Work Packages

WP No

Work Package Title
                                                                            

Lead Partner

Start month

End month
WP1

Project Management

UNITS

     1    48
WP2

Requirements Analysis

TEO

     1    10
WP3

Development of Decision Support System (DSS)

KIC

     4    30
WP4

Development of the Discrete Event Simulation (DES)

UNITS

    17    30 
WP5

Test of the algorithms and tools in case studies

TEO

    21    32
WP6

Integration and evaluation of the prototype tools in the overall ICT platform

TEO

    27     36 

  

WP1 - Project Managament

Description

WP1 is the Project Management Workpackage, which will last for the whole duration of the project.
The objective of this Workpackage is to guarantee that:
• the transfer of knowledge programme is carried out according to the time schedule and budget established
• the objectives are efficiently achieved
• an effective co-ordinated structure is created and maintained
• the project is managed according to the contract between the SAIL consortium and the EC, maintaining a continuous link with the EC overall legal, contractual, ethical, financial and administrative issues of the project.
 

 

WP2 - Requirements Analysis

Description

WP2 is related with Requirements Analysis, which will be dedicated to define the SAIL tool characteristics, the competence required for the researchers to be involved in the project and it will define the recruitment process among the partners. WP2 has to be considered as preparatory actions before starting the real R&D and ToK activities.

Progress status

The package  was rescheduled to start on M4 and end on M13. TEO, as responsible partner, issued the deliverable D2.1. “Requirements evaluation” which contains a detailed analysis of the logistic flows of the SAIL case study, a description of the critical issues and the description of the technical and user requirements. The deliverable D2.2 “ToK and staff exchange plans finalized” containing a new concrete secondment and detailed ToK plan has been prepared along with the R&D roadmap that was issued at the end of M13.

Main results

The importance of this Workpackge is related to the following WPs, as it sets out the basis for the activities to be performed in the project. So main results are:
• description of the case study of the project related to the truck and containers flows between the Port of Trieste and the intermodal terminal of Fernetti operating as a dry-port area;
• identification of the requirements of the SAIL system;
• the skills required within the collaboration.
In a single sentence, the main result of the WP2 is the laying of solid foundations for the following activities.

Deliverables

D2.1: Requirements evaluation

D2.2: ToK and staff exchange plans finalized

 

 

WP3 - Development of Decision Support System (DES)

Description

WP3 is related with the Development of the DSS System, with the overall purpose to improve the overall qualitative and quantitative performance of the intermodal port management.
The DSS is focused on the means of transport and not on the goods that they are transporting. There are several problems to take into account, e.g., the assignment of available resources and the scheduling of the activities. The system is composed by many actors and there are different and limited resources.

Progress status

In WP3 "Decision Support System" KIC realized a thorough investigation of the existing and offering approaches of model-based DSS in the logistic field; these models can range from a set of mathematical expressions to abstract simulation models which allow to accurately specify a system through the use of logically complex, and often non-algebraic, variables and constraints. An expert knowledge approach is also identified as of potential use based on fuzzy reasoning. The focus of the analysis of the logistic chain is based on the case study of the port of Trieste of which the complexity is increased by the existing  dry-port in conjunction with the port. The DSS is focused on the means of transport and not on the goods that they are transporting. There are several problems to take into account, e.g., the assignment of available resources and the scheduling of the activities. The logistic problems identified for this test case involve strategic, tactical and operational levels. The whole final Deliverable D3.1, "The Decision Support System", is expected at month 30 and it will describe all these achieved results.

Main results

Advanced modelling approaches were investigated, proposed, tested and implemented for the Decision Support System. There are introduced novel optimization techniques to increase the effectiveness of the DSS.

Deliverables

D3.1: The Decision Support System

 

 

WP4 - Development of Descrete Event Simulation (DES)

Description

In WP4, models of the logistic system involving the two terminals, port and dry port, are developed.
These models represent the structure of the system including activities of the actors and the available resources. For these reasons the system is modeled as a Discrete Event System whose dynamics depends on the interaction of discrete events, such as demands, departures and arrivals of transporters at facilities, acquisitions and releases of resources by vehicles, blockages of operations. Since the task of the model is a simulation study, the Unified Modelling Language (UML) formalism is used to describe the various viewpoints of the system: static (describing the different type of objects in the considered system), functional and dynamic (describing the activities of each object with the relative relation of precedence, synchronization, cooperation, timing). Indeed, UML is defined as a graphic and textual modelling formalism intended to understand the needs and to specify the system. The DES system will have inputs on real scenario (synergies with the SlimTruck project will allow that) concerning the activities that have to be performed and the available resources and also from the DSS developed in WP3. The main outputs of this system will be the assessment of various solutions provided by the DSS.

Progress status

In WP4 "Development of the Discrete Event Simulation", UNITS conducted a deep investigation of the state of the art and identified the main components of the system under study. In particular UNITS identified the main events occurring during the transportation system affecting its behaviour in order to control and improve it. The main components of the system are identified: the port area, the inland port area, the road connection system and the input from the rail network system. Furthermore there was previously interviewed the stakeholders involved in the process, so all the necessary data  to model the duration and relations between the processes in the system are collected. In more detail, two different configurations of the system are considered, the first one for the containers and second one for the trucks. In the port of Trieste, there is a great traffic of trucks directed to Turkey through a Ro-Ro service, which is very peculiar and represents a real consolidated traffic that make  us to make some important consideration of possible future scenarios. Actually UNITS is finalising a simulation model in the ARENA environment based on the collected data, this model will be useful in order to identify all the weakness of the system in particular bottlenecks and resources utilization, that will be described in detail in Deliverable D4.1, "The Discrete Event Simulation System" that is going to be delivered at month 30.

Main results

The reference model of the intermodal logistic system under study is defined on the basis of the development of UML diagrams. The simulation model is defined and implemented in the Arena environment. An architectural solution is proposed foreseeing a set of Arena servers to execute the simulations and a Web Service solution is implemented to trigger new simulations.

Deliverables

D4.1: The Discrete Event Simulation System 

 

WP5 - Test of the algorithms and tools in case studies

Description

WP5 is the Test of Algorithms and Tools in Case Studies Work Package, where the efforts are addressed to evaluate the accuracy, the reliability and the security of all algorithms and components of the SAIL systems. Further evaluations will then dedicated to the integrated ICT platform in WP6.

Progress status

The activities of WP5 "Test of the algorithms and tools in the case studies" have recently started  under the TEO supervision with the data acquisition and testing of the algorithms for DSS.  The next step is the concluding of WP5 activities and the focus of the project will be in WP6 "Integration and Evaluation of Prototype Tools in the ICT" under the responsibility of TEO and dealing respectively with evaluation of the algorithms and components proposed in the previous WPs and with the test and the integration of the developed prototype tools in experimental scenarios.

Main results

The main result achieved so far is the evidence of the overall good behaviour of the system. This leads us to foresee that no major design changes will be needed.

Deliverables

D5.1: Test of tools and algorithms 

 

 

WP6 - Integration and evaluation of the prototype tools in the overall ICT platform

Description

WP6 is the Integration and Evaluation of Prototype Tools in the ICT Platform Work Package. It will include the overall integration of the prototype tools developed in the second phase of the work flow and their overall performance evaluation. After defining experimental scenarios and evaluation criteria, the robustness and the accuracy of the integrated SAIL system will be tested. This process will assure that the final result system will be a reliable tool for the logistic chain of port and dry port management.

Progress status

Activities to start.

Deliverables

D6.1: The SAIL integrated ICT platform