Smart port terminals: conceptual framework, maturity modeling and research agenda

The concept of smart port is still disputed in the literature, appearing in dispersed contributions, often not aligned with its intelligent systems background. In this sense, this paper proposes a theoretical framework for smart port terminals by presenting a literature review and conceptual definition, proposing a maturity model, and exploring a research agenda. We investigate defining characteristics and relations between enablers, applications, and outcomes for smart port terminals. The proposed maturity model evaluates these main aspects in six areas of interest, providing maturity indexes that enable identifying the current state of intelligence in a port terminal, hence aiding its improvement. The application of the maturity model in two Brazilian container terminals provided feedback to the theoretical proposition and supports its use as a tool for general assessment of smart port terminal maturity. As such, the paper can serve as a comprehensive guide for researchers and port managers to understand the field, fostering the development of roadmaps and smart applications in port terminals.