Testing and results
The eCMR cross-border prototype under DIGINNO-Proto project was developed in two stages:
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Architecture development: the concept was evolved with the project team between August 2019 and January 2020, with the mapping of the functioning of the proposed solution and drafting the requirements and tender documentation;
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Technical development took place between April and September 2020 by contractual partner FITEK EDI, selected through public procurement (Tender nr 218902 “eCMR prototype development and testing”).
The concept involved a logic of not uploading any eCMR documents to the central database, but linking them via national indexing scheme.
The prototype involved the digital availability of a CMR document (preferred machine-readable) and a mechanism of indexing of such documents across the partner countries via an indexing scheme.
Prototyping outcomes at the infrastructure level:
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eCMR index registries installed in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland
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Data exchange was enabled between eCMR index registries using distributed ledger technology (DLT)
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API defined to exchange information between EDI provider and eCMR index registry
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A graphical user interface for testing was created
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Live testing has been carried out in four project countries
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The project documentation created:
- API specification
- User manuals: adding eCMR index registries, administrating users, etc.
- Process description and tested use cases with code examples
- Final report and conclusions
The developed prototype functionality includes:
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adding or updating eCMR indexes in eCMR index registry
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eCMR index search options by unique ID or vehicle/trailer plate number
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possibility to check who and when added, updated, or viewed eCMR index data.
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user rights based on two groups: “government” and “business” (extra groups can be easily added or removed).
Cross-border prototype testing was carried out across all participating countries – Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland - in August and September 2020 in cooperation with governmental institutions (Tax and Customs Board, Police, Road Administration, etc.) together with private sector eCMR service providers and road carriers.
Selected sample rides with the different scenarios were tested. Testing involved remote eCMR control from offices, roadside checks, and testing while using the road and border cameras. During and after the testing, the feedback was collected to analyze the user experience and to map the expectations on how the use of real-time freight information may reduce paperwork in the logistics sector in the future.
The partners of the project and testing could successfully experience in practice how the eCMR issued in one country is visible in the information systems of another country.
eCMR cross-border prototype technical solution, development and testing process, deliverables, and conclusions are described in the final report and its annexes. The software developed during the project is to be distributed under a free-software license.
Project materials:
Final Report and Annexes
eCMR Prototype Project Parties
The source code of the prototype developed is available as free software from KOODIVARAMU code repository.
Videos for sharing:
DIGINNO-Proto summary video (short version)
DIGINNO-Proto summary video (long version)
