The California Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) has awarded a $8 million grant to upgrade the Port of Los Angeles’ Port Optimizer digital data portal.
The award was reportedly the largest of five GO-Biz awards worth $27 million to improve data and supply chain functioning across California’s port network.
GO-Biz Director and Senior Advisor to Governor, Gavin Newsom, Dee Dee Myers, said: “We’re thrilled that this GO-Biz grant to the Port of Los Angeles will help fund three new components to its well-established Port Optimizer technology.
“Our state’s ports are critical to the stability of our national and global supply chains, and these historic grants will allow California ports and its stakeholders to benefit from its data sharing capabilities.”
Port of Los Angeles Executive Director, Gene Seroka, stated: “This GO-Biz funding will help the Port of Los Angeles accelerate our proven technology, the Port Optimizer, to further improve efficiency, lower impacts on our communities and make us more competitive.
“We’re grateful to the state of California and GO-Biz for being the first state to step up with policy and funding to enhance supply chain digitalisation.”
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The Port Optimizer, which was launched in 2017 and is the first port community data platform of its kind in North America, is a cloud-based information portal that digitises marine shipping data for cargo owners and supply chain stakeholders via a secure single access point.
By integrating data from throughout the port ecosystem, the portal improves the efficiency of ports and the supply chain, allowing cargo owners to deliver their commodities to market more predictably and on schedule.
The $8 million GO-Biz funding will hasten the development and launch of three new improvement tools for the Port Optimizer.
The grant will fund additional modifications to the port’s truck appointment system, which is presently being developed.
According to the Port of Los Angeles, the grant will enable interoperability with the Port of Long Beach, providing bay-wide coverage for a new universal truck appointment system that will make it easier to identify, move, and manage containers within the San Pedro Bay port complex.
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It will also provide funding for the development of a new California Ports Mobile Application (CalPorts) providing mobile access to the Port Optimizer and other port dashboards when available.
CalPorts will make it simpler for California ports to communicate and receive data such as cargo status, reducing supply chain disruptions and allowing stakeholders to predict operational concerns.
The Port Optimizer will now include an online portal for tracking the carbon effect of port activities.
Once constructed, the gateway will offer users with near-real-time Green Asset Scores based on particle and GHG emissions from rail, trucking, vessels, and on-port equipment.
Using this score, the gateway will assist Port Optimizer stakeholders in determining more optimum routes that balance cargo speed and pollution implications.
