INTRODUCTION

Modern container terminals are dynamic environments where every second counts. With cargo arriving, departing, and being continuously shuffled around the yard, operations teams face a multi-dimensional puzzle:

• What is the yard layout (physical & organizational)?

• What cargo is in my yard?

• What is the utilization of my facilities?

• What happens with my cargo?

At its core, yard operations must track cargo movement accurately and in real time. Traditionally, this meant managing a static list of cargo and the corresponding physical positions they occupied. However, the reality is far more complex. By tracking these dimensions both as static snapshots and as incremental updates, terminals can optimize operations, reduce bottlenecks, and improve the overall flow of cargo. In today’s fast-paced environment, it’s not merely about knowing what is in the yard; it’s about understanding the journey of every container, at every moment.

From a conceptual standpoint, a comprehensive understanding of the terminal’s internal environment - beyond the yard alone - is essential. This includes precise knowledge of its contents, spatial organization, and utilization. Analyzing space usage requires considering not only the physical arrangement - what is positioned above, below, and adjacent - but also all relevant spatial attributes that define its structure. Moreover, it is crucial to account for the dynamic aspects of the terminal, encompassing the processes and activities occurring within and around it. A holistic understanding of the terminal’s composition, spatial efficiency, and operational dynamics is fundamental to optimizing space utilization.

This document outlines a structured approach to developing a comprehensive digital representation of the terminal. It introduces the concepts and tools necessary for accurately capturing the internal state of the yard from physical storage and handling positions to the complete journey of each container. In doing so, it also explains how TIC4.0 standards can drive improvements in yard data management, paving the way for future research and operational enhancements.

Yard Digital Representation

The concept of Yard Digital Representation forms the cornerstone of our initiative. Think of it as a living ledger that encompasses not only the physical placement of cargo, the description of each position in the terminal, but also the journey each container is on. In other words, it models the internal state, the actual “inventory”, of the yard/terminal as the system under consideration.

This digital model is structured along two dimensions:

• Accounting or Cargo-Centric View or “What is inside my yard?”
  A list of each cargo item that tracks all relevant meta data of every piece, like the cargo itself, its cargo visit, its origin, its intended destination, and its current status as well as other relevant meta data.

• Facility or Position-Centric View or “What cargo is in my yard?”
  A detailed map of the physical layout, shape, and space of the yard inventory that outlines each available or occupied position in the yard, whether a fixed container slot or a transient position. It can contain information about the container’s content as well as the information related to the position. The data model is versatile enough to represent both operational and non-operational assets of the yard.

In the remainder of this document, we address the digital representation by providing detailed definitions for each view (cargo-centric, position-centric, and operation-centric), linking to existing TIC 4.0 definitions for further elaboration, and outlining our future endeavors for elements that are not yet fully defined or understood. We will then delve into the technical aspects required to manage this digital model, i.e., covering both the storage of individual snapshots and the methods for incrementally traversing between them.

PROBLEM

Terminals operate within a finite spatial environment, yet the demand for space is inherently unbounded. Increased container volumes, extended dwell times, and evolving operational requirements can quickly lead to capacity constraints, impacting efficiency and throughput. To address this challenge, it is essential to implement strategies that optimize space utilization, streamline operations, and enhance forecasting capabilities. A data-driven approach that integrates real-time monitoring, predictive analytics, and operational best practices can enable terminals to proactively manage space constraints, improve efficiency, and adapt to fluctuating demand. By leveraging advanced spatial management solutions, terminals can achieve greater flexibility, minimize congestion, and enhance overall performance.

SOLUTION

To effectively optimize terminal space utilization, operations, and forecasting, a structured approach is required—one that integrates spatial awareness, real-time inventory tracking, and dynamic representation of the yard. This can be achieved through a three-tiered framework comprising the following components:

1. Facility Component – Yard Layout (YL)
   The Yard Layout represents the terminal’s physical and logical structure, defining its spatial configuration and operational zones. This includes the layout of storage blocks, lanes, stacking areas, and access routes, ensuring a clear understanding of how space is designated and utilized. By maintaining an up-to-date yard layout, terminals can enhance planning, streamline movement flows, and optimize container placement strategies.

2. Asset Tracking Component – Yard Inventory (YI)
   The Yard Inventory provides a comprehensive record of all assets present within the yard at any given time. This includes detailed tracking of container locations, types, and dwell times, as well as any additional equipment or resources occupying space. Accurate inventory management is essential for efficient terminal operations, as it enables real-time decision-making, minimizes space wastage, and supports predictive capacity planning.

3. Integrated Component – Yard Snapshot (YS)
   The Yard Snapshot serves as a unified digital representation of the terminal by combining the Yard Layout and Yard Inventory at a specific moment in time. This integration allows for a holistic view of terminal operations, enabling real-time monitoring, performance analysis, and data-driven decision-making. A well-maintained Yard Snapshot enhances situational awareness, supports automation, and provides a foundation for predictive analytics, ultimately improving space optimization and operational efficiency.

By implementing this structured approach, terminals can achieve greater control over their physical and operational environment, improving efficiency, adaptability, and scalability in response to growing demands.

DEFINITIONS

GENERAL DEFINITIONS:

1. A Terminal is facility destined for the loading, unloading, transshipment and dwelling of cargo. Terminals are not limited to port terminals: any inland terminal can qualify as a terminal as well.

2. A Yard is an area (often inside a container terminal or rail terminal) used for storing and stacking containers before loading or after discharge from a ship, train, or truck.

SUB-DEFINITIONS:

2. Position: is the basic element (subject) of a yard and represents the space that could be occupied by an object.

3. Yard Layout: is the yard definition of the physical space (refer to the definitions of “location” and “logical” = Location Logical definition. Usually defined by a GIS (Geographical Information System). Each position in the terminal can be described as a logical location with specific attributes. These attributes can be represented as layers in a GIS system. For special cases such as flat-rack bundles, 45-feet containers or other special cases, special objects might be needed.

4. The yard layout can change (configuration changes over time), through the use of mobile platforms (chassis, crane platforms, temporary storage areas, CHE, etc.) or barriers (for example, for renovation works).

5. Yard Inventory: is a list of subjects that are inside the yard. Subjects can be anything that stays inside the yard, usually cargo, equipment and facilities (e.g., a reefer rack).

6. Yard Snapshot: is the digital representation of the yard layout with the yard inventory and all related information regarding the subjects and objects of the yard, for a specific timestamp.

7. Yard Actual Inventory*: is the latest yard inventory available, it reflects the “actual” inventory (it does not have to be in real-time). It is registered with a period of validation ranging from the starttimestamp to endtimestamp that usually is represented (timestamp) at the beginning (start). It does not have to be in real-time, but contains the latest update that registered any change in the yard, e.g. most-up-to-date yard after last moved container.

8. Yard Actual POSITIONAL Snapshot*: is the latest snapshot available, it reflects the actual snapshot (realtime snapshot).

*NOTE: Inventory vs. Snapshot:

Inventory: A list of the contents in the yard, including their specifications and location information.

Snapshot: The inventory plus the layout of the yard at that specific time. Perspective of the yard layout at that time. It can be used in many aspects.

“Asset Tracking” Part - YARD Inventory [YI]

Objective: Identify what is in the yard.

This represents an inventory of all yard contents, including:

• Cargo

• Roads

• Buildings

• Bollards

• Container Handling Equipment

• Container Management Equipment (e.g., reefer slot, casting basin, gates…)

• Light Poles

• Other physical structures (e.g., reefer racks)

Data Considerations:

• Data should be structured as an enriched list of items.

• Empty slots are not included in this inventory.

The cargo-centric view has as it’s subject a cargo instance (Cargo 2021.003).

Each cargo instance points to a location instance (LocationLocation). Locations can be

• Logical (Logical), e.g., given by their name

• Physical, e.g., given as coordinate (Coordinate)

• Technical? (https://tic40.atlassian.net/l/c/gVZ06Cs0https://tic40.atlassian.net/l/c/gVZ06Cs0 ), e.g., as location within CHE

“Facility” Part - YARD Layout [YL] (yard from a location logical perspective)

Objective: Define how is the yard, the structure, geometric shape and naming for each “position” as in Location of the yard.

• Logical Locations (Logical ) form the basis of the YARD Layout.

• Provides a layered representation of all occupied positions of the yard.

• GIS (and UTM or other system’s coordinates) serves as a representative digital model of the shape, size and Location of the yard.

• Locations aren’t only static, since they can depend on operational assets that can move (e.g., platform, temporary storage chassis/racks, STS, spreader, etc.) or change depending on, for example, maintenance activities in the yard (e.g., temporary closing a section due to renovations).

• Logical Locations can be traced.

• Logical LocationsLocation can be activated/deactivated, allowing the same physical space to serve different logical positions. They have a defined “SPACE” for cargo, which is currently expressed in TEU and can be “0”.

Data Considerations

As space we denote a piece of space that can fit, encompass, contain, carry a cargo instance (Cargo 2023.009 ), e.g. ground slot in a stack, a reefer thing, truck chassis or trailer, spreader of a STS crane or straddle carrier. Space can by definition be static or dynamic.

Each space instance (SPACE) points to a location instance (Location). Locations can be

• Logical (Logical), e.g., given by their name

• Physical, e.g., given as coordinate (Coordinate)

• Technical? (https://tic40.atlassian.net/l/c/gVZ06Cs0 ), e.g., as location within CHE

“Integrated“ Part - YARD-Snapshot [YS]

Objective: Provide a data representation of the yard at a specific timestamp.

The YARD-Snapshot (YS) combines YARD (as in “Facility”) Layout (YL) with YARD (as in “Cargo”) Inventory (YI) at a defined moment in time (timestamp).

Time-related snapshots serve to form a timeseries-compatible database.

• Each YS is assigned a unique ID related to its generation time.

• Snapshots enable historical data analysis and trend tracking (timeseries).

Remarks

The frequency of snapshots (T) impacts database efficiency:

• Smaller T reduces required updates between snapshots.

• Smaller T increases snapshot generation frequency.

• Cost-benefit analysis is necessary to determine optimal T values.

Balancing computing power and data accuracy is a challenging task at container terminals. While frequent data snapshots enhance precision, they also introduce substantial storage and processing costs. A single snapshot can exceed 100MB, and capturing them every 50 milliseconds rapidly generates massive datasets, straining storage infrastructure and retrieval efficiency. While advanced compression techniques mitigate some challenges, the trade-off remains: optimizing computational performance without overwhelming storage resources requires strategic decisions on data granularity, retention policies, and real-time processing capabilities to ensure a sustainable return on investment.

Snapshot common filters

1. YARD-Actual [Y-A]

   • Represents the latest yard snapshot up to the actual timestamp.

   • Includes only completed moves.

   • Reflects changes finalized since the last snapshot.

2. YARD-In Progress [Y-IP]

   • Represents ongoing yard activities at the actual timestamp.

   • Includes only not completed movements.

   • May include:

     • Planned Cargo Moves

     • Dispatched Cargo Moves

     • Orders Dispatched to Actors

By structuring yard data management into these three distinct components, we create a robust and scalable system capable of driving efficiency and optimization in yard operations.

OUTLOOK

The future of yard data management will focus on the integration of automation, AI, and IoT to enhance efficiency and real-time tracking. Advanced technologies will enable better cargo flow prediction, space utilization, and dynamic adaptations to shifting demands.

The concept of "smart yards" will become more prevalent, with digital twins and predictive simulations helping optimize operations. Blockchain technology may also streamline cargo documentation and improve data security.

Interoperability across systems and stakeholders will be key to ensuring seamless communication within the supply chain. As technology advances, yard management will become more agile, efficient, and data-driven, driving improved productivity and cost savings.

Roadmap

The Task Force agreed on a roadmap to achieve a small demonstrator use casee

1. Definitions, starting with the “Yard” definition

2. Layout

3. Inventory list (how to define what is inside the layout)

4. Position (content and characteristics)

5. json message (human readable)

6. Compressed message (efficient format) to achieve more efficiency in data transmission

The following table is a list of definitions the Task Force has identified as key to achieve digital yard inventory representations in the TIC4.0 language: