Portuguese ports among the most technologically innovative in the world

The pioneering 3Port software tool, developed by the Institute of Systems and Computer Engineering, Technology and Science(INESCT TEC), supports a range of port authority business processes, from port traffic to security and licensing. It also includes a public interface that allows all interested parties to monitor port activity in real time.

Since September, the ports of Leixões and Viana do Castelo have been using this innovative tool, in a pilot initiative that makes them two of the most technologically advanced ports in the world. The expectation is that 3Port will become an indispensable tool for the port authorities' technical services, ensuring greater efficiency in processes, better support for decision-making and lower operating costs. Together, these effects could boost the sustainable growth of port activities. 

The publicly accessible part of 3Port, based on the Live Map (one of eight modules that make up 3Port), is an excellent way of publicizing the port to the general public. It offers real-time, freely accessible information on port traffic; this information is easily integrated with panoramic views of the port, with the Google and the social network Facebook. Live Map also has the facility of being adapted to mobile devices (tablets e smartphones), without having to download an application, as the system is adaptable to any browser. 3Port itself is based on open source web.

INESC TEC's team on this project, led by Lino Oliveira, highlights the technology transfer triangle created, on which the project's success is based: INESCT TEC as the research center, producer of the innovation; the company TRIEDE TTI as the taker of the innovation and producer of the solution; and the Administração dos Portos do Douro, Leixões e Viana do Castelo (APDL) as the taker of the solution and the one who identifies the requirements. 

There are good prospects for expanding 3Port to other ports in Portugal and abroad. The tool has already been presented in Brazil, Chile, Peru and Angola, and has received a great deal of recognition; the objectives of the researchers and TRIEDE TTI include the CPLP countries and Latin America. 

This year, 2015, marks the 30th anniversary of INESCT TEC, one of the national research centers funded by FCT. Over the last three decades, INESCT TEC, which brings together 12 centers and 700 researchers, has managed, with great success, to apply the knowledge and results generated in fundamental research in technology transfer projects, with a notable impact on society and the economy. In the last evaluation of R&D units carried out by FCT, INESC TEC was among the 60 centers classified as Excellent.

(Image credits: INESC TEC)