The VITS project addresses the need for a better co-ordination of services and information requirement in a terminal. There is a huge potential to improve the current situation and keywords are: integration of systems, sharing of information, operating a dynamic organisation (virtual), and mobile communications in a terminal. To succeed with these goals, we will look at how to apply technology to integrate different systems, either as web-services or as a direct link to the different systems used in a ter minal. The virtual organisation will be task driven and consists of internal resources, as well as external. It must contain information both on the equipments and human resources. For example can many companies in the terminal share one person with speci al dangerous goods knowledge. An important access point to information is the use of mobile units, for example a PDA, where the workers can report statuses on progress on a work task. Succeeding on these issues will enable the terminal to be more efficie nt, the load and transport units will be better utilised since the information is available to all parties, and the terminal will give better services to the users by improving the co-operation with its business partners at the terminal.
Today’s situatio n in the majority of terminals shows the need for a better organisational structure. More efficiency is possible if the conditions and the infrastructure are better coordinated. The different actors involved in terminal activities are often operating for themselves. Several actors are often doing almost the same job for different companies, such as gathering information from a transport means entering a terminal. Another element with terminal performance is to avoid waiting time, and to have a flexible o rganisation of the workers in a terminal. That means the workers and equipment can be allocated to other tasks while waiting to serve already planned allocated tasks.