Shipping decision support system

Abstract

Shipping is without doubt the main prime mover of world trade, and is also very international, involving parties from all parts of the world. With globalization, shipping has become increasingly complex and competitive, and decision makers who lag in the process will find themselves easily out of the market. As such, it is of vital importance that decision makers are able to cope with the pace and complexity of the shipping industry, and come out making highly efficient and effective decisions. However, in light of the current situation, human decision making has already reached the limit. As such, Decision Support Systems (DSS) are the next frontier that remains to be explored to help make better and more accurate decisions. DSS have been around for some time, and much research have been conducted for an optimal system. However, the concept has never been favorably adopted by the shipping industry. That is set to change, as our research paper aims to identify the factors that players in the shipping industry look out for in a DSS. Interviews have been conducted to identify the technical features suitable for use in various shipping fields, as well as intensive research and analysis to come up with the ideal integrated system for shipping. Manuals of current shipping DSS, scientific literature, journals and databases have provided sufficient content for the basis of research. The research paper also seeks to pave the way for future work to be done in this area, and to provide a cornerstone for future research to be based off. We have delved into additional features that are commonly found in software programs that can be incorporated into the integrated system.