Enhancing Port Logistics with Kestrel Insights Custom Geofences and Mapbox

Map visualizations of spatial geofences equip logistics customers and asset tracking with near real-time insights. Logistics and asset-tracking companies often struggle with congestion around maritime ports that can cause cargo movement delays and tracking inefficiencies, hurting profitability. Global supply chain disruptions have amplified these problems, with ports from Oakland, Calif., to Dafeng, China witnessing up to nine days of delays, a stark departure from the average travel times of 6-6.5 days observed from 2016 to 2019. Coupled with these delays, tracking inefficiencies remain a formidable challenge. Such shortcomings significantly cost shippers an alarming average of $1,988 for each damaged and late LTL shipment in 2022, as outlined in a report by Flock Freight.   Innovative technologies like geofencing from Kestrel Insights, live asset-tracking data, and interactive map visualizations from Mapbox offer solutions for practical problem-solving. Get a live look at Mapbox and Kestrel Insights in action by visiting here.

VIEW THE LIVE DEMO

Kestrel Insights is a supplier of custom geofences to logistic customers such as Optym, Tive, Convoy, and FourKites.

A custom geofence is a boundary area drawn around a specific Point of Interest (POI) such as a port, railway yard, warehouse or airport. Using Kestrel Insights’ automated polygon geofencing, customers can create precise, tailored geofence areas for their specific use case.

Mapbox is a mapping and location technology company that powers navigation for people, packages, and vehicles everywhere.

Logistics and asset-tracking customers such as Flyby, Trackpac, and Transfix choose Mapbox products and services such as Maps, Search, and Navigation APIs & SDKs to help simplify every phase of running a delivery business.

Applying geofencing and asset-tracking data to ports

Geofencing presents innovative solutions to challenging logistics scenarios. When combined with asset-tracking data streams, geofencing can alert port operators when a shipment crosses a virtual boundary into a congested area. When presented in an easy-to-understand operational dashboard, this real-time visibility assists decisions around resource allocation and cargo movements. For instance, should a shipment confront terminal congestion, operators could reroute to a less crowded terminal, minimizing delays, delivering a significant return on investment, and enhancing overall efficiency.

With Kestrel Insights it is possible to use detailed custom geofences rather than a generalized area. For example, if a ship enters a port with multiple berths, each berth could have a separate geofence. This level of detail allows the user to pin-point the location of assets. Kestrel Insights custom geofences are more accurate than generalized ‘bounding boxes’ (rectangle around a location) or ‘buffers’ (circle around a location) and can be delivered in a file format called `geojson` that is easy to integrate with Mapbox maps.

In turn, Mapbox provides highly performant and customizable maps that are capable of rendering thousands of locations that can be updated in near real-time.

Example Use Case: Ports in Finland

Maritime logistics in Finland’s ports are a perfect context to show how Kestrel Insights data and Mapbox maps combine to elevate logistics operations. In this live demo, built by Mapbox Principal Solution Architect Allan Walker, detailed Kestrel Insights geofences of the ports and maritime shipping terminals around Finland are combined with live vessel tracking data in an interactive map visualization built with Mapbox GL JS. When a ship crosses a Kestrel geofence an alert can be triggered for an operator, or a company, managing port operations or tracking specific vehicles.

Location intelligence for shipping and logistics

In the complex world of port logistics, stakeholders continually search for innovative solutions to enhance their operations. Geofencing and map-based situational awareness dashboards are technologies that provide considerable value to all players in this sector:

• Freight Forwarders and Shippers: These stakeholders can exploit geofencing and interactive maps for real-time visibility into cargo movements. With these advanced technologies, it’s possible to accurately track shipments, anticipate delays, and optimize routing, thus boosting efficiency, reducing costs, and enhancing service quality.
• Port Authorities: Geofencing and interactive maps can help port authorities confront the always crippling pain points of port congestion and ensure seamless operations. By offering granular tracking of arrivals and departures of ships, these technologies can lead to streamlined operations and less congestion by identifying potential bottlenecks, optimizing traffic flow, and allocating resources more effectively.
• Logistics Technology Providers: These entities can provide additional value to their customers by incorporating geofencing and interactive maps into their solutions. This integration offers near real-time tracking, predictive analytics, and other capabilities that boost the efficiency and effectiveness of logistics operations. Moreover, including these technologies can set providers apart in a competitive market and potentially improve market share.

Build with Kestrel Insights and Mapbox

By amping up real-time visibility, driving precise analytics, and accelerating decision-making processes, location intelligence technologies pave the way for improved efficiency, significant cost reductions, and superior service delivery.

With its game-changing technologies, Kestrel Insights has ushered in a new era in addressing port logistics challenges. Their innovative suite of solutions is a testament to strategic resource allocation, sparking the logistics industry’s evolution. Contact Kestrel Insights to learn more about using custom geofences in your location intelligence applications.

Embracing the synergy of geofencing, asset-tracking data streams, and interactive maps heralds a promising era for the logistics industry. Building with Mapbox equips companies to combine these valuable data sources in elegant, easy-to-use applications. Contact Mapbox to learn more about integrating custom data, including geofences, with Mapbox maps.