LIFT - How it Works

Logica Intelligent Freight Transportation (LIFT) Solution consists of an intelligent onboard unit (OBU) known as LIFT Black Box (LBB) fitted to the container. The LBB is equipped with GPS capability. The LBB is capable of both GSM/GPRS and satellite connectivity. The choice of connectivity depends on factors like cost and availability of the medium. For example, it uses GPRS based communication when the cargo units move on road and satellite communication when at sea.

The communication unit transmits the data to the central station known as LIFT Backend System (LBS), which processes the LBB data and displays it to the user in a meaningful format on the LIFT Front-end System (LFS). Using LFS, user gets the real-time visibility of the containers.

The LBB device also interfaces with other sensors to obtain critical information about the container as well as its contents. LBB is capable of using short distance communication technology such as Zigbee, Wifi and Bluetooth technologies to obtain sensor data. Typically following sensors are also included as part of the LBB:

• E-LogiSeal – Provides authorised access and detects opening of the container doors and physical movement inside the container. It allows for better traceability on the activities pertaining to the container and guarantees its security
• Environmental Sensing Unit (ESU) – Detects parameters such as temperature and vibration as well as the humidity levels within the container. The unit also monitors CO2 Levels, infra-red emissions as well as nuclear radiation/ biohazard levels

Features:

• Real time tracking of containers on the web based interface – with colour coding for various statuses i.e. on schedule, delayed, misrouted etc
• Comprehensive device management – activate/de-activate a device, associate/de-associate a device with a container
• Comprehensive route plan – define and manage a detailed route plan including road schedule, rail schedule and ocean schedule
• Flexibility to define and execute workflows based on configurable settings: for example, sends out email alerts if container is accessed at an unscheduled time, or raises an alarm when a reefer container’s temperature exceeds a pre-defined threshold
• Ability to configure alerts based on various situations – delays, route deviations, threshold breach in environmental parameters etc
• Provides Web services that can be used by third party (legacy) systems to access the LIFT data, so that customers can create their own workflows specific to their needs and requirements
• Flexibility to configure the device based on the requirements of a particular shipment. For example, if a certain sensor is not required for a shipment, it can be de-activated, to save on communication costs and extend the battery
• Hosted on cloud so as to provide cost savings, reliability and scalability