Technological trajectories and scenarios in seaport digitalization

Digitalization has become a widely used term both in professional language and in scientific literature. It may be seen as a manifestation of technological progression which has been traditionally given a strong emphasis in theories of economic growth. The roots of digitalization are thus old, but the terminology has experienced rapid growth during the last decades. This paper focuses on the future prospects of digitalization in Finnish ports operating international trade and transports. In the case of transport, logistics, and ports the public sector has, mainly through ministries and offices focusing on economic development and employment, initiated numerous development programs with foresight ambitions. Commonly, these programs have a mid-range target setting referring to a 5–10-years time span into the future. The primary data is collected from two workshops (group interviews). As a result, the research identifies the main drivers and technologies that are significant for port digitalization. These are discussed in the context of three alternative scenarios: Digital supremacy; business as usual; and digital failure. These three scenarios are classified with SWOT (Strengths; Weaknesses; Opportunities; Threats) and PESTEL (Political; Economic; Social; Technological; Environmental; Legal) frameworks. It is assumed that the actualized future development will follow the mid-sections of the scenarios depending on global trends in politics and trade that impact the supply and demand that underlie the need for transport.

• Record URL:
  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rtbm.2021.100633
• Record URL:
  http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S221053952100016X
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/22105395
• Supplemental Notes:
  • © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Abstract reprinted with permission of Elsevier.
• Authors:
  • Inkinen, Tommi
  • Helminen, Reima
  • Saarikoski, Janne
• Publication Date: 2021-12

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: References; Tables;
• Serial:
  • Research in Transportation Business & Management
  • Volume: 41
  • Issue Number: 0
  • Publisher: Elsevier
  • ISSN: 2210-5395
  • Serial URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/22105395

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Economic development; Seaports; Technological innovations
• Geographic Terms: Finland
• Subject Areas: Data and Information Technology; Marine Transportation; Planning and Forecasting;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01769295
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Apr 9 2021 5:33PM