Page 85 - ITU Journal Future and evolving technologies Volume 2 (2021), Issue 5 – Internet of Everything
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ITU Journal on Future and Evolving Technologies, Volume 2 (2021), Issue 5
employees with different duties in the logistics chain, In the digital context, the concepts of the physical context
postal of ices, warehouses, ports, train stations, etc. are mapped to their digital twins. They are attributed
The main set of capabilities exhibited by these objects with capabilities of four levels: 1. transmit information,
is relevant with handling parcels. Logistics objects are 2. receive information, 3. react to received information
related to organizations for which they execute pick‑up and 4. exhibit cognitive behaviour. Based on these
and delivery plans. Properties of the logistics objects capabilities, the digital concepts of VLO and CLO are
determine the planning procedure. de ined as follows:
In the digital context, the situation is more dynamic. Sen‑
sors and smart devices attached to logistics objects, and VLO de inition
which are assumed to be networked, transmit informa‑ A Virtual Logistics Object is a virtual instance (VI) of a
tion about the underlying objects’ state. The information physical logistics object, which is composed by (i) the
is transmitted via messages that can be sent from one vir‑ physical logistics object and (ii) the sensors and smart
tual object to the other. The range, to which the messages devices attached to it.
can be transmitted by a virtual object, is de ined by so‑
cial relationships, which are built and destroyed dynami‑ CLO de inition
cally, and bear various “friendship” semantics among vir‑ A Cognitive Logistics Object is a VLO for which the follow‑
tual logistics objects. As receptors of environmental in‑ ing hold: (i) the corresponding physical logistics object
formation from the network, virtual objects can assess the can perform at least one cargo action, (ii) it demonstrates
state of their environment and cognitively react. Through at least 3rd level capabilities.
optimization and decision‑making capabilities, they can The Cognitive Logistics Object (CLO) constitutes the
change their behaviour and suggest analogous actions to bridge between the physical context and the digital
their social neighbours. Environmental changes may be context of the COG‑LO network. It is a virtual entity
populated by other virtual objects or by external com‑ that corresponds to exactly one physical resource of the
ponents that contribute information to the network via logistics network. For exemplifying the concept, let us
appropriately formed messages encapsulating external assume a truck that transports parcels from one location
events. to another. From the physical perspective, according to
The design of the data model of COG‑LO followed a top‑ our previous analysis of capabilities’ levels, it is a passive
down approach. Based on the identi ication of actors and object. Nevertheless, when the truck is equipped with
their actions in the logistics setting of COG‑LO, the base sensors measuring its weight and capacity, a GPS device
concepts both in the physical and the digital context were tracking continuously its location, and we consider it
de ined. In the physical context, there are four basic data being driven by a human with a smartphone, the perspec‑
types de ined. The parcel is the principal unit of interest tive changes. This same object is now classi ied at least
of logistics services. The existence of a parcel in the lo‑ at the 3rd level of capabilities. It can inform constantly
gistics chain starts with an order placed by a customer, the network about the state of its deliveries, it can give
and ends when the parcel is delivered to the recipient. an overview of the environment to the driver, and it
Each parcel is attributed by a source location, a desti‑ can also let the driver assess a situation and resolve it,
nation location, package dimensions and transportation by following recommendations sent, or even by taking
type (e.g. normal, express etc.). The second concept is decisions based on situational awareness provided.
the container. Containers are placeholders for parcels.
They are used to compose parcels into larger cargo units, Each CLO is assigned with a plan. A plan is a sequence of
and they may be encapsulated one inside the other. Be‑ physical actions assigned to the physical counterparts of
sides similar attributes with parcels, containers have also CLOs. A plan comprises an ordered set of plan steps. Each
a capacity associated with them, and also they are related plan step is executed at a ic location and consists
with their content, i.e. the parcels or other containers of a series of cargo actions on parcels and containers: (i)
they may carry. Transportation means, is the concept that loading/unloading, (ii) packing/unpacking (i.e., consoli‑
identi ies ships, trains and various types of vehicles. Sea, dation of parcels into containers) or (iii) customs check‑
rail and road are the transportation modes considered in ing. A plan step is associated with a cost estimation, which
COG‑LO, but air transportation could be represented simi‑ is what makes a plan get selected among a set of alterna‑
larly. Similarly to containers and parcels, there is a source tive ones during the optimization. Each plan is part of a
and destination assigned to them at each point in time, recommendation produced by the Cognitive Advisor. A
when they are active in the logistics chain. Capacity is recommendation is generated as a response to an envi‑
also associated with them and is measured in units cor‑ ronmental change of COG‑LO.
responding to the amount of containers or parcels they The COG‑LO ontological model was de ined, following the
can accommodate. Finally, a station is every establish‑ standard approach [22]. The development of the COG‑LO
ment where a transportation means may stop and per‑ ontology was performed using the Web Onotology Lan‑
form a cargo relevant action, that is load, unload, pack, un‑ guage (OWL) and the ontology is expressed in RDF/XML
pack, customs’ check etc. Such establishments are ware‑ syntax. The data model of COG‑LO is in detail presented
houses, ports, train stations, postal hubs and of ices, end by the COG-LO ontological framework [23].
customers, customs and postal boxes.
© International Telecommunication Union, 2021 73