Maps have progressed from being just a visual depiction of Geospatial information to a full-fledged 'Visualization + Analytics + Data Management' platform. The ability to query large geospatial datasets and get meaningful insights in quick time on a GIS (Geographic Information System) platform can be greatly attributed to the advances in computing. With advances in wireless data communication (5G and others) expected to trigger an industrial revolution of sorts, it would not be far-fetched to assume that the capability of Mapping Technology could reach Minority Report proportions.
The technology is quite powerful in its present form as well. Mapping & Optimizing a Supply Chain Network and its associated Flows can be a good example to demonstrate this - managing a Supply Chain does entail arriving at important 'Location decisions' all the time. Here's a video on how General Motors (GM) goes about doing so. Through my training, I aim to highlight some of the capabilities of map-based solutions for Supply Chain Planning below-
Upstream Planning: Consider any company which is into the manufacturing of a packaged food product - for eg. Cornflakes. It can procure the Raw Material (Maize) from multiple farmers near its plant(s). Transportation cost is directly proportional to the Distance traveled. We have used mapping tech. to plan the RM Procurement better -
Tool used - Ring Buffers
As the name of the tool (Ring Buffers) implies, initially I have plotted the farmlands where the company procures Raw Material (Maize) from as well as its Manufacturing plants on a map and created a Distance Buffer, denoted by Rings of 15, 30 and 50 kms respectively. This piece of visual analytics can help the organization to prioritize which farmlands to initially procure from based on its proximity characteristics.
Tool used - Drive Time
While Ring Buffers computes Distance based on Euclidean principle (Straight-line distance between two points), we know that in reality the time taken to travel between two locations depends on Road Connectivity and Terrain conditions (Uphill / Downhill / Flat) as well. The Drive Time tool helps address this shortcoming of Ring Buffers. For the three manufacturing plants, I have plotted on the map (as seen above) a 45-minute Drive Time for a Truck i.e. the maximum distance that a truck can be expected to cover in 45 minutes beginning from the manufacturing plants across any direction. As you would observe, the Coverage Output is not the same across the 3 plants - unlike the Euclidean Ring Buffer output. In reality, as demonstrated by the Drive Time tool, a duration of 45-minutes would only cover a short distance from Plant A whereas it would cover a much longer distance from Plant B due to better road connectivity for the latter. Another way to explain this is a Farmland may be located within the 15 km Ring Buffer technically but it may take much longer than 45 minutes to reach there whereas another Farmland can easily have a coverage of 15 kms+ in the same 45 minutes.
Midstream Planning: In this example, the Corn Flakes manufacturer is affected by a Customer-facing disruption and uses mapping technology to address it.
Normally, Finished Goods are transported from the manufacturing units to two warehouses. Due to floods in a nearby area, a warehouse has gone offline and therefore, a temporary storage location needs to be identified soon-
While I am not showing the processing steps in this article, I will explain the final output generated as seen below-
The new feature added to the map is the 'Wagon Wheel' - The large wagon wheel in the map depiction above is the existing online warehouse while the two small wagon wheels represent the location of the temporary storage locations that the manufacturer has to evaluate and select one.
Each Feature on the map i.e. each temporary storage location, has Attributes (Vector information) mentioned against it - see the bottom of the image. Certain Attributes were readily available and locked in against the Feature using the 'Summarize' tool, such as Cost to Hire and Capacity / Size of Storage Location, whereas other attributes were 'derived' using the 'Combine' tool - for example, the 'Sum Output' field has been calculated using a Distance constraint - how much Finished Goods can be conveniently transported within the stipulated time (based on the Plant's location within the Ring Buffer) to that particular temporary storage site.
A decision maker can compare several other Attributes to answer questions such as 'How much capacity is required at the new W/H ?', 'What are the Cost v/s Capacity considerations?', 'What should be the Safety Stock threshold ?', 'Should the new W/H be made permanent considering the Risk outlook as well as Growth plans?', and so on. Refer my detailed work on this topic, here.
Notice that a Map-based depiction stimulates Visual Analysis and develop a perspective to look at the current situation in a balanced and a holistic manner. This is a major benefit over, let's say a purely Spreadsheet-based output.
Downstream Planning: In this example, the Corn flakes manufacturer needs to optimize the logistics flow from its 2 Warehouses to its 7 Wholesalers.
The Manufacturer owns 2 Trucks - one for each Warehouse respectively. The Trucks need to return to the Warehouse after making all the deliveries to the Wholesalers during the day. Also, it is known that each Fulfillment Layover at the Wholesaler is 20 minutes.
Routing is a mathematical technique to solve Network Optimization problems - you may have been exposed to this technique during high school - we will use the same technique, albeit on a GIS / Mapping Technology platform to generate a Logistics Scheduling output. Having fed the constraints / criteria listed in the previous paragraph onto the software's 'Routing' tool, the output is generated as above. The red Rhombuses are the Wholesaler locations whereas the Green and Purple lines denote the individual Truck routes from the Warehouse to the Wholesalers and back. The Routing tool minimizes the overall Transportation Time (and in essence Transportation Cost due to the Time-Distance-Cost linkage) in order to identify the optimal route schedule by which each of the Wholesaler orders can be fulfilled by the available resources (2 Trucks).
Alongside the Map-based visual depiction, the Attributes are also updated in software against the data layer in the form of a 'Route Plan'. For example, the Route plan of Truck No. 1 (Blue Route) is as below -
It is possible to add several other constraints in Routing workflows such as Type of Freight, Vehicle Dimensions, Carbon Footprint, Customer Demand Fluctuations. One can add Empty Container pickup plans in the Delivery schedule as well so that the Trucks utilize its return journey just as well, thereby promoting logistical efficiency. Also, by integrating GPS data using Sensors, it is also possible to monitor and adjust the Logistics schedule based on changes in Traffic conditions, Customer requirements and Disruptions on a near-Real Time basis.
To conclude, GIS / Map-based technology platforms can help visualize, manage, analyze and optimize Supply Chain-related workflows. The examples discussed above use are demonstration of just a few of the Geoprocessing tools available - there is a vast repository of Geoprocessing tools which can aid users in processing Geodata effectively and gather new, previously unknown Insights to arrive at better decisions.
When Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India announced the massive Financial Package in his address to the nation on May 12th this year, he stressed on the importance of Supply Chain 8 times during his speech! This reflects the importance he places on Supply Chain efficiency for a successful India in the post-Covid world order. GIS i.e. Mapping Technology, in my view, represents a scientific way of accomplishing this objective.
ABOUT US
Intelloc Mapping Services | Mapmyops.com is based in Kolkata, India and engages in providing Mapping solutions that can be integrated with Operations Planning, Design and Audit workflows. These include but are not limited to - Drone Services, Subsurface Mapping Services, Location Analytics & App Development, Supply Chain Services, Remote Sensing Services & Wastewater Treatment. The services can be rendered pan-India, some even globally, and will aid an organization to meet its stated objectives especially pertaining to Operational Excellence, Cost Reduction, Sustainability and Growth.
Broadly, our area of expertise can be split into two categories - Geographic Mapping and Operations Mapping. The Infographic below highlights our capabilities.
Our 'Mapping for Operations'-themed workflow demonstrations can be accessed from the firm's Website / YouTube Channel and an overview can be obtained from this flyer. Happy to address queries and respond to documented requirements. Custom Demonstration, Training & Trials are facilitated only on a paid-basis. Looking forward to being of service.
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