DELIVERABLE 3.2: Manual for the Freight Transport Services

Transcription

1 Capitalization projects 2012 Priority-Objective 3-1 Axe 3: Improvement of mobility and of territorial accessibility Objective 3.1: Improvement of maritime accessibility and of transit capacities through multimodality and intermodality OPTIMIZEMED OPTIMIZING AND PROFITING BEST PRACTICES IN THE MED AREA ON FOREIGN TRADE, INTERMODAL TRANSPORT AND MARITIME SAFETY Work Package 3 Phase 3.2 OPTIMIZE-MED e-platform establishment and development DELIVERABLE 3.2: Manual for the Freight Transport Services Deliverable prepared and coordinated by: University of the Aegean Version of the document: September

2 Table of contents 1 General Description of the Freight Transport Services Introduction Freight Transport Services users and their roles Technical architecture General Description of the Freight Transport Services 7 2 Maritime Services sub- system Front-end Interface Back-end interface 12 3 Freight Transport Planner sub-system Front-end Interface Shipper/Forwarder seeks Carrier(s) Shipper to Forwarder Back-end Interface Forwarder operations Carrier operations Administrator operations 45 4 Definitions and Terminology 52 2

3 Preface: How to use this manual It is highly recommended that you go through these introductory paragraphs before reading the manual pages. This section provides a clear description of the manual design and usage, and serves as a guide for smooth and comprehensive navigation through the content. Manual pages are organized in four chapters, namely: 1. General description of the Freight Transport Services (users, architecture etc) 2. Presentation of the Maritime Services sub-system 3. Presentation of the Freight Transport Planner sub-system 4. Definitions and terminology Chapter 1 describes the system s design and implementation. All general information, including the system s purpose and the target group that this system is addressed to are presented in this section. The system users and their interaction with the system and the technical architecture of the service are also included. This chapter concludes with ageneral description of the sub-system s overall functionality After a first approach of the subsystems, Chapters 2 and 3 provide a virtual walk-through for the front-end and the back-end interfaces respectively. The associated functionality is described at each step, where system screenshots are used to illustrate the system widgets and their purpose at each step of interaction. Section 2 includes the information concerning the Maritime Services, whereas section 3 presents the Freight Transport Planner sub-system. Finally Chapter 4 presents a list of precise definitions for all concepts and terminology used herein. It serves as a quick reference so as to secure that all content is clear and well understood. 3

4 1 General Description of the Freight Transport Services 1.1 Introduction One of the main services provided by the OPTIMIZEMED e-platform is the Freight Transport Services. This services comprises of software tools used for the planning of transport chains on strategic and operational level, linking the platforms implemented by the BACKGROUNDS and TRANSIT projects, in a unified version. The scope of this transport planning web system is to combine the strongest parts of both existing planning services so to become a robust and complete tool that will provide all the mandatory supporting tools in order to guide the user on the stage of planning, quoting and booking a transportation of cargo between an origin and a destination in the Mediterranean area, used in both strategic (initial planning) and operational (quoting, booking) phases of the transportation chain. This tool supports a wide range of different stakeholders namely regional decision makers, port operators, consignees, local producers, shippers, shipping agencies, carriers and forwarders to the wider public by providing to them the ability to evaluate the optimum routes (in terms of cost and time), to create forecasts and scenarios for the assessment of potential new sea routes throughout the Mediteranean basin, to quote and book a transportation trip for their cargo and to have a clear view of the the existing road/ rail and maritime network in Mediterannean area. Figure 1.1, the target group of the OPTIMIZEMED Freight Transport Services 4

5 1.2 Freight Transport Services users and their roles Each ICT system includes various users with different objectives and roles within the Supply Chain (in physical and/or informational level). This section describes the categories of users and their interaction with the Freight Transport Services services part of the platform. The users of the system are divided in two main categories, namely the front-end users and the backend users. The concept of front-end and back-end corresponds to the way the users access the system, where the front-end is freely available to anyone (demand-side), whereas the back-end is a password protected zone for companies providing transportation services (supply-side) and system administrators. Front-end users are demand-side companies representing port operator/terminal-operator, consignee, local producer and the wider public that intend to use the system to search for transport services from an origin to a given destination, wishing to assess alternatives via the provided service of the Platform or plan and book, a shipment. The users are mainly manufacturers, or other business companies, that need intermodal transportation for their cargo, or freight forwarders in need of a carrier company to integrate their transportation route. Front-end users need no log-in authentication, as they are using the public domain. However, the booking interface requires a relevant identification key (booking-id) so as to provide secure data disclosure. Back-end users are supply-side companies providing transportation services. These users are mainly transport and logistics stakeholders such as freight forwarder, shipping agent, carrier, port terminal operator, rail terminal operator). They have private authentication credentials (user-name and password) through which they can view, edit, and update only their personal data. These personal data include their scheduled transportation legs in detail, with specified mode of transport, cost, and duration. Supply-side companies may also submit, via the back-end system, their offers for relevant demand-side requests, as well as to update the status of their shipments in progress (arrived/departed/delayed). As mentioned previously, back-end users include also the System administrator who is responsible for the upkeep, configuration, and reliable operation of this web tool, seeking to ensure that the uptime, performance, resources, and security of the Freight Transport Services meet the needs of the front-end users. The System administrator may have access to the back-end with their own username and password credentials as well as to all back-end data. In this way the admin can supervise interactions between users, edit/delete supply-side companies data, and provide system maintenance and support when needed. The administrator is also expected to update/modify system variables, such as numeric parameters for the route finding algorithm, or fixed values for costs etc. 5

6 1.3 Technical architecture Delivering it's initial goal, the Freight Transport Services tool creates an open, globally accessible and complete set of information services able to support the planning of the intermodal transport services. It will be developed with the technical architecture in the below figure. This n-tiered architecture can be divided into three layers: Presentation layer, Business layer and Data layer. Figure 1.2, the Design Architecture of the Freight Transport Services Presentation layer: The presentation layer is responsible for accepting user input and rendering the user interface that is returned from web server. User Interface is defined by various ASP.NET controls such as pages, server rand user controls and AJAX, JavaScript, JQuery technologies are used for client scripting. The application consists of a series of forms (pages) with which the user interacts. Two types of components that implement forms-based user interfaces are: User interface components and User interface process components. 6

7 Business layer: The business layer implements the core functionality of the system and encapsulates the relevant business logic. Freight Transport Services tool is structured around the concepts of business processes and business components. Many business processes involve multiple steps that must be performed in the correct order. Business workflow components define and coordinate long running, multistep business processes, and can be implemented using business process management tools. Data Layer: Data layer provides access to data that is hosted within the boundaries of the Freight Transport Services module. Data access components in this layer are responsible for exposing the data stored in databases to the business layer. The following is the summary of key point relating technologies present in technical solution: ASP.NET controls are used for user interface. AJAX, JavaScript & JQuery technologies are used for client-scripting. Google API for mapping users interfaces. C# is the main programming language for the implementation of the Transport /Chain Planning services Platform. The Database used for this implementation is the SQL Server. ArcGIS Server is being used for the processing of geographical data. This section is an overview of system, and includes the system s purpose, top level modeling, and usage description. 1.4 General Description of the Freight Transport Services The Freight Transport Services is a transport planning tool emanated from the platforms and services of the BACKGROUNDS and TRANSIT projects. This transport planning tool consists of two main subsystems, namely Maritime services and Freight Transport Planner. Figure 1.3, The sub-systems of the Freight Transport Services The subsystem Maritime Services provides information about the available maritime routes of Mediterranean ports that are defined as part of the Core Network in MED territories and in parallel playing a key role in global trade and transport markets by the means of cumulative goods and passenger traffic (The reference area of the OPTIMIZEMED project) and key characteristics of the 7

8 connections (trip distance, frequency, total travel time, shipping companies operating on each route, indicative characteristics of vessels), providing in parallel a visualized option of each of these services. Furthermore, the service provides useful information on port s operational details and port s IT profile. By selecting the respective port, the user has the opportunity to find details on the type of the port (provided services), on terminal and nautical services and on public institutions operating within the port area. The subsystem Freight Transport Planner provides infromation for shipment planning and booking. The sub-system is focused on identifying environmental-friendly and more secure transportation routes, favoring the ones with less CO 2 emissions, and less overall cost. A set of genuine techniques are integrated in the system for the calculation of additional costs associated with CO 2 emissions, while risk metrics (in terms of cost and time) are introduced for the calculation of extra costs and delays due to uncertainty. Based on the intermodal hub and spoke model, the system considers two transportation networks according to the type of transport requested by the user. These are: Accompanied RoRo-RoLa (Intermodal transport): This case includes ports supporting RoRo/ferries or rail stations for RoLa service. Unaccompanied (Multimodal transport): This case includes hubs that can manage containers (i.e. container terminals). The system is built around three scenarios of user interactions, which are: Case 1 Shipper seeks Forwarders: In this case, the demand side user (i.e. shipper) seeks and collects offers by forwarders. Forwarders are providing the cost, duration and details of the trip and the shipper uses the system to determine the most preferable offer with regard to various criteria, including cost, trip duration, risk and environmental impacts. Case 2 - Shipper Carriers: In this case, shippers plan the transportation of their load without the use of intermediaries (i.e. forwarders). For that reason, they request offers from multiple carriers, each of which usually supports a single leg (link) of the full trip. The system takes into consideration inter-hub handling times (i.e. unloading/loading time) as well as userdefined earliest pick-up time and latest delivery time, and generates solutions based on carriers offers. The shipper may determine the most preferable offer with regard to various criteria, including cost, trip duration, risk (in terms of cost and time) and environmental impacts. Case 3 - Forwarders Carriers: This case is identical with Case 2. The only difference is that the demand side user is now a freight forwarder, who requests offers from carriers. This scenario applies to freight forwarders that want to provide an offer to a request sent by a customer of theirs (e.g. a shipper). For all three cases, the system provides a booking module utility so as the involved parties can communicate and book a transportation route. 8

9 2 Maritime Services sub- system 2.1 Front-end Interface This section is a walkthrough for the scenario that a front-end user (regional decision makers, port operators, consignees, local producers, shippers, shipping agencies, carriers, forwarders or wider public) seeks for the available maritime routes. All steps of searching are illustrated with screenshots that point out all widgets discussed in the text content. The user chooses the option Maritime services Figure 2.1, Selection of the sub-system of the Freight Transport Services To get started, the user selects an origin & a destination port from the dropdown list and then click the 'Find' button Figure 2.2, Selection of origin and destination port 9

10 After clicking the Find button, a new combobox is presented to the user. This box contains all the available routes that satisfy the origin and destination ports selections. The routes displayed not necessarily begin from the origin port and terminate at the destination port. They include the selected ports in their port sequence and of course in that sequence, the origin port is prior to the destination port. Figure 2.3, Selection of route By selecting a specific route, the details of this route are being displayed. There is a map on the right side of the user interface and the ports that are included in the route are displayed on that map. The intermediate route rotation from the selected origin - destination ports is being represented by the visualization engine with a standard line. The other parts of the specific trip selected are being represented with a thinner line. On the left side, there is a table that contains the exact sequence of the ports included in the selected route. The selected port names are painted in red, while all the other ports in the trip rotation are displayed in gray. In case that the route is a combination of two lines, the trashipment port is painted in green colour. At the table there is a column that contains a zoom icon for each row (which represents a segment of the trip). By clicking on it, the map zooms to the two ports that are involved in the specific segment of the trip. Below that table there are the key characteristics of the route namely that are available specifically for that route and specifically: Distance between ports Trip frequency Total trip time Total trip distance Company name Web Links of the company Data sources Last update of the provided information The user can interact with the map (click on ports, on routes etc) in order to receive additional information about the trip that is presented and has the opportunity to activate/disactivate the display trip rotation and the indicative route. 10

11 Figure 2.4, Visualization of the results of the maritime services Furthermore, by clicking on the respective port, the system opens a new window, containing information and details on the port, namely: Picture or logo of the port The official website of the port Provided services Technical and nautical services Public Institutions operating at the port ITS Projects that the port participated in the past Figure 2.5, Port s operational details and port s IT profile 11

12 2.2 Back-end interface This section describes the back-end operations that can be accessed through the platform administration panel. The user first needs to login via the optimizemed admin/backend website and then click the associated link to access the pillar2 - Strategic planning backend pages. The back-end users have unlimited access to the maritime services data that are being used and presented by the corresponding front-end services. Data Import and export operations are being carried out in a predefined standard excel (xls) format. The following figure shows an overview of the admin panel. Figure 2.6, Admin panel for the data update The data import procedure consists of three steps: In step one, the user has to download the data input template file. This file contains the mandatory fields and their relevant description and should be filled out by the user with all the available information about the maritime services. Figure 2.7 is an overview of an excel file containing sample maritime services data. Figure 2.7, Excel template for the maritime services data 12

13 In step two, the completed excel file that has been downloaded and filled out with the necessary data should be selected in order to be uploaded to the system. Step three acts as an extra security step by requesting the user to enter the correct captcha code. The system parses the uploaded file and checks it for any syntax errors. In case the file contains no errors, it is considered to be valid and thus the system initializes the creation of an automated informative and sends it to the platform administrators. This notification contains information about the user that uploaded the data, the date the operation took place and other relevant information. The administrators then should examine the validity of the data uploaded and give their permission to the system to put the data online. This extra step is taking place for security reasons, in order to prevent possible data corruption and/or loss. In case the uploaded file contains syntax errors, it is considered invalid and the system immediately informs the user and abandons the import procedure. The data export panel provides an interface to the maritime services data currently in use by the system. The user can directly download the available data by clicking on the corresponding link. Figure 2.8, Snapshot of the data export panel. 13

14 3 Freight Transport Planner sub-system 3.1 Front-end Interface This section is a walkthrough for the scenario that a front-end user (regional decision makers, port operators, consignees, local producers, shippers, shipping agencies, carriers, forwarders or wider public) seeks for planning, quoting and booking a transportation of cargo between an origin and a destination in the Mediterranean area, used in both strategic (initial planning) and operational (quoting, booking) phases of the transportation chain. The first step of this subsystem is the strategic planning, where the user is able to: Identify available transport services Choose between unimodal/multimodal modes of transport Have a visual view of the trip through the GIS tool The user chooses the option Freight Transport Planner Figure 3.1, Selection of the sub-system Freight Transport Planner The user provides the core details concerning the trip. Specifically, the user sets the origin of cargo by selecting the country and the prefecture from a dropdown list containing the countries that are included in the project study area. As regards the prefectures, there are considered only these that belong to the Catchment Area of the ports of the core network. In the selection of the destination point, the user can either select from the dropdown list, in the same way as in the selection of the origin, or click on the map 14

15 Figure 3.2, Selection of origin and destination points The user selects the mode of transport between the options unimodal transport (Road/Rail) or multimodal transport (Road/Sea). In the first case, the next step for the user is to select the terrestial mode to be considered (Road, Rail, Both). In the multimodal option the user selects the maritime connection Preference (Direct, Transhipment, Favor Direct Over Transhipment, Both Direct and Transhipment). Figure 3.3, Mode of Transport Selection When the user selects unimodal transport, the system calculated and provides the shortest unimodal corridor(s) that connect the selected origin - destination prefectures and the solutions are being displayed on the map. Rail route is depicted in green colour whereas the road transport option in red. The calculation is performed by a Dijkstra shortest path algorithm implementation and is based on a cost field which is the length of the road/rail segments that consist the solution. The system enables also the user to set different costs both in rail and road transport per km from the predefined rates by clicking on the option Strategic Planning Cost Configuration. 15

16 Figure 3.4, Strategic Planning Cost Configuration On the left side of the screen there is shown a box providing information of the main characteristics of the route namely the distance, the indicative cost and the total CO2 emissions of the transportation that will be used in the trip. In addition, the user may proceed to trip booking (via forwarder) by clicking the appropriate button. The selected trip will then be provided to the request towards the forwarder as suggestion. By using the button Plan a new trip the user has the opportunity to rearrange his trip. Figure 3.5, Visualization of the results of the unimodal transport When the user selects multimodal transport, a new combobox is presented to the user for selecting between the options "Calculate Cost For All Available Solutions" and "Build My Own Solution". The operation mode: "Calculate Cost For All Available Solutions" option precalculates the cost of every available corridor and lets the user review their characteristics afterwards. The system also provides calculation Statistics on the macrocorridors and the maritime connections examined. 16

17 Figure 3.6, Visualization of the results of the multimodal transport - Calculate Cost For All Available Solutions" The "Build My Own Solution" option presents all available macrocorridors among with the corridors that they include, as also as all maritime links that serve each one of these corridors. It allows user to choose between the alternatives and edit or review the total cost of the final assembled solution. The user selects the macro corridor, corridor and maritime connections from a dropdown list with all available options for this set of origin and destination points. The system also gives users the opportunity to view graphically the suggested and the selected options and find more details on the maritime connections by selecting the option view details, where a new tab is opened and the user is redirected to the subsystem Maritime Services of the OPTIMIZEMED e-platform. By clicking on the maritime route on the map, the systems provides information on the points of origin and destination, the maritime length and the total cost. On the right side of the screen there is shown a box providing information of the main characteristics of the route namely the distance, the indicative cost and the total CO2 emissions of the transportation that will be used in the trip. Figure 3.7, Visualization of the results of the multimodal transport - "Build My Own Solution" 17

18 Futhermore, the user may proceed to trip booking (via forwarder), explore additional solutions and book via carriers by clicking the apporpriate buttons or rearrange his trip by clicking the apporpriate buttons. The system enables the user to set different costs both in rail, road and maritime transport per km on each one of the available macrocorridors and maritime connections from the predefined rates by clicking on the option Strategic Planning Cost Configuration. Figure 3.8, Strategic Planning Cost Review and Configuration The user proceeds to the second step of the application that deals with the Operational Planning. In this stage, the user may proceed in trip quoting and booking as well as in seeking additional solutions (i.e. different ways of executing the trip already defined in Strategic Planning). According to the type of user, there are two main options: Shipper/Forwarder seeking Carrier Shipper seeking Forwarder The following sections described in detail the steps that the user should follow in both cases Shipper/Forwarder seeks Carrier(s) This section is a walkthrough for the scenario where the shipper/forwarder seeks for operational planning transportation with one or more legs using individual shippers. All steps of planning and booking are illustrated with screenshots that point out all widgets discussed in the text content. Step A: Trip Planning The shipper/forwarder chooses the option for seeking Explore Additional solution via Transportation Carriers. The shipper/forwarder then inserts the input data and optimization criteria required for the route planner in the relevant fields. The inputs are: 18

19 Origin & destination country & city Origin & destination & city Origin & destination Hubs Earliest pickup date & latest delivery date Maximum cost (optional) Number and type of containers Approximate Total cargo value (to be used for insurance premium cost) Unaccompanied or Accompanied (RoRo / RoLa) trip Cost/duration preference balance (weighting factors) Figure 3.9, Insertion of data by the shipper/forwarder Note: Cost versus duration preference : The path s overall performance is determined through a linear combination of its total time and total cost calculations. Assuming that the users might not be familiar with entering numeric coefficients, we designed this module as friendly as possible by using a volume bar. The volume bar for the weights entry is a simple application component (widget) every computer user is familiar with. It looks exactly like the volume bar used for the regulation of sound volume on a personal computer and has a set of volume degrees. If the user prefers more inexpensive routes, they should move the slider towards Cost edge. Contrarily, if they wish faster routes, they should move the slider towards Duration edge. The system then identifies the possible options by using the hub-and-spoke network and k-shortest path algorithm. In the performance of the shortest path computations, the weighted generalized costs and generalized times are used. In that way, the options provided are sorted according to the shipper s preferences. 19

20 Figure 3.10, Proposed solutions (routes) In the results page, summarized data are displayed. A selection radio-button and a link to view the solution details for each solution are also displayed. The summarized data include the path s performance, number of legs used, total duration, and total cost. When the user places the mouse over each value in the cost and duration columns, a hint box appears that shows a detailed breakdown of the total. For the duration analysis (Figure 3.11 green arrow), Approximate Duration is the total travelling time plus handling times in hubs, and Approximate Delay is the time risk, introduced as extra time spent due to potential delays. It is noted that handling times in hubs apply only to unaccompanied transportation, as there is no loading/unloading in accompanied transportation. For the cost breakdown (Figure 3.12, green arrow), Approximate Cost is the path s total cost plus handling costs in hubs and driver costs, Cost of Transportation Risk is the cost risk estimated due to the probability of loss and damage, and Cost of CO 2 Emissions is the extra cost applied per CO 2 ton emitted while travelling and/or in hubs. We note that handling costs apply only to unaccompanied transportation, as there is no handling needed in the accompanied mode. Contrarily, driver costs are applicable only in accompanied mode, due to the fact that drivers need to travel along with the cargo and, therefore, add to the solution s total cost. 20

21 Figure 3.11, detailed duration breakdown Figure 3.12, detailed cost breakdown The link to the solution details (Figure 3.12, red box) brings up a pop-up table in the same page with an extensive description of the path. This table includes all hubs and links used, plus road transportation for the first and last legs (Figure 3.13). The pop-up also holds a link for navigation to 21

22 the next and/or previous solution(s) (Figure 3.13 yellow box), a clickable icon that links to a printable version of the solution (Figure 3.13, red box, left) and a button that hides this pop-up (Figure 3.5, red box, right). Figure 3.13, solution details The shipper/forwarder may choose the most convenient solution by taking into account the details of each option (i.e. Hubs used, Legs, Mode, Total trip duration & cost). For the case of duration and cost, the user may have a detailed analysis of all factors that have been taken into consideration for the calculation. More specifically: For the Approximate cost in a hub: We take into consideration the handling cost, the cost of handling risk as well as the cost of CO2 emission (see Figure 3.14). For the Approximate duration in a hub: We take into consideration the handling time as well as the handling delay (see Figure 3.15). Figure 3.14, Trip details (note the analysis of hub cost) 22

23 Figure 3.15, Trip details (note the analysis of hub duration) For the Approximate cost in a leg: We take into consideration the transportation cost, the cost of transportation risk as well as the cost of CO2 emission (see Figure 3.16). For the Approximate duration in a leg: there is no breakdown, as we account only for the transportation duration. Figure 3.16, Trip details (note the analysis of leg cost) The interface also provides hints on the cities and hub codes, so as to make the notation comprehensible to the user (Figures 3.17 and 3.18 respectively) 23

24 Figures 3.17, City hint Figures 3.18, Hub hint Back to the solutions page (once the pop-up is closed via the red x on top right), the user can click either of three buttons and perform the corresponding action (Figure 3.19, green box): Back to step 1 goes back to the input entry (previous page) Change Filters opens a pop-up box (Figure 3.20) that handles modifications in the minimum and maximum values of cost, duration, and number of legs used or Next Step proceeds to carrier selection 24

25 Figure 3.19, action buttons Figure 3.20, Change filters pop-up box Once a solution is selected, the user clicks the Next Step button and proceeds to the next step of planning. The next page (Figure 3.21) presents a list of all carriers operating on each leg of the selected solution. In case there is more than one carrier that provides a transportation service for a certain leg of the trip, the shipper/forwarder may choose to request multiple carriers for their price quotes. Note that on the bottom of the page there are again buttons for navigation. Start All Over redirects to the input entry page, Back to step 2 redirects to the solutions list, and selected companies goes forth to the confirmation of carrier selections. 25

26 Figure 3.21, Selection of carriers to be contacted (per leg) Once the user clicks the selected companies button, the system shows the next page with the confirmation of the carrier selections (Figure 3.22) and prompts the user to enter an expiration date up to which they should accept offers from carriers. Again, on bottom right we can see a red button for backwards navigation ( Back to step 3 ), and a green button ( Send s ) that triggers the system s mail sender and redirects to the next page. Figure 3.22, expiration date entry and sending to selected carriers By clicking Send s, the system triggers the system s sender and redirects to the next page (Figure 3.23). That page shows a report on delivery and issues the booking ID. The shipper can use this booking ID at a later time (and up to the request s expiration date) to check for any offers returned from carriers. 26

27 Figure 3.23, sending confirmation & booking ID The sender notifies all selected carriers (via ) that they have a standing request for transportation (Figure 3.24). The shipper also gets an confirming the reception of the request, where the booking ID is included as a reminder for further reference (Figure 3.24, red box). Figure 3.24, confirmation received by shipper Step B Quoting and Booking The carriers receive this with all request specific data and a link (Figure 3.25, red box) to the offer submission page. 27

28 Figure 3.25, received by selected carrier, note the link ( click here ) Once they click on the link, the carriers are redirected to the offer submission page. There, they are expected to insert certain data such as: pick-up date & time, delivery date & time, and cost (Figure 3.26). Figure 3.26, Form to be filled in by the carrier 28

29 It must be mentioned that when a carrier selects the pick-up and delivery date, the system takes into account the time bounds initially given by the shipper/forwarder and, thus, the proposed (by the carrier) pick-up and delivery dates always fall into this time range. Figure 3.27 illustrates that only the days included in this range are active. All greyed-out dates are invalid, so as the carrier is prevented from selecting them. Figure 3.27, Valid date range When the form is completed, it can be sent by clicking the green button Submit offer on the bottom right of the form. The carrier then views a submission report that verifies successful transmission. The carrier can submit another offer for the same leg (if applicable) by clicking the blue button Submit another offer on the bottom centre of the confirmation box, or finish submission by clicking Done - green button, bottom centre (Figure 3.28). Figure 3.28, System acknowledgment for successful submission 29

30 The system has now recorded the offer(s) of each carrier in the database and the shipper/forwarder can view the offers when a full trip is available (i.e. when there is at least one offer for each leg). To do so, they must use the correct booking ID in the appropriate area of the page (booking area, Figure 3.29 red box). Figure 3.29, booking ID usage The system makes a comparison between the options sent by the carriers and sorts all the responses accordingly. The shipper/forwarder must select a solution (Figure 3.30, red box) and click Book selected to proceed to booking. The user s and full name are also required, so as the carrier can contact them directly (Figure 3.30, violet box). Figure 3.30, Carrier solutions Once the shipper/forwarder selects the preferred solution and clicks Book Selected, the system s sender is triggered again. All carriers involved in the awarding process are notified via 30

31 (Figure 3.32), all carriers with rejected offers get an of rejection (Figure 3.33), and the shipper is also contacted with an of confirmation for the end of the booking process (Figure 3.34). In the next page (Figure 3.31), the shipper/forwarder views the confirmation message for booking. Figure 3.31, Booking confirmation For all accepted offers, the relevant notifies the carrier that it is now their responsibility to contact the client (shipper/forwarder) to arrange transportation. Figure 3.32, of confirmation for carrier Figure 3.33, of rejection for carrier 31

32 Figure 3.34, end of booking ( sent to shipper/forwarder) Shipper to Forwarder This section presents a walkthrough for the scenario where a shipper seeks forwarders for transportation of freight. All steps of planning and booking are illustrated with screenshots that point out all widgets discussed in the text content. Step A. Trip Planning The shipper chooses the option to proceed for trip booking via forwarder. The shipper/forwarder then inserts the input data and an optimization criterion required for the route planner in the relevant fields (Figure 3.35), and clicks the green button that reads Go. The inputs are: Origin (country & city) Destination (Country & city) Earliest pickup date & latest delivery date Maximum cost (optional) Number and type of containers Cargo value Figure 3.35, Insertion of data by the shipper 32

33 In case the user wishes to start from scratch (still using forwarders), they can click the button that reads Back to Strategic Panel. Once the shipper clicks the Go option, the system returns a list of forwarders that serve this route (i.e. both origin and destination countries) and lists them in alphabetic order. There, the shipper must select one or more forwarders from the list (Figure 3.36 green arrow), and click selections companies (Figure 3.36, red arrow) to proceed with the sending. Figure 3.36, List of forwarders that serve origin-destination The shipper then selects the forwarders they decide to contact, and enters and full name (Figure 3.37, red box) 33

34 Figure 3.37, confirmation of selections and entry Once the shipper clicks Send s, the system triggers the system s sender, and issues a unique booking ID. The sender sends an with the shipper s request for a quote to the selected forwarders (Figure 3.40), while at the same time it s the shipper with a confirmation on the request submission and a reminder with the booking ID (Figure 3.39). The forwarder s includes a link ( click here ) to the offer submission page that should be followed for the forwarder s offer specification and submission. The next screen (Figure 3.38) shows the confirmation and booking ID on the received request. Figure 3.38, confirmation & booking ID 34

35 Figure 3.39, confirmation to shipper on received request Figure 3.40, ed request for forwarder offer Step B Quoting-Booking Once each forwarder receives the request and follows the link for offer submission, they are redirected to the offer submission page. There, they fill in a form with the following data (Figures 3.41 and 3.42): Pick-up & delivery date & time Total trip cost Hub sequence Transportation mode per leg (i.e. unaccompanied train/ship or RoRo/RoLa) 35

36 Transportation distance per leg Insurance offer These data are entered in two steps: Step 1 is where the pick-up & delivery date & time, the total trip cost, and the hub sequence are specified, and Step 2 is where mode and distance are specified per leg. Once step 1 is completed, the forwarder needs to click continue to proceed to Step 2. An important note in Step 1 is that the user must first enter the origin and destination hubs, and then click on the green cross (+) to add an intermediate hub. Likewise, an intermediate hub may be deleted by clicking the red x (Figures 3.41, blue box). Once finished, the forwarder clicks Submit Offer and views the confirmation screen (Figures 3.42, 3.43) Figure 3.41, Forwarder s offer response form (step 1) 36

37 Figure 3.42, Insertion of transportation mode and distance per leg (step 2) Figure 3.43, Confirmation on forwarder s offer submission 37

38 Any time after the initial request submission (and up to the user-defined expiration date), the shipper can use the relevant booking ID at the home page s booking area (Figure 3.44) and choose one of the provided forwarder offers (if there are any yet). Figure 3.44, booking ID usage Once the shipper clicks Check Booking, they are redirected to the solutions page. There, they shall choose the offer that suits them best, define the cost versus duration preference (Figure 3.45, yellow box), and provide their full name and for further contacting (Figure 3.45, red box). Figure 3.45, offers view page, and full name entry (red box) and weight modulation (yellow box) Note: Cost versus duration preference : The path s overall performance is determined through a linear combination of its total time and total cost calculations. Assuming that the users might not be familiar with entering numeric coefficients, we designed this module as friendly as possible by using a volume bar. The volume bar for the weights entry is a simple application component (widget) every computer user is familiar with. It looks exactly like the volume bar used for the regulation of sound volume on a personal computer and has a set of volume degrees. If the user prefers more inexpensive routes, they should move the slider towards Cost edge. Contrarily, if they wish faster routes, they should move the slider towards Duration edge. Once the 38

39 cost/duration balance preference is defined the shipper must click Re-Sort Offers to activate the system s resorting method. In this page of all offers from forwarders, the shipper can mouse-over the cost and duration totals and view a break down. For the cost breakdown (Figure 3.46, green arrow), Transportation Cost is the path s total cost plus handling costs in hubs and driver costs, Insurance Risk is the cost risk estimated due to the probability of loss and damage, and CO 2 Cost is the extra cost applied per CO 2 ton emitted while travelling and/or in hubs. We note that handling costs apply only to unaccompanied transportation, as there is no handling needed in the accompanied mode. Contrarily, driver costs are applicable only in accompanied mode, due to the fact that drivers need to travel along with the cargo and, therefore, add to the solution s total cost. Figure 3.46, cost breakdown For the duration analysis (Figure 3.47, green arrow), Transportation Time is the total travelling time plus handling times in hubs, and Risk Time is the time risk, introduced in the system as extra time spent due to delays. It is noted that handling times in hubs apply only to unaccompanied transportation, as there is no loading/unloading in accompanied transportation. Figure 3.47, time breakdown (green arrow) and link for details (red arrow) The link to the solution details (Figure 3.47, red arrow) brings up a pop-up table (Figure 3.40), in the same screen, with an extensive description of the path. This table includes all links used, plus info on 39

40 pick-up and delivery date-times and duration and cost totals. The pop-up also holds a clickable icon that links to a printable version of the solution (Figure 3.48, red box, left), and an x button that hides this pop-up (Figure 3.48, red box, right). Figure 3.48, offer details From here on, the shipper can click Book Selected (Figure 3.49, bottom) and proceed with booking. The system now sends an for awarding the trip to the selected forwarder (Figure 3.51) and a rejection to all others (Figure 3.52). The awarded forwarder s also includes the booking ID. The shipper will also receive an with the booking confirmation (Figure 3.50). The next screen confirms the end of booking (Figure 3.49). Figure 3.49, end of booking 40

41 Figure 3.50, sent to shipper Figure 3.51, sent to awarded forwarder Figure 3.52, sent to rejected forwarder 3.2 Back-end Interface This section describes all back-end operations per user. The three sub-sections are namely: - Forwarder operations, - Carrier operations, and - Administrator operations All three user groups first need to login via the optimizemed admin/backend website and then click the associated link to access the pillar2 operational planning backend pages. 41

42 3.2.1 Forwarder operations Once a forwarder signs up, he/she should initially identify the countries they serve. In that way, they can register to the web-system the transportation trips that may serve, in the form of country pairs (countries of origin and destination). There is no need to provide any further information, as a forwarder provides trip details to a shipper, based on the responses received from partners (i.e. carriers operating in the origin and destination countries). Figure 3.53 shows the forwarder s home page, which holds the main menu (green box), the Log-out and Front end links (blue arrow) and the transportation legs on which they operate (red box). The main menu is visible in all forwarder s pages and holds the Transportation Legs tab (a link to the forwarder s home page with all legs on which they operate). The Log-out link is explicit and redirects to the login-page (ending the log-in session). The transportation leg area (red box) is a table showing all origin and destination pairs. This tab also provides an option to edit each leg (rightmost column) and an option to create a new one ( Create New button). The table is searchable using a relevant keyword and clicking Filter button (Figure 3.53, yellow box) Figure 3.53, Forwarder s back-end home page with a list of country pairs The forwarder can edit/create new links by clicking one of the edit links or the Create New button respectively. This leads to a page that holds a form where the forwarder is asked to modify/enter the set of data as presented in Figure It is noted that the comment fields are optional, and that a new leg must be set to Active (red box) if it is ready to be integrated into the system s database. Once done editing or creating new leg, the user must click Update or Insert. 42

43 Figure 3.54, edit/create link option A slight difference between editing and creating legs options is the extra Delete option for the edit feature only (Figure 3.55). Figure 3.55, Delete leg option Carrier operations Once a carrier signs up, he/she should create a list with the links/legs (hub-to-hub connections) they operate on. Figure 3.56 shows the carrier s home page, which holds the main menu (green box) and the Log-out link (blue arrow) and the transportation legs on which they operate (red box). The main menu is visible in all carrier s pages and holds the Transportation Legs tab (a link to the carrier s home page with all legs on which they operate). The Log-out link is explicit and redirecting to the log-in page (ending the log-in session). The transportation leg area is a table showing all origin and destination hub pairs. The table has detailed information about all attributes associated with the legs, such as mode, cost, and duration. This tab also provides an option to edit each leg (rightmost column) and an option to create a new one ( Create New button). The table is searchable using a relevant keyword for the hub, and/or specific mode, and clicking the Filter button (Figure 3.56, yellow box). 43

44 Figure 3.56, carrier back-end home page with a list of all relevant legs The carrier can edit/create new links by clicking one of the edit links or the Create New button respectively. This leads to a page that holds a form where the carrier is asked to modify/enter the set of data as presented in Figure It is noted that the comment fields are optional, and that a new leg must be set to Active (red box) if it is ready to be integrated into the system s database. Once done editing or creating new leg, the user must click Update or Insert. Figure 3.57 shows the form that the carrier must edit or fill in for each leg they edit/insert. More specifically, the carrier must fill in the following information when editing/creating a transportation leg: Origin & destination hub (should be inserted first) Mode (i.e. Unaccompanied/Accompanied) Real Distance Cost per 20 container Duration Any details concerning the specific leg Active / inactive Comments (optional) 44

45 Figure 3.57, Create/Edit transportation leg Administrator operations The administrator is a super-user of the back-end, as the user has access to all back-end views. Figure 3.58 shows the admin dashboard, with the notifications area (red box), the main menu (green box) and the log-out and front-end links (blue arrow). The notifications area provides information on inactive hubs/companies/legs, if any, and is a quick access utility for the manipulation of the related entities. The main menu is visible in all admin pages and holds the Dashboard, Hubs, Cities, Carriers/Forwarders, Transportation Legs and Admin Settings tabs. Those tabs are the set of functions provided to the admin of the system. The Log-out link is explicit and redirects to the login-page (ending the log-in session). 45

46 Figure 3.58, Admin home with dashboard for quick access Main menu tabs This section describes the functionality of each item on the main menu. Dashboard This is simply a link to the admin home page, where the quick access notification area is displayed (Figure 3.58, red box). Admin Settings An administrator can set/edit all the operational parameters and settings of the web system by clicking on the admin username. The settings are explained below (Figure 3.59): Admin password edit: option to change the current admin password Maximum number of results: parameter that controls the maximum number of results returned by the k-shortest path algorithm Node code length: number of characters used in the node code Driver daily cost ( ): the driver s average salary used in the calculation of driver costs in accompanied transportation. CO 2 cost ( per Ton): The administrator may define the cost (in Euros) per Ton of CO 2 emitted on transportation legs or hubs. CO 2 factor per mode: The administrator may insert the emission (g per Ton*Km) for ship and rail transport. Hub cost factors: Based on the risk of each hub (risky, normal, safe), the administrator may introduce a cost, which is a percentage of the total cargo value (e.g. 0.5%) Hub delay factors: Based on the risk of Hub (risky, normal, safe), the administrator may introduce a delay expressed in hours. 46

47 Transportation leg cost factors: Based on the risk of each leg (risky, normal, safe), the administrator may introduce a cost, which is a percentage of the total cargo value (e.g. 0.5%) Figure 3.59, Administrator settings Hubs This tab displays a table with all hubs integrated in the system s network (Figure 3.60). This table is searchable using the search module on the top left and clicking Search. There is also an option to edit/create hubs using the edit links on the rightmost column of each table row, or the Create New Hub button on top right respectively. 47

48 Figure 3.60, Hubs table Administrators can edit/insert hubs by providing all info required in the form shown in Figure The fields that must be filled-in include the node code, country and hub names, supporting modes, handling cost and time, risk zones for extra cost and time due to risk. The form includes informative hints to assist the admin in the data entry process. A hub can be active or inactive in the system, depending on whether it is to be considered by the route planning algorithms, and visible or invisible, depending on whether it is visible for users. Figure 3.61, hub edit form 48

49 Cities This tab displays a table with all cities integrated in the system s network (Figure 3.62). This table is searchable using the search module on the top left and clicking Search. There is also an option to edit/create cities using the edit links on the rightmost column of each table row, or the Create New City button on top right respectively. Figure 3.62, Cities table Administrators can edit/insert cities by providing all info required in the form shown in Figure The fields that must be filled-in include country and city names, adjacent hub and distance zone. The form includes informative hints to assist the admin in the data entry process. Figure 3.63, edit city example Carriers/Forwarders This tab displays a table with all companies registered in the system s supply-side (Figure 3.64). Administrators view all companies data including contact data and credentials, so as to provide support and maintenance. This table is searchable using the search module on the top left and clicking Search. There is also an option to edit/create companies using the edit links on the rightmost column of each table row, or the Create new Company button on top right respectively. 49

50 Figure 3.64, table of companies in the system s supply-side The administrator may register a forwarder and/or carrier into the system. The following figure (Figure 4.65) shows the interface for creating an account. The information that must be inserted includes: Company name, Address (Road, number, PC, city and country), Telephone/fax, as well as Username & password. A company may be set to active or inactive, depending on whether it is currently operative on the system or not. Figure 3.65, Edit carrier example 50

51 Transportation Legs This tab displays a search field (Figure 3.66) for all transportation legs, where administrators need to choose the company whose links shall be displayed. Figure 3.66, Legs table search Once the company is selected, the admin can view all transportation legs as viewed by the company user. The functionality to create/edit legs is identical to that of the forwarder/carrier for editing/creating legs. This section presents the key concepts and techniques integrated in the system. The sub-sections are namely: o o o o o Route Planner Performance Metric Weight Selection Booking Matching the answers 51