The objective of the consultancy was to define data exchange standards in order to ensure interoperability between the different actors in the foreign trade process in a Port Community System (PCS) environment, with high levels of information security and transparency.

The activities carried out consisted of:

• Survey of the state of the art in matters relating to international standards of information exchange for the Single Window for Foreign Trade (Ventanilla Única de Comercio Exterior, VUCE) and PCS.
• Characterization of the standards used in existing management and coordination systems.
• Development of a model of data exchange standards that includes all the components for a PCS.
• Development of design and implementation recommendations for setting the required information exchange standards in a PCS.
• Legal and regulatory analysis for the implementation of defined standards.

The large-scale logistics network (RLGE by its initials in Spanish ) is an initiative of the Ministry of Transport and Telecommunications. It covers a set of resources in port, road and rail infrastructure and land logistics; transport and cargo handling equipment; information and communication systems; human resources and processes; all designed for the safe, efficient transport of cargo through the general cargo ports in Chile’s Central Macro-Zone. It also involves the flow of information required in order to promptly complete the foreign trade procedures, to coordinate the physical flow, and to efficiently carry out the document and physical inspection of the cargo.

Source: Source: Chilean Ministry of Transport and Telecommunications..

The design and development of support systems for managing and coordinating foreign trade processes and the setting of information requirements is often carried out with minimal coordination among participating organizations. As a result, the entities involved in trade have to repeatedly enter the same data into different computer systems, which drives up costs and in many cases results in inaccurate information. A PCS is a solution that addresses the need to improve data accuracy and reduce duplication in data handling. Achieving interoperability among the actors in the port-logistics chains was one of the fundamental aspects covered by the consultancy, addressing not only technical and semantic interoperability but also organizational interoperability.