Authors:
A. Schuldt
;
K. A. Hribernik
;
J. D. Gehrke
;
K.-D. Thoben
and
O. Herzog
Affiliation:
University of Bremen, Germany
Keyword(s):
Agents, Cloud computing, Autonomous control in logistics, Internet of things, Fourth-party logistics.
Related
Ontology
Subjects/Areas/Topics:
Business Services Realized by IT Services
;
Cloud Application Architectures
;
Cloud Computing
;
Communication and Software Technologies and Architectures
;
e-Business
;
Enterprise Information Systems
;
Languages, Tools and Architectures
;
Model-Driven Software Development
;
Platforms and Applications
;
SAAS, PAAS, IAAS
;
Service-Oriented Architectures
;
Services Science
;
Software Engineering
;
Technology Platforms
Abstract:
Cloud computing denotes a paradigm shift in computing that enables a flexible allocation of hardware and software resources on demand. Therewith, it is particularly appealing for applications with a high degree of computational complexity and dynamics. This paper identifies logistics planning and control as a promising application for clouds. However, two prerequisites must be met for cloud-based logistics control. Firstly, the platform-as-a-service layer must provide a synchronisation of the physically distributed real-world material
flows and the data flows in the cloud. Secondly, appropriate and scalable control software must be implemented on the software-as-a-service layer. Apart from outlining the technical foundations, this paper describes how both steps enable a business model that is usually referred to as fourth-party logistics.