With expertise in the different aspects of terminal operations, Cosmos delivers technology-based solutions that dramatically reduce the global costs of gate operations and lead to higher operational efficiency, enhanced productivity and increased profits.
Truck handling at the terminal gates is controlled by the Gate Operating System. In order to process the gathered data, communication needs to be established between the customer's advanced Gate Operating System (GOS) and the Cosmos host application or Terminal Operating System (TOS). That is where the Automatic Gate System or AGS comes in.
Interfacing
AGS is the interfacing application between the GOS and the TOS. The GOS gathers truck and container data from administrative and physical checks. It transmits all relevant data to the TOS. Based on the received information, the TOS will perform the necessary validations, trigger respective processes to plan or pick up containers and generate the related moves.
Gate In Operations
-
Receive truck and container data from the GOS
-
Create truck calls
-
Administrative check of received containers
-
Register bundles
-
Physical check of received containers
-
Create moves
-
Return result to the GOS, optionally enhanced with customs document information
In case manual intervention is required, the GOS will be informed of this event, after which the gate becomes available again for the processing of a new truck call. The GOS will receive information about the execution of manual interventions by means of another dedicated communication channel.
Truck Driver Identification
The truck driver identification badge or Cargo Card, which provides every registered driver with his own electronic identity, was developed to aid and considerably speed up container terminal handling. Its main purpose is identification, registration and security.
During the administrative check the driver's badge is swiped through a badge reader. Data collected from this badge is sent via AGS to the host system. Truck calls will be linked to badge numbers. At the gate out the badge can be read again. This way for example OCR data of the pictures taken at the gate out can be linked to the truck call.
Truck Triggering
The GOS can inform the TOS of a truck arrival at a specific interchange zone on the terminal. The truck driver confirms his arrival at the interchange zone by means of the truck triggering devices (keyboard, card reader, ...). At that moment the TOS releases the moves for handling the units for this truck. This way moves are prevented from being released too early and transporters will not have to wait for trucks that have not arrived just yet.
Gate Out Operations
-
Receive truck and container data from the GOS
-
Validate containers loaded on truck at the Gate Out
-
Check whether all handlings are executed
-
Declare the call executed
-
Return data to the GOS in order to trigger EIR printout
Information Requests
At any point in the truck cycle the GOS can use requests to retrieve up-to-date information of a truck call to update the data available in the GOS or to control the gates, reprint documents, etc.
Communication
All communication between the GOS and the TOS is going via XML messages sent through a dedicated communication channel. A single XML message containing truck and container information, truck driver information or truck trigger data is sent to the TOS, split up into the different components and interpreted. A response is composed and a single XML message is sent back.
The communication with the client can be done via WebSphere MQ or TCP/IP sockets.