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Keeping abreast of the container tracking trail
01 Jun 2007
Despite the most advanced software solutions in use, every terminal will occasionally misplace containers, particularly if drivers may not always be able to correctly execute the instructions they receive. To avoid this, Cosmos in Belgium has integrated differential Global Positioning System (DGPS) technology into its applications, resulting in higher operational efficiency of terminal operations.
Cosmos says DGPS solutions can be implemented for a variety of applications, going from a standard container positioning system to a more sophisticated automated system using complex fleet management and automatic steering for rubber-tyred gantries.
In like manner, Savcor in Finland has developed its own solution to find containers misplaced by straddle carriers.
Known as the RAAS algorithm,it is designed to overcome a fundamental difficulty with straddle carriers, namely that during each work cycle, the carrier will pass under the crane, and the GPS receiver will lose GPS satellite signals.
The result is that if the resulting position error exceeds a certain value the container slot in the next row seems to be closer than the true slot, and the target slot is incorrectly identified.
