A Global Freight Business Ecosystem Based on Low Carbon End-to-End Transport and Logistic Services

Abstract

In this paper the authors present the global freight business ecosystem of the iCargo Integrated Project, that aims at advancing and extending the use of ICT to decarbonize co-modal logistics by enhancing intermodal transport reliability and optimizing environmental performances. iCargo users represent organizations involved in the provision of door-to-door low-carbon logistic services, covering an entire supply chain or a significant portion of it, producing less than alternatives, making use of the iCargo ecosystem to combine services through different transport modes and providers. The iCargo ecosystem actors are clients, like manufacturers and retailers, logistic services providers, including freight forwarders and carriers for the different transport modes, and providers of support services, ensuring access to physical and information infrastructures. The iCargo ecosystem foresees a common representation of door-to-door services with a decentralized architecture. The distinctive elements of the iCargo infrastructure provide uniform and ubiquitous access to the logistic services of ecosystem members. This increases resources utilization and allows more flexible and dynamic plans.