IMFD Director participates in the launch of open logistics platform in Chile

January 2021.- Logistics is one of the areas in which data generation and the need to manage it, in order to improve efficiency at all levels, becomes indispensable.

In this context, the Conecta Logística initiative, from the Ministry of Transport and Telecommunications and Corfo, recently presented a new tool for accessing updated and current information in this field: on the site Observatoriologistico.cl processed data is gathered on road, rail, maritime and air transport, as well as information on foreign trade, country indicators, infrastructure, environment and energy.

“In 2011 we began studying the design of a system to process and publish data and indicators, mainly from public sources. Today we have a robust and useful instrument for all stakeholders in the logistics field. Now we need to take another step forward and actively involve the private sector, in order to have more and better information, as well as academia, so it can contribute methodologies and applied research based on this information,” said the Minister of Transport and Telecommunications, Gloria Hutt, at the event.

For Marcelo Arenas, director of the Millennium Institute for Foundational Research on Data (IMFD) and speaker at this event, Chile faces significant challenges in advancing the use of data science and it is essential to foster a relationship between academia, the public sector and the private sector. “We face the growing generation of data from various sources, we have an infrastructure that still does not allow us to use that information efficiently, and we lack specialized human capital,” he states.

The keys to a successful project

In addition, Arenas –who is a Full Professor at the Depto. de Ciencia de la Computación de la U. Católica– commented that successful innovation projects stand out for shared characteristics: they are institutions or companies aware of the value of data for decision-making, that need to analyze it and are able to identify their real needs.

“Data has the capacity to benefit society as a whole, but only if it is approached with scientific rigor in concrete problems that affect the country. This way, we have a sure path to keep moving forward on,” he indicated.

IMFD is developing a data-based innovation project with Conecta Logística, which seeks to apply mathematical methods to strengthen statistics and predict patterns.

Traceability and information in logistics

Meanwhile, the results of the Barómetro Logístico survey, presented at the event by Mauricio Casanova, representative of the MTT Logistics Development Program, revealed that 63% of companies in the area have access to a cargo traceability system and 43% have integrated information systems with other players in the logistics chain that enable online data transmission. Now, only 22% of companies have developed R&D projects related to logistics.

For his part, Fernando Hentzschel, Manager of Technological Capabilities at Corfo, explained that the Observatorio Logístico, along with the Barómetro, are resources that the institution makes available to all stakeholders in the field and to society in general, hoping to foster and facilitate public-private and academic collaboration, positioning Chile as a benchmark in logistics performance.