Guest writer – Data management in the Port of Naantali
Solution provider’s point of view
Atte Rotko, Wellamo Data Oy
Pioneer of integration
The Port of Naantali was supplied with the first software designed for the management of the port’s situational picture and data of vessel and goods transports and invoicing by Wellamo Data in 1996. Already the next year, a Portnet interface was implemented in it, as the first port in the country as far as I know. At the time it was ground-breaking, almost pioneering work. The WD.Net software currently used by the Port of Naantali and the small applications that support it include a total of around ten integrations to the external systems of different providers. Data flows in and out, and in some interfaces it moves in both directions. Integration will continue to remain an important factor in the future as well.
Supply process in flow mode
From the very beginning, a supply process automated as far as possible has been a requirement in Naantali. At first it meant mainly automated pricing and invoice creation based on the received traffic information. At present, the automatic features of the software take many different points of view into account in their decision-making. Programmed as self-guided, these processes have been expanded to cover, for example, instructions to vessels, real-time traffic monitoring, situational reports, communication occasions, and other activities that support efficient and safe vessel calls on the port.
Dynamics in quality management
The Port of Naantali’s certified quality, environmental and safety management system has been imported to SharePoint environment into a dynamic entity. The system offers its users a route for proceeding intuitively in graphically described processes and operating instructions related thereto, and other documentation. To lay the basis for that, dozens of workshops were held with the Port staff to describe the operating processes. In conjunction with them, a number of improvements were made for safety and efficiency, with regard to the international standards and best practices. It was a very informative project for myself as the leader and surely for the Port staff as experts.
We have also implemented a deviation and feedback system as a practical tool for both work in the field and to support the management group’s point of view. In SharePoint the system has been enriched to support the systematic processing of matters in team work as well as, for example, audit situations.
Port of Naantali’s IT ecosystem goes beneath the surface
This is naturally not a description of the entire ecosystem. The Port of Naantali’s data management solutions are on the surface and beneath the surface in all core processes. I have also had the chance to participate, for example, in a smart fairway project in which the status and sensors of seafaring safety equipment are both controlled and followed by computer. In addition, the Port has invested a great deal in the digitalisation of the environment regarding the planning and guidance of use and maintenance, both on the surface of the sea and beneath it. To name just a few examples.
Atte Rotko