BoxPlus participated COA UDM for Industry Consultation – UDM for Reefer Container Data Exchange Formats
The Internet of Things (IoT) technology is changing our life step by step. After the reefer containers is equipped with IoT devices, it got name Smart Reefer and has changed the outdated way of operation from manual inspection and manual meter reading to allow the operators and users to obtain information remotely, such as temperature, humidity and reefer machine operation status etc. Basing on deeply understanding and respecting the container's innate "standardization" gene, since BoxPlus establishment, we actively participate in the discussion and development of standards related to IoT products. Based on big data and artificial intelligence technology, the Smart Reefer Solution provided by BoxPlus integrates IoT Technology with the domain knowledge of container transportation including the requirement of standardization to derive a series of high value-added digital service products, which can serve both container owners and cargo owners.
After the draft standard of ISO "certified safe type" container IoT device was submitted to IMO by ISO, BIC(Bureau of International Containers) and WSC(World Standardization Conference) on July 13 last year, another set of reefer containers standard, naming UDM (Unified Data Mode), which BoxPlus participated in under COA, was publicly released in the form of a global webinar held by COA’s Reefer Telematics Work Group on March 9 this year, and was made public simultaneously on the official website for industry consultation globally.
There are many projects within the COA organization, BoxPlus chose to participate in the Reefer Telematics Work Group for UDM design because this is not only highly compatible with company’s research direction but also the project team includes the four major reefer machine brands and almost all influential IoT suppliers in this industry. In addition to contributing our knowledge and ideas to the UDM standard together with industry peers, we also found that our digital service platform for reefer, which can serve both container owners and cargo owners, is still the only one of its kind among peers.
The purpose of this Data Model is to enable the exchange of information on refrigerated containers in a uniform way – independent of the model and manufacturer. Data exchange by using the standard data model introduced in this document will provide refrigerated container operators (having mixed fleets of different reefer machinery) the convenience of accessing relevant data – without the complexity of accessing them with different formats and means. As shown in the UDM diagram, there are standards to follow for data exchange between reefer machine and IoT devices, and a set of API standards for uniform data interaction between IoT platform and end users.
According to COA's official website, the first benefit of UDM for the shipping industry is that it makes the IoT device “decoupled” from the container investment, thus container owners can make independent decisions on IoT devices, another important benefit is that higher data integrity and compliance – regardless of device and standard data set as well as the unified definitions/properties, thereby remove barriers and minimize IT time of building value added services for reefer container operations.
BoxPlus believes that the influence of UDM on the smart reefer industry will be significant and far-reaching. Although our Smart Reefer Solution is an ONE-STOP-SHOPPING solution, which releases the end users’ time and efforts on researching data and developing platform, we still think UDM makes itself as a complete data model thus could play its own role in the industry by defining both the data format between IoT devices and reefer machines as well as the API between a platform and end users. As Ms. Guo Jianfei, Managing Director of BoxPlus said, " Because we always uphold the principle of user first, always put the customer's choice first, we participate in the discussion and development of industry standards and then through more understanding of industry trends and customers’ preference, we could continue to provide leading products with digital application features. We need to actively participate and promote the standardization work through an international organization like COA, which will benefit our product development as well as show of Chinese enterprises in the international arena, and even more beneficial to the healthy development of whole IoT industry."
COA schedules to publish UDM formally in next month. And also the governance rules of UDM has been announced, the intellectual property of the UDM belongs to COA, the UDM project team is responsible for interpreting and updating the model, after the UDM is officially announced, the project team will also maintain the mechanism of regular work to keep this model alive.
After the draft standard of ISO "certified safe type" container IoT device was submitted to IMO by ISO, BIC(Bureau of International Containers) and WSC(World Standardization Conference) on July 13 last year, another set of reefer containers standard, naming UDM (Unified Data Mode), which BoxPlus participated in under COA, was publicly released in the form of a global webinar held by COA’s Reefer Telematics Work Group on March 9 this year, and was made public simultaneously on the official website for industry consultation globally.
COA (Container Owners Association) was established in November 2004, is an international organization representing the common interests of all owners of freight containers. With members like 26 shipping liners, 22 container logistics equipment leasing companies, 13 container component suppliers, 6 refrigeration companies, 7 container manufacturing plants, as well as insurance companies, international organizations, yards, logistics companies, etc., the organization aims to provide global expertise, to promote common standards and to facilitate international lobbying.
There are many projects within the COA organization, BoxPlus chose to participate in the Reefer Telematics Work Group for UDM design because this is not only highly compatible with company’s research direction but also the project team includes the four major reefer machine brands and almost all influential IoT suppliers in this industry. In addition to contributing our knowledge and ideas to the UDM standard together with industry peers, we also found that our digital service platform for reefer, which can serve both container owners and cargo owners, is still the only one of its kind among peers.
The purpose of this Data Model is to enable the exchange of information on refrigerated containers in a uniform way – independent of the model and manufacturer. Data exchange by using the standard data model introduced in this document will provide refrigerated container operators (having mixed fleets of different reefer machinery) the convenience of accessing relevant data – without the complexity of accessing them with different formats and means. As shown in the UDM diagram, there are standards to follow for data exchange between reefer machine and IoT devices, and a set of API standards for uniform data interaction between IoT platform and end users.
According to COA's official website, the first benefit of UDM for the shipping industry is that it makes the IoT device “decoupled” from the container investment, thus container owners can make independent decisions on IoT devices, another important benefit is that higher data integrity and compliance – regardless of device and standard data set as well as the unified definitions/properties, thereby remove barriers and minimize IT time of building value added services for reefer container operations.
BoxPlus believes that the influence of UDM on the smart reefer industry will be significant and far-reaching. Although our Smart Reefer Solution is an ONE-STOP-SHOPPING solution, which releases the end users’ time and efforts on researching data and developing platform, we still think UDM makes itself as a complete data model thus could play its own role in the industry by defining both the data format between IoT devices and reefer machines as well as the API between a platform and end users. As Ms. Guo Jianfei, Managing Director of BoxPlus said, " Because we always uphold the principle of user first, always put the customer's choice first, we participate in the discussion and development of industry standards and then through more understanding of industry trends and customers’ preference, we could continue to provide leading products with digital application features. We need to actively participate and promote the standardization work through an international organization like COA, which will benefit our product development as well as show of Chinese enterprises in the international arena, and even more beneficial to the healthy development of whole IoT industry."
COA schedules to publish UDM formally in next month. And also the governance rules of UDM has been announced, the intellectual property of the UDM belongs to COA, the UDM project team is responsible for interpreting and updating the model, after the UDM is officially announced, the project team will also maintain the mechanism of regular work to keep this model alive.