As the industry works to improve digital connectivity and real-time racking and traceability the availability of a commercially agnostic standard that defines the boundaries of operation is an asset with great value. As the delegates at Intermodal Europe in Rotterdam discovered, such a standard is available, from an international industry representative body, for free.
A global standard of geofencing could be a valuable asset for shipping interests worldwide, but only if that system is standardised and commercially neutral. That’s the concept behind the Global Container Geofence Library, currently being championed by the Bureau International des Containers (BIC), the international standards organisation for the container industry.
A standard reference tool
The concept of geofencing has been introduced previously. It is the basis of location services such as GPS, smart containers and even the hardware within the ubiquitous smartphone. A combination of technologies, from satellites to pocket-held accelerometers, provide very accurate geographical positioning, anywhere on the face of the planet, down to centimetres of accuracy.
There is value throughout the supply chain in combining that collection of latitude and longitude information. Collating those data points together creates a geofence around any terminal or depot, allowing those devices to apply context to their position. That can be as valuable as confirming an entry or exit at a facility for example.
Unified interpretation
The Global Container Geofence Library enforces quality by running each geofence submission past a review panel, adhering to the UN/CEFACT Geofence whitepaper criteria for geofences in the supply chain. The outcome is a highly reliable and trustworthy boundary for any terminal, depot or quayside in the world.
“If we all drew our own geofence of the Port of Rotterdam port, we would all come up with a slightly different interpretation,” says David Roff, from UK-based CIF Consulting, who is supporting the BIC in the rollout of the Geofence Library. David was speaking at the conference session of Intermodal Europe 2024, in Rotterdam (13 November). The concept behind the Library is to provide a standard reference tool, available to the whole logistics industry worldwide, that’s current and relevant, and easily updated by any user, from the facility owner, shipping line or a truck driver. In other words, it’s a tool that provides surety over place and when combined with the position, and legitimacy of a load, wherever it may be.
Reliability and precision, for free
The project is a collaboration with the Ship Message Design Group (SMDG), allowing a single library to handle both BIC Facility Coded depots and ocean terminals coded by SMDG. The combined total of approved geofences hit the 1600 mark this November, thanks to review calls conducted by volunteer industry experts each week. “A library is great, and standardisation is great,” says David Roff. Neither though is of any use if no one is using them.” Adoption, says David, is a task of communication, and encouraging the industry to take up what is, essentially, a free tool that enhances business accountability and reliability. Hapag-Lloyd, CMA CGM, and Evergreen are all on board as early adopters.
Michael Schroeder Project Manager, e-solutions for Hapag-Lloyd and a board member of SMD, explained several of the practical applications that can be made of a standardised, neutral – and, critically, reliable – Geofence Library. Schroeder cited automated container events, improved ETAs and automated vessel schedule updates – all made possible by combining AIS or smart container position data with the API-accessible Geofences provided by the library.