware River Estuary. Developed with partners ICI Innovations Incorporated, Normandeau Associates, Inc., and Hal Brundage, and funded by the NOAA: National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration National Marine Fisheries Service, the system helps applicants navigate the complex permitting landscape more efficiently and transparently, especially within Critical Habitat for Atlantic Sturgeon.
By centralizing information once dispersed across agencies, the DGI streamlines permit preparation, reduces costs and delays, and supports stronger environmental stewardship in this critically important waterway. The DGI centralizes data in the Delaware Estuary – biological, chemical, and physical attributes – and includes information to assist applicants in generating informed permit applications more efficiently.
An innovative approach to streamlining waterside permitting
The Maritime Exchange for the Delaware River and Bay (MEX) is a private, non-profit organization that has been supporting the maritime community for 150 years. Throughout this time, MEX has been involved in shipping and associated waterfront and port facilities, domestic and international trade, and more recently, regulated marine and waterfront construction.
Soon after the US Army Corps of Engineers deepened the Delaware River to 45 feet, many port and waterfront industries and businesses strategized to encourage access from the deeper federal channel to their riverside facilities.
Motivated by the increased complexity of obtaining permits after the Delaware River was identified as a “Critical Habitat” for Atlantic Sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus) in 2017, the MEX Private Berth Dredge Committee (PBDC) decided to hire regulatory and endangered species specialists to develop a geolocated database for the estuary. This database allows MEX members to help develop projects and ease the effort of obtaining permits for routine waterfront and ports projects within the Delaware River.
Database development for environmental compliance
Mott MacDonald, as prime consultant, assisted MEX’s PBDC in developing the Data Gathering Initiative (DGI) to streamline waterside construction and maintenance permit application and approval processes. Mott MacDonald designed database that would include biological, physical, and water quality information, aiming to geolocate this information with an accessible digital map so that site-specific information could be easily obtained. MEX applied for and received a grant from the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to fully fund the project.
Congratulations to the entire project team for developing an award winning data‑driven solution that enhances both infrastructure and ecological resilience.
Learn more about this trail blazing project here.