1.   Introduction

The publication TIC4.0 2024.012 covers the following topics:

• Publication “Starting a real-time digital twin”: A piece on how TIC4.0 can help in the adoption of digital twins by helping in areas like container handling equipment positioning (CHE) and sensor information collection that, in turn, enable the creation of stable databases to power a real-time Digital Twin.

• “FOR-FREIGHT” and “SEAMLESS” Projects: TIC4.0 is actively participating in two “Horizon Europe” projects: “FOR-FREIGHT” and “SEAMLESS”. In “Horizon Europe”, the latest iteration of the Research Framework Programme of the European Union, companies form consortiums to tackle research topics aligned with EU policies. TIC4.0’s participation in these projects with its expertise in standardisation brings benefits for the association: firstly, it projects the association towards the EU innovation network, and, secondly, it helps define and explore new topics to create new TIC4.0 content.

• Reefer definitions: New definitions for “Ventilation”, “Ambient” and a table of equivalences between Reefer Monitoring Systems and TIC4.0 have been developed.

“Starting a real-time digital twin”:

To initiate a digital twin for a container terminal, it's crucial to define the scope, complexity, and desired outcomes. The process should include integrating sensory data into a centralized database, supplemented with GPS positions of container handling equipment (CHE), and adhering to TIC4.0 standards. Starting with a limited number of CHEs and focusing on straightforward models, such as travel-time analysis, is advisable. Active stakeholder engagement and clear communication are essential for identifying and documenting use cases, which need to be assessed for technical complexity and potential benefits. Employing tools like cost-benefit analysis can assist in this evaluation, ensuring the digital twin's development aligns with TIC4.0 guidelines.

“FOR-FREIGHT” Project:

The FOR-FREIGHT Project, backed by Horizon Europe, aims to create a platform for planning and evaluating intermodal transport solutions. Running for 40 months from September 2022 with a €9 million budget, it includes 18 partners from eight Member States. Key goals include developing a digital platform for intermodal transport planning, real-time door-to-door tracking using IoT sensors, adopting Digital Twin solutions for resource optimization, and increasing sustainability with a carbon assessment framework. The project will test solutions through real-world trials in Spain, Greece, and Romania. TIC4.0's contributions include leading standardization efforts, developing the Data Management Plan, and ensuring the integration of TIC4.0 standards into project outcomes. Through this project, TIC4.0 will benefit by disseminating its standardization expertise, expanding its data model to cover new transportation modes, testing and implementing its standards in real-world scenarios, and accessing the broad European innovation ecosystem for further collaboration opportunities. Significant progress has been made with the platform's trial version and defining use cases, with field trials and platform validation set to begin soon.

“SEAMLESS” Project

The SEAMLESS project, funded by the European Union's Horizon Europe program, aims to develop an automated, cost-effective, and resilient waterborne freight feeder loop service. By participating in this project, TIC4.0 will significantly benefit from the opportunity to implement and showcase its standards in an international setting, increasing its visibility and perception as a leading standardization association. The project will validate and enhance TIC4.0’s data model through real-world demonstrations, identifying gaps and areas for expansion. Additionally, TIC4.0 will explore compatibility with platforms like ModalNET, further demonstrating the potential of its data model to integrate with existing systems. Overall, SEAMLESS provides TIC4.0 with a valuable platform to advance its technological and operational standards, strengthening its role in the logistics and transportation industry.

2.   Data Model

For the digital formatting of the semantic and Dataset we need a Data Model to structure the data and a Data Schema to define the details of the content, such as the validity of the format, the type of data (Boolean, entire, real etc.), which data is mandatory or could be omitted etc.

The Dataset has been defined based upon the RDF Resource Description Framework using the subject->predicate->object schema.

Following the semantic web standard (subject: object) the model has 3 main components: header, asset description and measurement.

Open

SUBJECT creates the hierarchy tree structure (we have sub-subjects) that helps to identify the boundary of the value. The hierarchy is fixed by TIC4.0 for each kind of subject (CHE, TOS, Terminal) and can mix any type of subjects (e.g. machine.process = che.move). The subjects conform to an array defined by the (concept) metadata so various identical subjects but with different metadata (id or name or location or…) can be sent in the same message. (one message with several CHE's or one CHE with several spreaders).

The CONCEPT's metadata defines ‘what is’ and the CONCEPT ‘what does’. Both are flat (no hierarchy, no arrays) and as many as necessary can be used. Additionally, two concepts can be combined with ‘and’ or ‘or’ creating a new concept which includes the condition that makes both true. For e.g. ‘hoisting_and_trolleying’ that represents the action of hoisting and trolleying at the same time (both statuses must be true).

OBSERVED PROPERTIES define the ‘magnitude’ of the CONCEPT, are flat (no hierarchy) and can be used as many times as necessary with a CONCEPT.

For each OBSERVED PROPERTY, an array created by the combination of the different POINT OF MEASUREMENTs in time (actual, estimated, etc), place (input, iinput, ioutput, output), timestamps and the different Units will give an array (a list) of VALUEs. The array could be if necessary in each message. The length will depend on the relation between the data frequency and the message frequency and also the amount of different POINT OF MEASUREMENTs that need to be represented.

A detailed definition of the Data Model can be found in Data Model.

The Dataset is the content of the Data Model, a flat version without hierarchy or rules. The Dataset is used by humans, but machines need the Data Model and the Data Schema to translate it to a digital format. 

3.  Generic Documentation

In this release, the following generic documents and information are available:

4.  Definitions

The following definitions have been created or modified in this 2024.012 publication:

4.1 Reefer