A technological platform for designing real-time decision tools in transportation logistics

During the last years, the transportation industry has been involved in important new challenges to cope the changes in production and logistical systems. Just-In- Time procurement and quick and efficient consumer response are some of the reasons why the transportation industry has recognized the need to incorporate new information technologies such as Global Positioning System (GPS), Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) and Internet.These technologies can enhance the capabilities to optimize the transport operations since they provide the necessary information required to perform real-time decision making. This paper presents the laboratory environment that is being developed for the design of real-time decision tools for the transportation industry.