| Summary of the research problem: Current ICT-Systems for planning and execution of transportation are centralized and usually do not account for the high dynamics and low predictability of external factors. As a result, the current performance of transportation chains is sub-optimal, with long waiting times, low utilization rates, etc. Numerous attempts to develop Inter Organizational Systems (IOS) have not achieved a breakthrough for various reasons. For example they often lack intelligent matching, automate only part of the market transaction or feature an inappropriate incentive scheme for participants. The DEAL (Distributed Engine for Advanced Logistics) project is aimed at designing, implementing and evaluating a distributed, intelligent IOS for planning, executing and automated trading of capacity within transportation networks. DEAL will be co-developed with a number of research and industrial partners. Research question: How can IOS for transportation be successfully developed and implemented using distributed ICT architectures, complex adaptive systems and agent technology? |
