The first resounding success

The team achieved its first big success at the Pioneers Industry 4.0 hackathon in Linz (12-14.11.2018 Linz, Austria). In the 48-hour competition the team was given the task of creating a digital twin of a logistics package sorting system. The team implemented the full visualization, including the so-called time-travel analysis function, the visualization of raw PLC data, and the display of real-time video streams, which resulted in their victory.

What is the technological uniqueness of MaxWhere?

MaxWhere is based on the natural need of the human brain, i.e. to understand spatial information is more comfortable than the comprehension of abstract 2D data. Operators working with complex information make much fewer mistakes if the data is not displayed and handled in spreadsheets. Users need spatial organization and visual associations for efficient and quick orientation.

With the help of IoT sensors, MaxWhere can display the location of objects, physical properties, process status, metadata, e.g. the current state of an entity.

Go live: the EWG project

The knowledge and technology necessary to create a digital twin were already fully available when the demand arose from the EWG management (following the digital development trends and technological needs of the time) to create a functional virtual twin of the entire terminal. The project was a particularly exciting challenge for the MaxWhere team, as the digitization work progressed in parallel with the construction.

How does MaxWhere serve EWG's operations?

Through its virtual twin platform, MaxWhere serves the operation of the EWG Terminal in three major areas:

• Facility supervision
• Training, education
• Facility efficiency control with retrospective and predictive data processing

Let's see these three areas in detail!

Facility supervision

The performance of MaxWhere is proven by the fact that it is able to integrate completely independent systems in the virtual twin. MaxWhere acts as an operating system and simultaneously it connects different types of data from many sources:

• visualizes the location of objects (so it also fulfils a yard management role)
• communicates with an automatic character recognition system (OCR), which can read license plates and vehicle IDs
• follows the movement of cranes
• shows the movement of trains
• monitors the operation of railway safety systems
• shows the movement of the terminal's own vehicles, loading equipment, external vehicles (e.g. semi-trailer, container)
• visualizes the position of employees
• displays the images from the security camera system in virtual space and enables remote control of the cameras using pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) technology

Thanks to all this features, employing fewer and less qualified operators is sufficient. 3D visualization enables a quick and accurate,error-free overview of the area. As a result, employees can work in a less stressful work environment, which is reflected in HR costs, besides the positive financial consequences of operational efficiency.

The system’s other advantages are:

• automatic notifications based on camera images
• intrusion detection
• integration of fire and smoke alarms’ signals
• monitoring the status of the electrical system,including the backup power supply
• controlling of the lighting of the entire facility
• display of the status of gates and barriers
• visualization of the data of the railway scale system
• display of the image shown by the traffic control LED displays

All of these can be monitored in a virtual/digital twin, with time-synchronized data storage, and MaxWhere also supports the drawing of predictive and/or retrospective conclusions.

MawWhere for onboarding and training

With the complete mapping of the EWG area, realistic trainings, e. g. onboarding or safety training can be held in MaxWhere. This solution provides quick and thorough training without burdening or endangering the systems and this solution helps to avoid a good number of workplace accidents.

Data collection and analysis

MaxWhere enables the collection of data that permeate all systems, and based on it, retrospective and predictive data analysis using AI and data mining methods are possible. That is, thanks to data analysis, MaxWhere is able to show development opportunities, possible anomalies, and supports the visual representation of future trends. AI-based retrospective analyses, and prediction are tools for increasing efficiency and quality assurance. The continuous and automated data collection also enables the detailed investigation of emergency cases, which is also a serious cost optimization factor in the long term. The outcome of any legal or insurance case can be predicted using a systematic and detailed monitoring. This can save expenses of up to millions of Euros.

Importance of the project

Thanks to the visualization solutions, the efficiency of the EWG terminal will be outstanding: losses resulting from malfunctions can be prevented thanks to quick intervention, and long-term data analysis enables continuous optimization. The project has an outstanding impact on the region's labour market and technological development as well. The EWG presents high tech solutions, which significantly increases the technological development of the region. The terminal creates workplaces where employees can use world-class technologies.

In addition, MaxWhere's visualization and IoT integration solutions enable faster, more efficient work and immediate reaction, even with the help of remote control. Since MaxWhere has a video game-like UI, its use can be entrusted to less qualified employees. In addition, 3D visualization has been proven to be less mentally exhausting, which reduces the number of error possibilities. In addition, real-time visualization enables the information to reach the decision-maker quickly, for the rapid intervention. This ensures safer operation.