A storm on the other side of the world. A strike in a European port. Delays that ripple through global transport chains. When transport disruptions strike, decisions need to be made quickly – but without real-time visibility, companies are often left in the dark.
The Virtual Watch Tower project is changing the playing field by connecting transport actors in a decentralised data-sharing environment – where each party controls its own data.
In a world where transport disruptions can have major economic and logistical consequences, better tools are needed to manage supply chain uncertainty. The Virtual Watch Tower (VWT) is an initiative that aims to provide companies and transport operators with real-time insights and early warnings of disruptions.
No central actor owns all the information
Unlike many existing logistics platforms, VWT is decentralised - there is no central actor that owns all the information. Instead, each party is part of the data-sharing environment, with its own Virtual Watch Tower, and shares data only when it is relevant to a particular shipment.
"A key feature of the VWT structure is that data sharing is not automatic or centralised, but is initiated by authorisation from the transport buyer. This gives transport buyers control over what information is shared and ensures that only relevant parties in a specific transport chain have access to the data," says Mikael Lind, Senior Strategic Research Advisor, Safety & Transport at RISE.
The Virtual Watch Towers project was launched in early 2023 as a collaboration between RISE and the A*STAR/IHPC research institute in Singapore. The first phase brought together 23 partners, including cargo owners, transport operators, ports, research institutes and authorities.
By early 2025, the pilot had grown to include more than 50 international stakeholders and could now be used to monitor and analyse transport flows in real time.
We hope that VWT can provide a platform for collaboration that drives innovation, sustainability and resilience.
"Faster and more accurate data for decision making"
Project partners testify to the value of being part of a data-sharing environment that not only improves the flow of information, but also builds resilience.
"For us as freight forwarders, the sharing of primary data is a game changer. It allows us to get faster and more accurate data for better decision making, as well as more precise and targeted actions in case of disruptions in the logistics flow. Effective data sharing is a necessity to meet today's challenges," says Matilda Gustafsson, Change Manager & Sustainability Advocate at logistics company Bertling Sweden.
From a goods owner's perspective, they also see great benefits with VWT.
"As an early player in this project, we were clear that we wanted to be involved in developing solutions that solve real problems. We hope that VWT can provide a platform for collaboration that drives innovation, sustainability and resilience. We believe that a broad network of strong partners can increase the chances of this having an impact and becoming a new standard in the industry," says Mårten Sondell, Logistics Innovation Manager at H&M.
Stakeholders also say that VWT offers the opportunity to make fast, flexible and proactive decisions based on data, rather than reactive decisions based on insufficient information.
"It's about keeping our promises to customers, not necessarily by always meeting delivery times, but by providing accurate and up-to-date information so that we can make the right decisions.
For us as freight forwarders, the sharing of primary data is a game changer.
Expanding the network with more actors
In the spring of 2025, the project will enter its next phase. One of the most important steps is, of course, to expand the network with more actors and more people implementing it in their daily activities.
But there are other important elements as well.
"We have had several discussions with our partners about what the next phase should include. There is a strong demand to expand the functionality for sustainability reporting and emissions calculation," says Mikael Lind.
VWT is designed to function as a public good – like a lighthouse that helps all actors navigate and interact safely in complex supply chains - which means that in the long term, a long-term form of governance must also be found.
"We have now built a strong community where transportation stakeholders see the value in sharing data and collaborating in ways that were previously difficult to imagine. The next step is to establish a sustainable organizational form and scale up its use. The potential is huge, and what we are doing now can become a global standard for how to manage supply chains more efficiently, sustainably and transparently," says Mikael Lind.
A project like VWT is in line with RISE's mission to strengthen Swedish society and business through research and innovation.
"VWT is an example of how we are creating an arena where Swedish companies can access a wider market and influence what happens when disruptions occur in the global supply chains on which they depend.
How the Virtual Watch Tower works in practice
The Virtual Watch Tower (VWT) project provides companies with real-time insights and early warnings of transport disruptions by aggregating data from transport operators around the world.
For example, ten containers from a Nordic forestry company are on their way to Australia. En route, the ship encounters delays and is in danger of missing its connection in Zeebrugge.
An automatic alert is sent via VWT to all parties involved, including terminal staff and carriers.
By receiving an alert about the delay, the transport buyer can be involved in deciding what action to take as a result of the delay.
Data is only shared between the parties directly involved in a particular shipment.
The result is better coordination, fewer delays and a more resilient supply chain.
More information about the Virtual Watch Tower is available at virtualwatchtower.org.
