"Awake.AI assumes a high level of digital maturity with an overall score of 4.97. The score indicates that the digital capabilities of the company are vastly mature, and that they perform above average for the sector." - summarizes Next Generation IOT portal.
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Technology: Open Source software and/or hardware, Digital Twins, Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, Sensors and/or cameras, Satellites
Domain: Mobility & Transportation
Location: Finland
SDG Engagement: 9 Innovation and Infrastructure, 13 climate action, 17 partnerships for the goals
IoT Incentive
The incentive of Awake.AI to develop their IoT solution derives from the global ambition of transitioning logistics processes into more sustainable and intelligent ecosystems. For Awake.AI, the ambition is fueled by an aim to optimize logistics in the maritime industry for increased operational efficiency, cost savings and reducing emissions.
“Driving the digitalization in the maritime logistics field is the main goal.” - Jussi Poikonen, Co-founder and Vice President at Awake.AI
The IoT Solution
The solution offered by Awake.AI covers a collaborative software platform and its appertaining digital interface application called “Smart Port as a Service”. The solution relies on various data sources such as the AIS [1] and VTS [2] systems of the vessels and numerous IoT and camera sensors – some of them already deployed by the maritime operator for various purposes (e.g. weather data, water levels, air quality, pollutant gasses etc.) and some of them installed by Awake.AI as part of increasing coverage of the solution. The data is transmitted from the various sources via VHF [3] radio and internet connection to receivers, satellites and launch stations, from which it is passed on to Awake.AI’s cloud platform. However, for a range of specific services of the solution, a portion of the data is handled instantly by the devices at edge level.
The Awake.AI platform processes the collected data into information that creates holistic situational awareness throughout all areas of the logistics chain:
Vessel and sea voyage information: location, position, speed and ETA of vessel, and port status.
Port and berthing information: detailed plan for bringing a vessel to berth, including resource allocation. Forecasts and plans for port operations and efficient cargo discharging and loading.
Warehouse and storage information: forecasts and plans for optimal yard and storage usage, and monitoring of existing status.
Truck transport information: monitoring of land transport and cargo flow beyond port gate.
The Challenges of Maritime Logistics
In recent years, actors in global maritime logistics operations have been constantly required to adjust their strategies and establish digital competence to comply with increasingly stringent environmental regulations and performance requirements. However, today’s maritime logistics chain is characterized by the so-called 4×40 problem: vessels sail empty up to 40 % of their sailing time and spend up to 40 % of their time waiting in port. Solving these problems holds the potential to improve operational costs by up to 40 % and reduce global shipping emissions by more than 40 %.
“They are slowly realizing that they need to adopt into something new. But quite often they do not know what it is.” - Anssi Lappalainen, Senior Product Manager at Awake.AI
The identified cause of the 4×40 problem lies in a lack of transparency and poor communication and collaboration among the maritime logistics stakeholders. They are doing their planning and operations in silos and do not share information. A typical example of this is as follows:
When a vessel is arriving at port, the captain is responsible for informing the port about the Estimated Time of Arrival (ETA). This notice is usually given by phone or email up to 24 hours before arrival. Hence, the ETA notice reaches only one person at the port side, and the actual time of arrival may furthermore vary by several hours due to unfortunate weather conditions and other unforeseen circumstances. This causes a severe inefficiency challenge throughout the logistics chain, as none of the actors can plan operations more than 24 hours ahead, and if changes occur, they are rarely communicated. For port operators, it complicates navigation and coordination of traffic in the port, and for land operators such as trucking companies, it complicates planning of arrival times to come and pick up cargo from the vessel. Awake.AI’s approach to the problem is an open platform that allows the user to automatically monitor the timings of other maritime logistics actors without human estimations and actions, providing awareness about when the vessel is de facto arriving in the port.
“The maritime industry is so conventional and changes are rare. …They understand that digitalization is coming, but they do not understand what it requires.” - Anssi Lappalainen, Senior Product Manager at Awake.AI
Hence, it is essential for Awake.AI to inform the maritime actors about the value of sharing and digitalizing upcoming operations, as it benefits both individual and collective business, by enabling each actor to better plan their operations and thereby increase efficiency, save money and, at the same time, reduce CO2 emissions tremendously.
Learn more about Awake.AI's digital maturity, SDG goal engagement and best practice learnings on the Next Generation IoT portal.