This use case was initiated in collaboration with the Data Sharing working group of the Dutch AI Coalition (NL AIC), one of the founding partners of the CoE-DSC.
One Maritime Data Standard (OMDS) is aiming to simplify the data landscape of the maritime sector. The principle is very simple: product data is created once only by the manufacturer concerned and then stored in a centralised data pool in a uniform format.
Users of the data – such as engineers, calculators, purchases or service technicians – retrieve the data from that central repository and then use it in their own systems. This creates a more efficient chain with fewer errors, as well as giving a better basis for more far-reaching digital integration. OMDS allows a key step to be taken towards harmonisation of data structures within the maritime chain, from supplier to shipbuilder to shipping company.
Using artificial intelligence
The maritime sector wants to continue to develop and implement a digital infrastructure that companies can exchange information securely and reliably through. The OMDS project will speed up this process, with various organisations making specific operational data available to each other. This will let companies in the sector work together faster, more intelligently and more efficiently, which is essential if all the goals for artificial intelligence (AI) in the maritime sector are to be achieved. Data sharing is a cornerstone of this. Some important areas where attention needs to be paid include digital twins, predictive maintenance and the Open Simulation Platform.
What challenge does it solve?
OMDS focuses on reducing the transaction costs incurred when duplicating the input of trading data about the components and parts that are integrated into the ship. That data is currently input by suppliers, shipbuilders and shipping companies into their own systems. Shipbuilders and shipping companies assign their own numbers to the parts that suppliers have to keep track of when fulfilling the orders. This creates a complex, error-prone and expensive landscape that does not provide the foundations for further digital integration.
Benefits of OMDS:
- Greatly reduced costs for data entry and data management
- Reduction in the costs of failure in the chain when errors are made
- Increased efficiency
- Simplified compliance with legal requirements
- Transparency in the supply chain thanks to a clearer picture of the origins of data
Cooperation
The OMDS working group is currently collaborating with 21 maritime sector suppliers to integrate their data into the data pool. Because of the situation that arose in the last year (coronavirus), several of the possibilities for tackling this project had to be put on hold for various reasons. At the time of writing, eleven parties are actively implementing the project, each in a different phase of the implementation. A few of them are in a completion phase and two are in a start-up phase. Additionally, 2BA is working hard on creating a maritime cluster so that the number of parties who will join in and take part in this project can grow exponentially.
A joint effort will let us lower the costs of supply chain management and improve the speed and efficiency of processing within the sector. If you are interested in joining this initiative, please contact the OMDS organisation.
