DEVELOPMENT OF A WEB 2.0 GOOGLE MAP INTERFACE FOR A REAL TIME DYNAMIC VEHICLE ROUTING SYSTEM

Abstract

Logistics Management is an important aspect of every company’s operation. Regardless of how good the product of the company is, if the company cannot get the product delivered to its customers in a timely and reliable manner, it would not be very favourable in the eyes of its customers. Many options exist for managers of the company to plan and execute their Logistics Management. They can choose to manage it within the company or outsource it to Logistics Service Providers (LSPs). In this project, perspectives of both the company’s managers as well as those of the LSPs are considered. • The first part of this report concerns with the point of view of companies that requires logistics services. The pros and cons of outsourcing the company’s Logistics Management are explored and elaborated to determine in what way it can be better than the traditional method of managing logistics in-house. From there, recommendations on important aspect of managing a successful outsourcing relationship would be examined and recommended to these companies’ managers. • The second part of this report concerns with the point of view of companies that provide logistics services (LSPs). The infrastructures needed for the LSPs (especially Third Party LSPs) to effectively carry out their specialised functionalities are explored with special attention paid to Information Technology (IT) infrastructure. This IT system would enable the LSPs to have immediate access to information, conduct careful planning for optimised operations, especially delivery routes. Detailed requirements and implementations of the system would be covered and various vehicle routing algorithms behind the system would be examined.