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The challenge

Solving Australia’s freight and supply chain challenges

CSIRO - Video 1 Overview

[Music plays and a split circle appears showing photos of different CSIRO activities flashing through on either side and then the circle morphs into the CSIRO logo]

 

[Image changes to show text on a white screen: TraNSIT, Transport Network Strategic Investment Tool]

 

[Image changes to show an aerial view of ships and shipping containers in a harbour with a city in the background]

 

Narrator: Strong and resilient freight supply chains are of critical importance to Australia's economy and the livelihoods of its communities.

 

[Image changes to show a close view of a map of Australia focusing on transport routes from Brisbane through to Adelaide and beyond]

 

They can span more than 2000 kilometers from the point of production or import through to their destination.

 

[Image changes to show an aerial digital view looking down on traffic moving along a highway and a digital “Efficiency and Resilience Report” can be seen in the foreground]

 

Elements of a supply chain network like roads and driver restrictions can be strengthened or upgraded to improve its efficiency and resilience.

 

[Image changes to show a digital map of simulated routes in Queensland, and the image shows the various routes changing colour]

 

CSIRO developed a data-driven digital platform to model these sorts of changes through what-if scenario analysis.

 

[Image changes to show supply chain information on the left of an Australian route map, and a “Change in trailers” scale can be seen on the right]

 

These scenarios consider the current freight metrics for a given area and modelled metrics under changed conditions.

 

[Image changes to show an Australian map on the tool, and image shows pinpoints on the map, and then the image changes to show routes on an Australian map, and text appears: Transport Network Strategic Investment Tool]

 

The Transport Network Strategic Investment Tool or TraNSIT provides evidence-based analyses to inform infrastructure investments and policy decisions for transport and supply chains.

 

[Images move through to show Queensland on the map, the routes on an Australian map on the tool, and an aerial view looking down on shipping containers on a ship]

 

 

TraNSIT modelling considers the logistics and costs associated with transport of a commodity across Australia's road, rail, shipping and air transport networks.

 

[Images move through to show dirt being moved in railway cars, close views of areas on an Australian map in the tool, and a “Filter” box appears inset in the centre of the map]

 

It currently models more than 850,000 supply chains between over 550,000 enterprises, representing over 28 million road freight trips and over 200,000 rail freight trips per year for 217 commodities.

 

[Images move through to show pinpoints on an Australian map, and then various close views of routes on an Australian map on the TraNSIT tool]

 

Output information includes maps and tables that are tailored for each client.

 

[Camera zooms out on the Australian map]

 

The model relies on a comprehensive dataset based on supply chains and freight movements.

 

[Images move through to show pinpoints on an Australian data map, and joined networking lines can be seen linking the map to graphs and the TraNSIT logo above]

 

We prioritise the most recent and best available data sourced from numerous trusted providers, including government and industry, and comply fully with confidentiality agreements and data governance standards.

 

[Images move through to show a digital map looking down on a city, and digital graphs and information can be seen overlaid]

 

The tool has been used extensively to determine the impacts of road and rail upgrades, transport-related regulatory changes and investment in new or upgraded intermodal or processing facilities.

 

[Image changes to show a digital view of a truck moving along a highway towards the camera through farmland, and graphs and information appear overlaid, and text appears: Road Summary, Cost Reduction, and Optimising]

 

Outputs have helped to target infrastructure investments that provide the highest operating cost reduction for transport users, benefiting farmers, processors and other freight providers.

 

[Image changes to show a view looking down on a flooded area of a city and farmland, and then image changes to show an Australian map on the TraNSIT tool]

Since 2021, TraNSIT’s capability has been expanded to analyse the impacts from road closures caused by weather and other types of disruptions, determining the amount and type of freight disrupted and options for alternative supply routes.

 

[Images move through to show colleagues looking at an iPad, the colleagues looking at two computers, and males giving presentations about the TraNSIT tool, and text appears: TraNSIT Web]

 

Whereas most analyses have been run in-house by the expert CSIRO team, a growing demand for users to set up and run their own transit applications inspired the development of a web-based tool, TraNSIT Web.

 

[Images move through to show a changing map of freight movements across Australia and a Filter box appears on the left and a route information box on the right]

 

TraNSIT Web offers users the ability to explore freight movements across Australia's road, rail and shipping networks.

 

[Camera zooms out on the map, and the camera moves right to show new maps with inset tools, and then the image changes to show the Supply Chain Benchmarking dashboard]

 

Users can filter outputs by commodity or location and access deeper insights using built-in tools like Critical Link Analysis or the Supply Chain Benchmarking Dashboard.

 

[Images move through to show various views of maps of Australia, a Scenario Studio inset box, and various maps and graphs from the TraNSIT tool move through]

 

For more advanced needs, government users can run what-if scenarios such as simulating road closures or testing infrastructure upgrades and receive automated reports outlining the supply chain impacts.

 

[Image changes to show the road closures feature on the Australian map]

 

The tool also includes a closure events feature, drawing on daily road closure data from across Australia to show day-to-day disruptions and potential alternative routes.

 

[Image changes to show a rear view of a male using the TraNSIT tool on two computer screens]

 

TraNSIT Web is available to government clients under licence.

 

[Images move through to show a side view of a different male using the tool, a rear view of the first male using the tool, the tool on a computer screen, and then the first male talking]

 

No technical expertise is required to use the platform, though a working knowledge of Australian freight transport will help with interpreting results.

 

[Image changes to show a rear view of the male working on the TraNSIT tool on two computer screens]

 

Regular updates add new features and refresh the underlying data.

 

[Image changes to show a close view of the map on the TraNSIT Web tool]

 

Separate short videos are available to help users get started and make the most of TraNSIT Web.

 

[Music plays and image changes to show the CSIRO logo]

 

Transcript

In a country as large as Australia, reliable transport infrastructure is essential. More than 2 billion tonnes of freight are moved around the country each year by road and rail.

Commodities including food and forest products, fuels, minerals, construction materials and general freight are often transported along complex routes of 1000km or more before reaching their markets. This can be very expensive for producers and manufacturers – with that expense reducing competitive advantage, and often ultimately being passed on to the consumer.

There is also a high risk of transport disruptions, especially due to flooding, bushfires and other extreme weather events, which are likely to become more frequent and severe due to climate change.

Our response

Modelling transport options to reduce costs, improve efficiency and increase resilience

Since 2012, CSIRO’s Transport Network Strategic Investment Tool (TraNSIT) has been used nationally and internationally to improve supply chain efficiency and help identify options for freight transport and logistics investment.

Originally developed to reduce the cost of transporting cattle from farms in northern Australia to their domestic and international markets, TraNSIT is a computer model that creates detailed maps of Australia’s supply chains, freight movements and costings across road, rail, ship and air freight networks.

Infographic showing the stages researchers go through to apply the TraNSIT tool to a project.

Title: How does TraNSIT work

  1. engaging with stakeholders (icon shows two people in silhouette with a though bubble between them)
  2. confirming data requirements (icon shows flow chart with a truck as one end point)
  3. co-developing supply chain resilience interventions (icon shows a line graph with small truck on the Y axis going into larger truck along x axis)
  4. run TraNSIT model (icons shows truck on a computer screen)
  5. produce better supply chain outcomes (icon shows two trucks either side of a curving start-to-finish line)

 

For each supply chain path, TraNSIT selects the most cost-effective route that accounts for mode of transport, travel distance and time, vehicle/train/ship/plane configuration, backloads, and the range of logistics that take place between the origin and destination.

As well these outputs, the models generated by TraNSIT enable national and local governments to direct transport network investment to the areas where it will have the greatest benefits.

CSIRO’s approach to research is a collaborative one. The success of TraNSIT demonstrates how much can be achieved when researchers, industry and government work closely together.

TraNSIT has been extended to understand the impact of extreme weather events on our supply chains

Applications of TraNSIT include:

  • Analysing the impact of road upgrades such as sealing, first/last mile improvements, access to higher-productivity vehicles.
  • Informing improvements to rail infrastructure including line upgrades, new freight hubs and integration with road transport.
  • Testing the sensitivity of the road and rail network to natural disasters or other disruptions and their impact on freight access to markets.
  • Forecasting freight volumes, supply chain dynamics and bottlenecks under future production and climate scenarios. 
  • Testing regulatory changes such as driver fatigue, road and rail pricing and tolls. 
  • Addressing supply chain inefficiencies and cross-border bottlenecks in Indonesia and Vietnam. 
  • Supporting the Australian Government’s resilience initiatives.

Ever-expanding capabilities serving governments, communities and industries. 

More than ten years on from its initial development, TraNSIT now accommodates over 220 commodities across agriculture, forest products, fuels, minerals, construction materials, health, beverages, chemicals, waste and a wide range of general freight. It represents more than 31 million truck trips, 200,000 rail trips and 21,000 vessel trips per annum. More commodities continue to be added, and the data is continuously updated. It incorporates information and expert knowledge from over 450 agencies and organisations across Australia.

The tool has been adapted for a range of applications including biosecurity, climate and disaster resilience, tourism, and infrastructure planning and investment. It has also been used internationally in Indonesia and Vietnam.

Aerial view, looking down on northbound Pacific National Queensland intermodal train on the iconic Ayr causeway with its line of Palm trees, as a B-double truck heads south along the Bruce Highway. Image by iStock.

TraNSIT has been extended to understand the impacts of extreme weather events on our supply chains. In partnership with the Australian Climate Service (ACS), the tool has supported improved decision making in the face of natural hazards. We have assisted the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) in its role as national responder to these disasters, which has helped to reduce the impacts of extreme events on communities. More recently, TraNSIT was applied in the National Climate Risk Assessment (NCRA) to test the impacts of more severe future extreme weather events on the movement of freight and to communities. View the Supply Chains Technical Report.

TraNSIT also has a role to play in longer term planning, and prioritising investment that will improve the resilience of Australia’s supply chains into the future. In partnership with the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts, we analysed 52 key freight routes and 13 rail routes across Australia. This provided a better understanding of the impacts to communities and freight movements from a wide range of disruptions to these freight networks.

Through the development of our easy-to-use TraNSIT Web and the Supply Chain Benchmarking Dashboard, a wide range of government, community and industry decision makers now have the tools to analyse Australia's supply chains to identify key trends and pinch points for improving freight transport both now and into the future. The new Supply Chain Explorer (TraSCE) allows users to explore movements of a commodity from the point of production through to processing, distribution and markets. After selecting a specific commodity and LGA, a user can see the geographical spread of that commodity at each subsequent step of the supply chain.

The TraNSIT team remains committed to working collaboratively with government and industry and looks forward to further expansion of the tool’s capabilities in coming years to meet Australia’s needs. Reda the Transport Network Strategic Investment Tool (TraNSIT ) Overview of modelling capability and applications over the past decade.

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