Gangyan Xu

IoT-based tracking and tracing platform for prepackaged food supply chain

The purpose of this paper is to propose an effective and economical management platform to realize real-time tracking and tracing for prepackaged food supply chain based on Internet of Things (IoT) technologies, and finally ensure a benign and safe food consumption environment.,Following service-oriented architecture, a flexible layered architecture of tracking and tracing platform for prepackaged food is developed. Besides, to reduce the implementation cost while realizing fine-grained tracking and tracing, an integrated solution of using both the QR code and radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag is proposed. Furthermore, Extensible Markup Language (XML) is adopted to facilitate the information sharing among applications and stakeholders.,The validity of the platform has been evaluated through a case study. First, the proposed platform is proved highly effective on realizing prepackaged food tracking and tracing throughout its supply chain, and can benefit all the stakeholders involved. Second, the integration of the QR code and RFID technologies is proved to be economical and could well ensure the real-time data collection. Third, the XML-based method is efficient to realize information sharing during the whole process.,The contributions of this paper lie in three aspects. First, the technical architecture of IoT-based tracking and tracing platform is developed. It could realize fine-grained tracking and tracing and could be flexible to adapt in many other areas. Second, the solution of integrating the QR code and RFID technologies is proposed, which could greatly decrease the cost of adopting the platform. Third, this platform enables the information sharing among all the involved stakeholders, which will further facilitate their cooperation on guaranteeing the quality and safety of prepackaged food.

Cloud-based smart asset management for urban flood control

ABSTRACT Urban flooding, frequently occurring in metropolitan areas, is one of the largest disasters worldwide. Albeit a large number of approaches and Enterprise Information Systems (EISs) have been designed for urban flood control, the ineffective management of physical assets has greatly impeded their deployment. Managing diverse physical assets is critical in urban flood control. Challenges exist in sharing assets and services between agencies, and ensuring real-time and flexible decision supports. This paper proposes a cloud-based asset management platform. Cloud technology is adopted for processing the huge amount of data collected by various physical assets and for providing flexible access interfaces. Service-oriented methods are applied to facilitate the sharing of assets and services and to enable the development of flexible and scalable Decision Support Systems (DSSs). Moreover, the concept of smart asset is introduced for remote real-time data collection, and the corresponding software agent model is developed to wrap these diverse assets, realising the UPnP (Universal Plug and Play) working mode. Finally, a case study on the urban flood control process of Guangqumen Bridge in Beijing is provided to illustrate the asset management processes of the proposed platform.

Robot-enabled execution system for perishables auction logistics

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to propose a concept of cloud auction robot (CAR) and its execution platform for transforming perishable food supply chain management. A new paradigm of goods-to-person auction execution model is proposed based on CARs. This paradigm can shift the management of traditional manual working to automated execution with great space and time saving. A scalable CAR-enabled execution system (CARES) is presented to manage logistics workflows, tasks and behavior of CAR-Agents in handling the real-time events and associated data. Design/methodology/approach An Internet of Things enabled auction environment is designed. The robot is used to pick up and deliver the auction products and commends are given to the robot in real-time. CARES architecture is proposed while integrating three core services from auction workflow management, auction task management, to auction execution control. A system prototype was developed to show its execution through physical emulations and experiments. Findings The CARES could well schedule the tasks for each robot to minimize their waiting time. The total execution time is reduced by 33 percent on average. Space utilization for each auction studio is improved by about 50 percent per day. Originality/value The CAR-enabled execution model and system is simulated and verified in a ubiquitous auction environment so as to upgrade the perishable food supply chain management into a new level which is automated and real-time. The proposed system is flexible to cope with different auction scenarios, such as different auction mechanisms and processes, with high reconfigurability and scalability.

A Physical Internet-enabled Building Information Modelling System For Prefabricated Construction

Prefabricated construction is believed to be energy conserving though opportunities for achieving higher energy efficiency have yet to be fully harnessed. From investigation of a prefabricated construction project in Hong Kong, two main problems have been revealed relating to energy consumption, including: (i) inefficient management of resources such as labours and machines, and (ii) inefficient production, transportation, and on-site assembly of prefabricated components. These problems are primarily caused by lagged information communication and human errors. This paper seeks to offer a solution by developing a Physical Internet-enabled Building Information Modelling System (PI-BIMS) that integrates Auto-ID technologies, BIM, and cloud computing. The PI-BIMS enables real-time collection, communication, and visualisation of information across the processes of production, transportation, and on-site assembly. Practical issues of the system implementation are provided through a pilot prototype. It is found that the PI-BIMS helps enhance the resource allocation efficiency and decrease human errors. Thus, an alternative opportunity to improve energy efficiency in prefabricated construction has become possible.

Cloud Asset-enabled Prefabrication Transportation Service for public housing production in Hong Kong

Prefabrication construction heavily relies on the efficiency and effectiveness of transportation since all the precast components must be delivered from prefabrication production manufacturers to construction sites for final assembly. Aiming at improving the operations and decision-making processes during prefabrication transportation, this paper proposes a Cloud Asset-enabled Prefabrication Transportation Service (CAPTSE), which could effectively facilitate the cross-border transportation in delivering these precast components. Several innovations are highlighted in CAPTSE. First of all, the concept of cloud asset is adopted to wrap various construction resources involved in the transportation phase, so that they could be uniquely identified, have the ability to sense their real-time status, and be managed remotely. Secondly, a rich set of services is developed in CAPTSE based on Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) which makes it an easy-to-deploy and flexible-to-access platform. Based on these services, different stakeholders in prefabrication transportation are able to make decisions efficiently according to the real-time data collected. Finally, a case study is presented to demonstrate the feasibility and practicality of CAPTSE in Hong Kong.

An integrated cloud platform for cooperative smart asset management in urban flood control

Urban flood control has become an important issue for both city planners and researchers as flood is one of the most severe natural disasters for large cities. Although many measures have been implemented for urban flood control, the effectiveness and efficiency is greatly hampered by the poor management of physical assets. In urban flood control, managing physical assets is challenging as it involves a complex asset base with the dispersion of asset allocations, management processes, and information systems. To address these challenges, this paper proposes an integrated asset management platform for urban flood control. Cloud technology is adopted to provide whole life cycle management of physical assets by integrating various management processes and information systems. It also enables the cooperative management between sectors. Besides, the concept of smart asset is introduced to realize remote management and real-time data collection from these assets. In the end, a case study is also given to demonstrate the working procedural of managing a typical smart asset through the proposed cloud platform.

A bilevel model for transportation service sharing in Supply Hub in Industrial Park (SHIP)

Supply Hub in Industrial Park (SHIP) can provide transportation service sharing by dispatching a vehicle to circulate multiple manufacturers to cover their delivery requirements. This paper discusses how Supply Hub in Industrial Park (SHIP) and manufacturers interact to optimize their decisions on transportation pricing and milk-run cycle time, and the delivery schedules of raw materials. This problem is modeled as a bilevel program with the SHIP as the leader and manufacturers as followers. A numerical study is conducted to examine the influence of major parameters.