The LEO format is designed to serve as a bridge between existing standards used in logistics data exchanges, such as OTM, FEDeRATED, OneRecord, DCSA, GS1, UN/CEFACT, EDIFACT, among others. The intention is not to create a comprehensive model that maps every detail of these standards. Instead, LEO distills the essential data needed to track goods throughout the supply chain, particularly from the perspective of the Beneficial Cargo Owner (BCO).

Three Concepts

The logistics domain can be considered from three distinct perspectives, corresponding to the three layers of the DCSA model:

1. Transport: This perspective focuses on the movements of transport means that carry equipment, which in turn contains goods. Examples include vessels, barges, ships, trucks, airplanes, and other modes of transport.
2. Equipment: This perspective deals with the movement of equipment that contains the goods. Examples include containers, parcels, trailers, packages, and activities such as loading, pick-up, delivery, and estimated time of arrival (ETA).
3. Shipment: This perspective pertains to the business transactions along the supply chain. Examples include bills of lading, airway bills, customs documents, clearances, and certificates.

Given the complexity of these perspectives, the LEO format aims to provide a simplified yet effective method for mapping events across different logistics systems. The LEO format primarily focuses on the first two physical perspectives and builds upon the semantic work undertaken in the FEDeRATED projects.

Simple mapping

Beneficial cargo owners (BCOs) benefit significantly from event information that allows them to track and trace their cargo. However, the logistics industry encompasses various subdomains, each with its own language for expressing such information. This fragmentation often results in BCOs having inadequate information to effectively manage their logistics operations. The LEO minilanguage addresses this challenge by providing an intermediary language that simplifies the mapping of data points across different existing messaging standards. This is achieved through the extensive use of code lists and thesauri, ensuring compatibility and ease of integration.

Events

The LEO format is primarily tailored to describe events and the minimal data required for communication between different modalities and existing standards. It provides templates for commonly used logistics events and their connections to domain-specific standards.

According to the EPCIS standard (ISO/IEC 19987), an event must include at least the following five aspects:

• What: Identifies the object or entity to which the event primarily relates (e.g., pallet, order, truck, wagon).
• Where: Specifies the location where the event occurred (e.g., warehouse receipt door, terminal access).
• When: Records the date and time when the event took place.
• Why: Explains the business activity that prompted the event (e.g., goods receipt, freight collection, agreement on transport document).
• How: Optionally describes the condition or state of the cargo at the time of the event (e.g., how the cargo was being transported).