Port Planning ZEN
HafenplanZen: Strategic Port Planning Based on Digital Twins
Motivation
One of the core tasks of ports is strategic planning for development of the port. This planning involves setting guidelines and outlining a development vision. The measures to implement a new port design (e.g., construction of a hydrogen terminal, changes in traffic management) are typically planned in a decentralized manner, and the interactions between individual measures are manually and lengthily evaluated by specialized personnel. By not considering or only partially examining these interactions, many opportunities such as parallelization, emission reduction, and efficiency improvement are not fully utilized.
Project Objective
The goal of HafenplanZen is to enhance the quality of strategic port planning and the measures represented therein through comprehensive simulations. The objective is to develop a prototype of a digital port master planning tool based on the concept of digital twins. By employing innovative interfaces and optimization algorithms, the port planning process will have access to new information and decision-making foundations.
Solution Approach
A prototype of a digitally applicable port master planning tool will be developed and tested, explored, and evaluated through a pilot application using a scenario in the Port of Hamburg. Ensuring that the digital port master planning tool is universally applicable and can be used for various maritime and inland ports is of primary importance. To achieve this, the project will investigate the requirements derived from the traditional port master planning and measure planning processes. The core component of the tool will be a simulation-capable Digital Twin of the port, comprising different modules that represent the processes in various areas of the port and the movements of vehicles (ships, trucks, trains) within the port. Aspects such as emission generation and dispersion are also considered. An optimizer will be developed for the digital twin to assist users in varying input parameters. Additionally, for collaborative use of the tool by multiple users on a specialized touch table, a 3D visualization will be developed, presenting the port geometry, input, and output data in a user-friendly manner. Augmented reality interfaces will be employed to engage non-specialist user groups, such as citizens, in the planning process and improve it through direct feedback.