Awake.AI has announced the launch of Smart Port as a Service, an integral component of the open and collaborative Awake Platform, which applies artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) methods.
It works as a web application that allows to interact and collaborate with other actors in real time, aiming to drive the digital transformation in maritime logistics and spearhead the creation of a smart port ecosystem.
The company hopes the service will enable a reduction in shipping emissions, a lower cost of transport and port calls and more accurate estimated time of arrival (ETA) predictions.
Other potential advantages include near future port call forecasts to enable better planning, real-time shared communication channels between actors and the transparent and fast sharing of port operations for all actors.
Karno Tenovuo, CEO of Awake.AI, said: “Port digitalisation and development requires close collaboration with stakeholders not only within the maritime sector, but all parties in the extensive logistic chain.
“Our central role as orchestrator of this ecosystem means that we make sure the ecosystem is built around trust between all its partners.”
The Port of Rotterdam has chosen Awake.AI as its smart port development partner, in an effort to enable smart ships to call at Port of Rotterdam by developing data standards, APIs, datasets, cloud services and simulating scenarios before physical world smarter ships arrive.
Currently, ships and other maritime actors are using repetitive manual processes to communicate such as emails, phones and even faxes, noted a statement from Awake.AI, leading to a lack of transparency and inefficiency.
This means that stakeholders and actors in the port rely on time-consuming speculation to support their decision making, making it prone to errors, it added.
With this in mind, the beta version of Smart Port as a Service aims to introduce ‘revolutions’ in AI, messaging, mapping and security, while a further ‘revolution’ in smart planning is ‘around the corner’. Port authorities are eligible for the early adopters’ free trial version of the platform.
A variety of machine learning models are used in software development for example data cleaning, filtering, structuring, preprocessing and automated data labeling.
These models for vessels and operations schedule predictions, resource tracking using computer vision, and business analytics based on large-scale datasets.
The Awake platform is embedded with Smart Messaging capability, allowing context (user role, time, location) aware information sharing between port call actors, while automated bots generate messages like port call state changes and deviations.
Jussi Poikonen from Awake.AI, noted: “With the solution we developed, the port actors gain situational awareness of their port area utilisation, which allows them to identify manufacturers using the port area as a short-term warehouse and to better predict potential capacity problems.”
Sami Kaksonen, vice president of sales and marketing at Awake.AI, stated: “People do not realise that even though the vessels would be fully automated and capable of manoeuvering overseas, there has to be a legal and technological infrastructure in place shoreside in order to make commercialisation viable.
“Awake.AI is focusing on enabling and accelerating the adoption of the ‘’digital handshakes’’ and communications between different maritime logistics actors, and not just ships.”
