Abstract. Autonomous control in logistic systems is characterized by the ability of logistic objects to process information, to render and to execute decisions on their own. This paper investigates whether the concept of the semantic mediator is applicable to the data integration problems arising from an application scenario of autonomous control in the transport logistics sector. Initially, characteristics of autonomous logistics processes are presented, highlighting the need for decentral data storage in such a paradigma. Subsequently, approaches towards data integration are examined. An application scenario exemplifying autonomous control in the field of transport logistics is presented and analysed, on the basis of which a concept, technical architecture and prototypical implementation of a semantic mediator is developed and described. A critical appraisal of the semantic mediator in the context of autonomous logistics processes concludes the paper, along with an outlook towards ongoing and future work.
The core vision put forward by the Internet of Things of networked, intelligent objects capable of taking autonomous decisions based on decentral information processing resonates strongly with research in the field of autonomous cooperating logistics processes. The characteristics of the IT landscape underlying autonomous cooperating logistics processes pose a number of challenges towards data integration. The heterogeneity of the data sources, their highly distributed nature along with their availability, make the application of traditional approaches problematic. The field of semantic data integration offers potential solutions to address these issues. This contribution aims to examine in what way an adequate approach towards data integration may be facilitated on that basis. It subsequently proposes a service-oriented, ontology-based mediation approach to data integration for an Internet of Things supporting autonomous cooperating logistics processes.
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