Towards intuitive visualisation goals for the operation optimisation of automated container terminal based on digital twin technology

Automated container terminals (ACTs) face many challenges in operation improvement. This research comprehensively analyses the challenges and requirements of ACT operation from two aspects—equipment and operation management. Moreover, this research summarises the advantages of a digital twin; meanwhile, the potential solutions associated with the digital twin are analysed through various cases in different domains. Furthermore, a feasibility analysis is presented, which describes the implementation method related to the advantages of the digital twin in ACT operation optimisation. Lastly, a case study of the New Qianwan automated terminal of Qingdao Port is used to describe the systematic development of the digital twin system. This system can realise real-time monitoring of ACT operation, real-time operation analysis, and real-time abnormal detection of the loading and unloading process. This study illustrates the effectiveness of digital twin technology adopted in the ACT.