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Data and digital Peer-reviewed journal

Sharing data among port actors in Valencia

A prototype tested on container traffic at the Port of Valencia shows that port actors can share data while keeping control over it, and derive four operational indicators from it.

Seaport Data Space for Improving Logistic Maritime Operations — Sarabia-Jácome, D.; Palau, C.E.; Esteve, M. et al. · IEEE Access, vol. 8, pp. 4372-4382 (Special Section on Big Data Technology and Applications in Intelligent Transportation)

WhereValencia
Year2020
SourceIEEE Access, vol. 8, pp. 4372-4382 (Special Section on Big Data Technology and Applications in Intelligent Transportation)
Strength of methodMedium

The question

How can the actors in a port share data securely and interoperably while keeping control over their own data, overcoming the limits of EDI and Port Community Systems, and how can that data be turned into indicators useful for decision-making?

The method

Design and implementation of a 'Seaport Data Space' prototype based on the International/Industrial Data Spaces reference architecture (connectors on the FIWARE platform), integrated with an open-source Big Data architecture; validation at the Port of Valencia with three actors (the port authority with real-time AIS data, a container terminal with historical berth data, a shipping company) and calculation of four KPIs.

What the study finds

3 componentsunderpinning the proposed data spaceThe proposed data space rests on three components: connectors installed by each actor, an identity provider that authenticates participants, and a broker that records sources, data models and usage policies, so that data owners keep sovereignty over their data.
3 actorsfrom the Port of Valencia in the validationThe prototype was validated with three actors at the Port of Valencia: the port authority shared real-time vessel positions (AIS), the container terminal shared historical loading/unloading data, and the shipping company processed them.
4 indicatorsderived from the shared dataFour indicators were derived from the shared data: average berth occupancy time, weekly terminal occupancy, waiting time at anchorage, and estimated fuel consumption while waiting, displayed in a dashboard.
every 2 monthsseasonality of vessels' time at berthIn the test case, Saturday and August come out as the terminal's busiest day and month; the average time vessels spend at berth shows a rising trend and a seasonal pattern recurring every two months (p. 7).
  • According to the authors, the tools currently used for port data exchange (EDI and Port Community Systems) fall short on timeliness and accuracy, and operators hesitate to share data they regard as among their most valuable assets.
  • Knowing anchorage waiting times, the shipping company can ask its ships to slow down before arrival to save fuel: an example of how data shared by the port improves another actor's planning.
Why it matters for ports and cities

Through a prototype tested in Valencia, it shows that a port authority and operators can exchange data without losing control over it, an issue that often holds back collaboration. The use case is cargo, but the same approach could support sharing arrival and flow information among port, ship and city.

Limitations

A technical feasibility test with only three actors and two datasets, focused on container traffic; it does not quantitatively measure the stated benefits (lower transaction costs, information quality), nor does it address passengers or cruises.

Full reference and source

Sarabia-Jácome, D., Palau, C.E., Esteve, M., Boronat, F. (2020). Seaport Data Space for Improving Logistic Maritime Operations. IEEE Access, vol. 8, pp. 4372-4382 (Special Section on Big Data Technology and Applications in Intelligent Transportation).

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Summary written by the ODYBOAT Observatory in our own words. Tables and figures belong to the authors.