International maritime shipping brings great benefits, such as moving food, raw materials, energy, and consumer goods around the globe at low cost and in a reliable and efficient manner. According to data from the Maritime Transport 2019 report published by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, approximately 80% of world trade is transported by sea, amounting to around 11 billion tons in a global fleet of more than 95,000 ships. These figures make this type of transport essential to the world economy.
This amount of flow inevitably has a negative impact: ships burn fuel for energy and emit several types of air pollution. In addition to ship-source pollutants, there are also the pollutants caused by the machinery and the transport vehicles used in the terminals themselves. When combined, they have a direct effect on the atmosphere.
Taking such challenges into account, the new “Challenge IOT” has been jointly developed by the Ministry of Economy, Knowledge, Business, and University of the Junta de Andalucía and Telefónica. The challenge strives to tackle the problems faced by the Port Authority of Algeciras Bay, the winner of the FIWARE Zone Challenge IOT 2020.
The port is very much aware of the environmental impact of its installations. One of its main objectives when it comes to future development is, therefore, making maritime transport and its infrastructure greener and more sustainable, adapting its growth and operation to neighboring cities and natural environments.
The challenge pursues partners and innovative technological solutions that can make it possible to obtain real-time data on the environmental impact that port activity has on its surroundings, such as air and water quality or noise, light, and odorous pollution. In addition, it aims to identify problems associated with the logistics of the industry that are present within the port area and in nearby areas.
In order to be eligible to participate in the challenge, companies are required to develop a smart solution using FIWARE technologies. The deadline for submission is September 10th, 2020. The winning proposal will then be evaluated and chosen by an expert panel on 16th and 17th September, following the defense of all the submitted projects by those responsible. The companies are required to submit their proposals in Spanish. For more information about the challenge, as well as the prizes, please visit the FIWARE Zone website.
