Common communication and navigation platforms for pan-European logistics applications
Specific challenge: Today, new international and intermodal repositories and data pipelines are being created, management systems are deployed and new data mining capabilities are being developed to deal with the data flood needed for logistics decision making. Unfortunately, these data uses involve different information systems, different user requirements, different business models and different deployment trajectories. This constitutes an obstacle for the deployment of pan-European logistics solutions.
The challenge is to develop architectures and open systems for information sharing and valorisation, connecting key stakeholders with information and expertise enabling exploitation on the basis of trusted business agreements and with the relevant authorities (transport authorities and customs being the most eloquent player, but there are also other authorities in relation to health, safety, etc.). These architectures and systems need to accommodate feedback loops that allow for deviation management and corrective and preventive action (CAPA).
Scope:The work should focus on solutions to enable actors to take fast and well-informed decisions inside and cross-companies. This implies that information with the right quality, reliability and content is made available to concerned actors and shared between them even in difficult conditions such as ship-to-shore and ship-to-ship communication. The work will develop an open system and architecture that facilitates real time information exchange and co-operation between agents in the network. It will facilitate collaboration and give good confidence that a significant number of cases of horizontal shipper collaboration can be established within the horizon of the project and have a high expectation of continuance after the project ends.
Proposals should cover the development and integration of several or all of the following issues:
Mobile communications for secured information exchange among actors (users, service providers, operators, communities) paying particular attention to the role of the driver and the vehicle as part of the vehicle to infrastructure architecture.
Secure, resilient and trusted communications and information storage and processing including adequate information delivery infrastructures for future customs, other controlling authorities and international transport & trade.
Provision of position and spatial information regarding goods on the move through European GNSS applications, RFID and 3G/4G (and future network development) services.
Web-based open platforms to enable information exchange across suppliers, manufacturers, logistics providers and retailers without necessitating costly interfaces.
Technical and organisational guidelines for data and information system governance, technical aspects of IT solutions, business models and processes
Deployment roadmaps for the application of collaborative systems and services—the legal and business outstanding aspects of such collaborations will be fully assessed and recommendations made as to how to split the costs of collaboration and make it attractive for users to buy into the proposed collaborative system.
Operational and business models that include the participation of SMEs in the voluntary sharing of data and participation in collaborative business services.
The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of between EUR 16 to 18 million each would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.
Expected impact: Cloud-based data and services infrastructure, underpinned by common information models, will give all logistic stakeholders opportunities to collaborate on both an operational and strategic level. The creation of an architecture for logistics information sharing and valorisation will speed up the formation of a single logistics information space in Europe, that is accessible for the transport sector, its users and, in addition, public authorities.
Once deployed, the platform for pan-European logistics application is expected to reduce energy consumption and thus greenhouse gas emissions of the supported supply chains by at least 30% compared to the current situation.
Type of action: Research and Innovation Actions