A Big-Data-Analytics Framework for Supporting Logistics Problems in Smart-City Environments

Abstract Containers delivery management is a problem widely studied. Typically, it concerns the container movement on a truck from ships to factories or wholesalers and vice-versa. As there is an increasing interest in shipping goods by container, and that delivery points can be far from railways in various areas of interest, it is important to evaluate techniques for managing container transport that involves several days. The time horizon considered is a whole working week, rather than a single day as in classical drayage problems. Truck fleet management companies are typically interested in such optimization, as they plan how to match their truck to the incoming transportation order. This planning is a relevant both for strategical consideration and operational ones, as prices of transportation orders strictly depends on how they are fulfilled. It is worth noting that, from a mathematical point of view, this is an NP-Hard problem. In this paper, a Decision Support System for managing the tasks to be assigned to each truck of a fleet is presented, in order to optimize the number of transportation order fulfilled in a week. The proposed system implements a hybrid optimization algorithm capable of improving the performances typically presented in literature. The proposed heuristic implements an hybrid genetic algorithm that generate chains of consecutive orders that can be executed by a truck. Moreover, it uses an assignment algorithm based to evaluate the optimal solution on the selected order chains

Analysis of Impact of ICT Solutions in International Freight Management

The paper analyses a crucial problem in the international freight management and assesses the application of an innovative solution based on Information and Communication Technology (ICT) tools. In order to improve the customs clearance procedures, the paper analyses the main anomalies and bottlenecks related to international freight management of a case study by modelling the customs clearance activities in the Unified Modelling Language framework. Moreover, some novel ICT based solutions are proposed in order to optimize suited performance indices. The flow of goods and information involved in the case study is simulated in different scenarios in order to highlight the improvements reached by using ICT solutions. The simulation results point out the huge impact of ICT on customs clearance operations

A metamodelling approach for performance evaluation of intermodal transportation networks

The paper proposes a metamodelling procedure devoted to provide a reference model to be used by decision makers in the performance evaluation of Intermodal Transportation Network (ITN). In order to obtain a generic model describing a nonspecific ITN from the structural and behavioural point of view, the metamodelling approach consists in applying a top down and modular procedure. The model is specified by the well known Unified Modelling Language (UML), a graphic and textual modelling formalism intended to describe systems from structural and dynamics viewpoints. Hence, the paper models a generic ITN starting from the network description and shows by a case study the metamodel of one of the most important nodes that compose it: the port subsystem. Moreover, the case study model is translated in a simulation software and the performance measures obtained by the simulation results are shown

Performance assessment for intermodal transportation systems: A case study

Abstract: This paper proposes a methodology to evaluate an Intermodal Transportation System (ITS). These systems are very complex and a lot of different actors are involved. The evaluation process should take into account concurrent needs and goals. Moreover, the data and the importance of different indicators are strictly related to the judgments of individual experts. Then it is necessary to have a methodology able to collect all the independent judgments and merge them in order to evaluate the whole system performances. The paper proposes a general methodology based on the Analytic Hierarchy Process to evaluate the behavior of the ITS system. Moreover, the hierarchy including the typical factors that compose a logistic system has been identified. In order to show the effectiveness of the proposed methodology, we present a real case study consisting of the port of Trieste (Italy), the intermodal terminal and the highway connecting them. Several Key Performance Indicators are evaluated to provide assessment procedure

A flexible platform for intermodal transportation and integrated logistics

This paper proposes an application of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) tools and Internet of Things to support intermodal transport and integrated logistics. In particular, the design and development of a new ICT platform is presented in order to facilitate the connectivity of the logistics systems, applications or objects from stakeholders to any logistics collaborative environment. The proposed platform aims to i) provide technological solutions to enhance and simplify collaboration among actors along the supply chain; ii) adopt and provide core functionalities to improve, optimise and automate transport and logistics operations within supply collaborations; iii) simplify information exchange within an integrated security framework. Finally, we show a case study in order to enlighten the effectiveness of the proposed ICT platform

Actors interactions and needs in the European electromobility network

The standardization of services in the European electromobility network is becoming one of the main goal of researchers and practitioners. In this context, the objective of the paper is proposing a general view of the main needs and functions of the involved actors and stakeholders, and to state their interactions within the electromobility network. In particular, actors and stakeholders are grouped in so called macro-areas, and the interoperability and cooperation at both macro-areas and actors levels are provided by means of Unified Modeling Language (UML) diagrams

A classification of DEA models when the internal structure of the Decision Making Units is considered

We classify the contributions of DEA literature assessing Decision Making Units (DMUs) whose internal structure is known. Starting from an elementary framework, we define the main research areas as shared flow, multilevel and network models, depending on the assumptions they are subject to. For each model category, the principal mathematical formulations are introduced along with their main variants, extensions and applications. We also discuss the results of aggregating efficiency measures and of considering DMUs as submitted to a central authority that imposes constraints or targets on them. A common feature among the several models is that the efficiency evaluation of the DMU depends on the efficiency values of its subunits thereby increasing the discrimination power of DEA methodology with respect to the black box approach

Smart Cruise Destination: an innovative network governance framework

In a period of economic, environmental and resource crisis, the flow management in the port city region allows the passage from an uncontrolled growth to a circular and sustainable development. The port-city relations have historically been a complex system and this became even more evident with the introduction of information and communication technologies (ICTs). This paper expands on the current debate by focusing on an innovative soft category of intervention, aimed at rebalancing the port-city relation connected to the boom of cruise tourism. In this context, the paper firstly focuses on the need to change perspective due to the globalisation and technological development in the port-city relations. Secondly, a set of good practices to rebalance the relations between cities and cruise ports are collected. Finally, a Smart Cruise Destination concept is proposed, based on the evolution of the smart tourism destination, with the aim of emphasizing the residents\u2019 wellbeing and tourist vacation enjoyment. The main contribution of this paper is the introduction in this context of a Decision Support Systems (DSS) devoted to the above-mentioned issues. The proposed framework consists of a combination of distributed knowledge and data that can give stakeholders the opportunity to base all decisions concerning policies, infrastructure development and managing system on sound and rational basis