Internet of Things Technology Promotes Port Container Multimodal Transport

Through real-time monitoring, intelligent scheduling and other means, the Internet of Things technology has significantly improved the efficiency and accuracy of multimodal transport of port containers, and promoted the logistics industry to move towards intelligence and efficiency.

Recently, according to the latest Internet of Things news in China, port container multimodal transport, as an important part of the modern logistics system, is a multimodal transport organization model that uses containers as standardized transport units and integrates the advantages of multiple transport methods such as sea, rail, and road to achieve the goal of optimizing the overall transportation of goods.

Building a port container multimodal transport system and accelerating the development of port container multimodal transport can reduce corporate logistics and transportation costs, and play a key role in improving the competitiveness of corporate supply chains.

With the advantages of real-time, intelligent, and efficient, Internet of Things technology can improve the original logistics and transportation environment and make the logistics and transportation process more controllable and safe. Improve the transparency of container multimodal transport process.

Installing GPS positioning equipment on the container can obtain the real-time positioning of the container through the mobile network, greatly improving the controllability of cargo transportation. At the same time, according to the content of the cargo, corresponding temperature and humidity sensors are installed inside the container to improve the safety of cargo transportation. Improve the transportation efficiency of container multimodal transport.

The use of Internet of Things technology can collect a large amount of relevant information about containers and assist logistics companies in optimizing and adjusting the transportation routes of goods. In addition, the real-time tracking and monitoring functions can also detect problems in time, reduce the loss rate of cargo transportation, and bring higher economic benefits to logistics companies.

Create a good multimodal transport environment and clarify the application specifications of IoT technology. After all, IoT technology is an emerging technology, and local governments and logistics entities should work together.

Local governments should base themselves on the current market environment and domestic actual situation of the container multimodal transport industry, give full play to their functional advantages, and put forward clear technical standards and application specifications; port operators and logistics companies should start from the industry, and on the basis of national policies, put forward application specifications and requirements of IoT technology in container multimodal transport, and create a harmonious and open port container multimodal transport environment.

Improve the physical facilities related to the Internet of Things and lay a solid foundation for the application of IoT technology. The application of IoT technology is inseparable from the corresponding physical facilities, mainly including efficient data transportation networks and corresponding intelligent terminals. Due to the complex process of port container multimodal transport, the corresponding data transportation network needs to cover multiple transportation nodes such as ports, railways, and roads at the same time.

In this regard, operators of each transportation node can use 5G networks, formulate network security-related measures, and protect the information security of goods. At key transport nodes and containers, logistics companies should be equipped with relatively advanced sensor equipment to monitor the temperature, humidity, inclination, vibration and other conditions inside the container. At the same time, logistics companies should also consider cost issues and maximize profits on the basis of ensuring the cutting-edge technology.

Intelligent management of multimodal transport information and give full play to the application advantages of Internet of Things technology. One of the characteristics of Internet of Things technology is intelligence, which is mainly reflected in the use of digital intelligence technology to manage relevant information of port containers. Logistics companies can use wireless radio frequency identification (RFID) technology to mark and track goods in containers. After installing RFID tags on containers, RFID readers can be used to remotely read the goods in the container and upload their relevant information to the network, so that cargo owners and logistics companies can check the real-time status of the container in time.

Use big data analysis technology to deeply mine and analyze the data collected during the entire transportation process, such as the route selection and transportation time of container transportation, to find the real problems in the process of container multimodal transportation and optimize the container transportation route; use big data analysis technology to evaluate the efficiency and cost of various transportation combinations, so as to ensure the optimality of the selected transportation route.

Establish a unified information sharing platform to enhance the integration capabilities of container intermodal transportation. Different logistics participants, such as port managers, logistics companies, and cargo owners, can establish a unified information sharing platform and use the Internet of Things technology to collect relevant information into the information sharing platform, integrate the information between “cargo, ship, vehicle, and port”, and facilitate the timely acquisition of relevant information by multiple participants in container transportation.
In addition, since port container multimodal transport requires the conversion of transportation modes, the Internet of Things technology and information sharing platform can be used to make transshipment and transshipment plans in advance to reduce transit costs; use the Internet of Things technology to set up an intelligent distribution system to strengthen the service and control of the “last mile” of container transportation.
For example, the container multimodal transport comprehensive information service platform based on the space-based Internet of Things uses intelligent terminals to track and monitor the transportation process of port containers throughout the process, and stores various data resources in the data resource layer, and then provides comprehensive container multimodal transport services to multiple participants such as cargo owners and carriers through the application service layer.
Strengthen container transportation data encryption and improve the security of Internet of Things technology applications. In the process of using Internet of Things technology to build a port container multimodal transport system, a large amount of data is involved, and data security issues are highlighted. In this regard, each logistics company should set up a professional technical team and use more advanced encryption algorithms to encrypt important data to improve data security. For example, the cold chain logistics of pharmaceuticals uses “double-blind logistics” to effectively isolate cargo data from logistics big data, thereby speeding up delivery speed and transportation quality.

The logistics industry should also unite to build a complete network security system and regularly detect and repair potential security vulnerabilities. In addition, common data security technologies also include access control technology, digital signature technology, identity authentication technology, etc. For the multimodal transport process of port containers, each logistics entity can establish an emergency response mechanism based on real-time collected weather data, traffic data, etc. to avoid unnecessary losses.

For example, when typhoon weather is predicted during the port transportation stage, the transportation route can be replanned in time to minimize losses.

Flexibly use the Internet of Things transportation technology to promote the refined development of multimodal transport. Generally speaking, the Internet of Things technology of the port container multimodal transport system consists of three parts, namely information identification and perception technology, information transmission and exchange technology, and information comprehensive utilization technology. From the perspective of information identification and perception technology, GPS technology can be combined with GIS technology to conduct visual geographic information query in the logistics information system, and automatically determine the central station and substation near the customer’s location; from the perspective of information transmission and storage, electronic data interchange (EDI) technology can be introduced to realize automatic transmission and automatic processing of information, speed up the transmission speed of logistics data, and improve work efficiency; from the perspective of comprehensive information utilization technology, database technology should be applied to establish a reasonable data model for the logistics information system, and artificial intelligence technology should be introduced to make decision-making more scientific and reasonable.

In addition, according to the specific port container multimodal transport system, narrowband Internet of Things technologies such as NB-IoT can also be introduced to effectively reduce the power consumption and cost of multimodal transport, and promote the future sustainable development of Internet of Things technology in the port container multimodal transport system.

Improve the existing container design scheme and promote the widespread application of Internet of Things technology. To build a port container multimodal transport system using Internet of Things technology, we must not only work hard from the perspective of Internet of Things technology, but also optimize the design of the container itself. For example, the structure of the container can be optimized by using topology optimization or finite element method to highlight the flexible characteristics of the container; the manufacturing accuracy of the container can be further optimized by using advanced manufacturing processes such as 3D printing and thermoforming.

Based on the Internet of Things technology, we develop sensors, monitoring equipment, data transmission equipment, etc. suitable for containers, and apply them to the entire cargo transportation process to speed up the process of clarifying the transportation method, category and other information of the cargo in the container.

In addition, in the process of multimodal transport of port containers, since it is necessary to transform to railways and roads, the design of containers can be further improved according to specific circumstances. For example, input specific path conditions, cargo characteristics, cargo unloading sequence and other information into the artificial intelligence software to generate the most reasonable container connection plan and modify the support structure at any time.

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