Ship-Shore Data Exchange via Messaging Server Partitions
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Solution Overview
Problem
The maritime industry faces challenges in seamless data communication between ships and shore-based facilities due to intermittent network connectivity, leading to isolated and duplicated customer data, error-prone data transfer, and difficulties in data analysis and revenue accounting.
Innovation Solution
A system and method for seamless data exchange between enterprise applications on ships and shore terminals, utilizing a messaging server with data partitions and routing modules to ensure real-time, automated data transfer with fault tolerance for network glitches.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If bulk data exports/imports are used for data transfer between ships and shore facilities, then data synchronization is achieved, but the process becomes error-prone, delayed, and labor-intensive
Solution Approach 1:
The system establishes event subscriptions and message routing configurations in advance before data transfer is needed. This allows the messaging infrastructure to be pre-configured to automatically route data events from ship applications to shore applications, eliminating the need for manual bulk export/import operations and reducing both errors and delays.
Solution Approach 2:
A messaging server acts as an intermediary between ship-based applications and shore-based applications. This mediator receives data events from ships, manages message routing, and delivers data to shore applications automatically, replacing the error-prone manual bulk transfer process with an automated intermediary-based system.
2Reliability
If applications are hosted independently on ships due to intermittent connectivity, then service availability is maintained, but data isolation and duplication occur
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements event-driven architecture where applications publish data events that are automatically routed to subscribers. This feedback mechanism ensures that when connectivity is restored, data changes are automatically propagated from ships to shore and vice versa, maintaining service availability while preventing data duplication through automated synchronization.
Solution Approach 2:
The system segments data into event-based messages that can be independently transmitted and routed. This segmentation allows data to be broken down into discrete events that can be handled individually, enabling selective synchronization that prevents duplication while maintaining availability during connectivity interruptions.
3Adaptability or versatility
If direct API connectivity is used between ship and shore applications, then integration is achieved, but system complexity increases due to connectivity constraints
Solution Approach 1:
The messaging server serves as an intermediary that simplifies integration by providing a standardized event subscription and publication interface. Applications don't need direct API connectivity to each other; instead, they publish events to the messaging server and subscribe to events of interest, reducing integration complexity while maintaining adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The messaging server provides universal communication capabilities that work across different applications and platforms. By implementing a standardized event-driven interface, the system achieves versatile application integration without requiring complex point-to-point API connections, as the messaging infrastructure handles routing universally.
4Productivity
If centralized data management is implemented, then data analysis and revenue accounting improve, but real-time data sharing is lost due to connectivity issues
Solution Approach 1:
The event-driven messaging system enables continuous data flow from ships to shore by automatically publishing and routing data events as they occur. This continuous action ensures real-time data availability for centralized analysis and revenue accounting, eliminating gaps caused by connectivity interruptions through automated event capture and transmission.
Solution Approach 2:
The system pre-configures event subscriptions and routing rules before data generation occurs. This preliminary setup ensures that when data events are generated on ships, they are automatically captured and routed to shore applications for real-time analysis, maintaining continuous data availability without requiring active manual intervention during connectivity windows.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method for exchanging data between a shore terminal and one or more ship terminals is illustrated. For this purpose, one or more data partitions are maintained in a message store at the shore terminal, wherein each data partition corresponds to a ship terminal from the one or more ship terminals. Further, one or more packets are received from enterprise applications running at the shore terminal. Packet comprises a payload and a meta-information, wherein the payload corresponds to data which is to be exchanged and the meta-information corresponds to an address associated with destination. Meta-information is used to store the received packets to their corresponding data partitions. Further, on establishing a stable network connection between the target ship and the message store, the payload is then transmitted from the data partitions at the message store to their corresponding destination.