ALC welcomes move but notes success will depend on participation
State department Transport for NSW (TfNSW) has opened a Freight Data Hub (FDH), to applause from the Australian Logistics Council (ALC).
The department says its goal is “to deliver freight policy and infrastructure more effectively and efficiently by using data to spur innovation and economic growth.
“Publishing freight data will support evidence-based policy, improve transparency and accountability and provide a platform for innovation.”
The hub has four main aspects: a Freight Performance Dashboard, Strategic Freight Forecasts, an Open Data Hub and at TCA Telematics Data portal.
There are also freight mode and facility measures for rail, road, port, airport and other, along with links to other state and federal bodies.
Read about the points emanating from the ALC’s tech and data summit, here
The ALC sees the move in the most positive light.
“TfNSW is to be congratulated for its leadership in launching this Freight Data Hub, and providing industry and the community with fresh insights into the way freight is moving around NSW, and freight performance at key trading gateways,” ALC CEO Kirk Coningham says.
“In the lead-up to the release of the National Freight and Supply Chain Strategy earlier this year, there was widespread acknowledgement that improving the quality and quantity of data available regarding freight movement was essential.
“This thinking drove the federal government’s decision to allocate $8.5 million to design and pilot a National Freight Data Hub.
“However, the ultimate success of that national project will depend on industry participants being convinced that contributing their data will deliver beneficial outcomes, including a better overall visualisation of how freight moves through the supply chain, the prioritisation of investment on key freight routes, and the identification of bottlenecks and other challenges that inhibit efficient freight movement.
“The Freight Data Hub that TfNSW has now launched is a powerful demonstration of how key freight data can be presented in a manner that is useful to freight logistics companies, investors and government decision-makers alike.
“Importantly, the project will also build industry confidence that data can be shared in a manner which provides useful information to industry and governments, but still protects commercially sensitive information relating to individual operators and customers.
“ALC warmly congratulates TfNSW on the launch of its Freight Data Hub, as well as ALC members NSW Ports and Port of Newcastle for their involvement in the project.”
The FDH can be accessed here.