If you want to share data, you should be able to understand another: semantic interoperability. This is a major issue within the FEDeRATED project. Since 2019 FEDeRATED has done a lot of working on semantics, i.e. the FEDeRATED Semantic model. The importance being to enable any logistics stakeholder to access various (standard based) data silos through a FEDeRATED bridge.
To illustrate our semantic work, a number of presentations - developed by Henk Mulder (Chairman Semantic Data Model/IATA Digital Cargo lead) is available:
On 29 and 30 March, 52 people participated in the EU CEF FEDeRATED workshop "The Soul of the Machine", including 5 representatives of the EU CEF FENIX project. The workshop took place in Delft (the Netherlands). After 2 years of Covid-19 isolation, an important goal of the meeting was to compare notes between the achievements of the architecture and semantics groups and the developments within the 23 FEDeRATED Living Labs.
The images of workshop, including its participants, are available here WeFEDeRATED
A major focus of the Workshop was to allow the participants to structurally connect and seek for opportunities to collaborate. Some energetic discussions took place between the particiants on how to foster collaboration between the LivingLabs. eCMR in connection to eFTI, the definition of the interfaces in relation to semantics, and Identity and Access Management proved to be important issues.
In the workshop 5 participants of the EU CEF FENIX project participated. A presentation on data sharing in the Trieste Port pitot side area was given. by Maria Pia Fanti (Poliba) . This presentation opened the floor to discuss the differenence between the general concept of the FENIX and FEDeRATED CEF projects. The primary FENIX focus is on the development and piloting of technology based connectors - brokers, ID management, access control - between different platforms. FEDeRATED focus on an overall system interoperability, with a short term focus on the integration of semantics into the interfaces.
For the general part of the workshop, two major presentations were delivered:
Between 2020-2021, the FEDeRATED project seems to have developed a two-speed approach. On a conceptual level, FEDeRATED advanced very well regarding semantics and architecture issues. These insights are fully shared and acknowlegde by the EU DTLF. The question emerged, whether these insights sufficienly meet the both-feed-on-the-ground project approach. On a practical application level, the Covid-19 period proved to be a period of rather stand alone functioning for many LivingLabs. Thereby, they missed several opportunities to fully connect with the conceptual FEDeRATED architecture framework developments. In addition, fostering full stakeholder engagement within the LivingLabs proved to be difficult.
An important FEDeRATED project challenge for the upcoming period is to reduce the current gap between the architectural and semantics framework and its concrete translation in actual FEDeRATED LivingLabs. To reduce this gap a dedicated workshop was given on how to deal with sematics in a LivingLab. See
FEDeRATED has issued a new report (Milestone 8) on the progress of its 23 LivingLabs. In this Interim Testing Report click) - the progress of the FEDeRATED LivingLabs is compared to the FEDeRATED Interim Masterplan. A downloadable version is available here. 23 FACTsheets on every LivingLabs availablle here.
The structure and validation of the LivingLabs is illustrated hereunder
An important goal of all LivinLabs is to enable realtime data driven logistics. The conditions to successfully pursue data driven business cases for logistics are:
Full stakeholder’s engagement.
Non propriety data spaces development,
Application of the overarching EU Interoperability Framework EIF).
Digital readiness – competence. To benefit from this enabling Internet provision, stakeholders need to be competent, digital ready.
Full engage with the virtual infrastructure, the Internet,
Applicability of the DTLF and FEDeRATED stack (explained in chapter 1 of the Interim Testing Report (Milestone 8)
The major findings of the report are:
In general, the 37 FEDeRATED Leading Principles cover the overall concept of the federated network of platform concept – functional requirements and technical specifications. However, many LLs ask for more architecture guidance and interaction.
Most Living Labs cover some or all of the following elements: specified business process, dedicated services, security, data semantics, API’s, various data exchanges techniques, Identity and Authentication, Access control and access points, Authorisation and Identification.
Five Living Labs are exploring all 37 of the FEDeRATED Leading Principles (SIMPLE, Internet of Logistics, RFID in Rail, eGovernment Logistics and Real-time Multi-Modal Transportation platform). These LivingLabs are focussed primarily on developing comprehensive infrastructures based on the FEDeRATED semantic model and pull-based data availability.
In general, the Living Labs’ development can be identified as being under one of two separate levels.
Level 1 - developing a data sharing platform - providing a limited number of operators access and experimenting their solutions on a wide variety of different services
Level 2 - developing a federated infrastructure provision - focussing on genuine platform interoperability and elements such as: Index, Service Registry, Access, IAM (integrated assessment modelling) and semantic modelling.\
In 2022 and 2023, the LLs will intensify their collaboration and finetune their solutions with the technical settings developed by DTLF Subgroup II and FEDeRATED Activity 2.
The FEDeRATED Leading Principles should be further developed as functional requirements and technical specifications, allowing the development of a validated Master Plan, possibly including a Toolbox and “How To” guidebook, in 2023. The various aspects laying down the foundations of a federated infrastructure provision should cover the following functionalities (global features – the FEDeRATED stack), closely related to DTLF Subgroup II recommendations and FEDeRATED Activity 2 work, i.
Semantics with (open) standards – 17 LL’s indicate to (also) focus on this functionality
Identity and Authentication - Determining the identity of a person/organisation/’thing’ from a recognised provider-- 17 LL’s indicate to (also) focus on this functionality
Access points and control - determine what data a person has access to and to identify the points for integrating organisations with or unlocking IT services (GUI) of the infrastructure – - 20 LL’s indicate to (also) focus on this functionality
Findability - Search systems with metadata - findability of all kinds of data (cargo, qualifications, certificates, electronic documents) for supervisors and enforcers - 12 LL’s indicate to (also) focus on this functionality
The implementation of the federated network of platforms approach in terms of technical solution indicate the following:
7 LL’s indicate to contribute to developing/facilitating a Peer2Peer solution.
15 LL’s indicate to contribute to developing/facilitating Single Platform solution.
10 LL’s indicate to contribute to developing/facilitating Multiple Platforms solution.
7 LL’s indicate to contribute to developing/facilitating P2P and a Platform solution.
Despide the pandemic the representatives of the 15 FEDeRATED partners maneged to substantially progress in 2021. Apart from many virtual meetings we even mnaged to organise a sucessful Mid Term Event. Many of our meetings are recorded and available on our YouTube channel.Click here
On 24 November 2021, the 15 international partners of the FEDeRATED EU project met for its mid-term event, organised and hosted by Codognotto Italia S.p.A. at the headquarters in Salgareda (Italy). The event, organised in hybrid form with 40 project members in attendance and online connections on the zoom platform, reached an audience of nearly 150 participants. The event was also attended by representatives of DG MOVE, the Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport, who joined providing a detailed overview of the EU strategy regarding data related to the world of freight transport & logistics. Click here: library, Mid Term Event.
The FEDeRATED action builds on the work and recommendations of the Digital Transport and Logistics Forum (DTLF) to create a valid and viable federative network of platforms as an enabling factor for the exchange and sharing of Business to Administration (B2A) and Business to Business data (B2B). On November 24th, several representatives for each project partner met in the province of Treviso to provide an update on the results achieved so far in order to strengthen competitiveness and EU sustainability in logistics.
During the event, living labs from the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, Puertos del Estado in collaboration with the Spanish Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda and ADIF, the Swedish Transport Administration , Codognotto, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and Vediafi Ltd. were presented. See also library
The FEDeRATED action will end in 2023 and will help improve supply chain visibility and clustering capacity and enable synchronised operational planning for a responsive, resilient and multimodal transport ecosystem, also thanks to 22 living labs, which will define, demonstrate and validate the guiding principles and reference architecture in the freight transport context by the end of the project.
