The PORTOPIA project, which started in 2013, aimed at the development of key performance data for European ports and the accompanying ICT tools facilitating data collection and analysis, assisting the industry in moving towards a more sustainable and competitive port system. The project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme for research, technological development and demonstration.
Based on the 4-year project, four main tools were produced and tested by port stakeholders, using state-of-the-art Cloud technology: the Rapid Exchange System+, the environmental dashboards, port governance trends analysis and a user perception measurement tool. In terms of indicators and insights in several perspectives, two integrated industry performance reports, with clear links to port policy and strategy, were presented. The 2017 EU Port Industry Sustainability Report is available here. The report offers both insights from project generated data through the tools developed, and further includes other elements such as EU-tailored insights from the World Bank, UNCTAD and World Economic Forum tools and publications.
Beyond the developed tools, statistics and the indicators, PORTOPIA has foremost dealt with creating a culture of transparency and trust, as well as value-creating technologies to deal with performance and analysis. It therefore lies a solid basis for further developments highlighting the performance of the European seaport industry to their stakeholders, supporting better relations and improved strategic decision-making on the individual, regional and international level when it comes to the management of port infrastructure and services.
All public deliverables can be found here.
Source and image credit ESPO