[AISWorld] CFP : Maritime Informatics track at AMCIS 2015

[Richard Watson]

Maritime Informatics Call for Papers

Track Co-Chairs

Mikael Lind, Viktoria Swedish ICT & University of Gothenburg, Sweden, mikael.lind at viktoria.se
Richard Watson, University of Georgia, rwatson at terry.uga.edu

Track description

A sustainable global shipping industry is central to creating a sustainable society. Thus, it is very appropriate for AMCIS 2015, whose theme is Blue Ocean Research, that a mini-track on Maritime Informatics is offered for the first time as part of Green IS and sustainability.

Maritime Informatics studies the application of information systems to increasing the efficiency, safety, and ecological sustainability of the world’s shipping industry. According to the International Maritime Organization (IMO), international shipping moves about 90 per cent of global trade and is the most efficient and cost-effective method for the international transportation of most goods. Hence, shipping is critical to future sustainable global economic growth.

The industry can be characterized as many independent actors who engage in episodic tight coupling. It has, however, been a late starter to digitization, possibly because of the long history of autonomy and the lack of inexpensive high bandwidth communication when on the ocean. Indeed, some participants in the industry are still sharing information via fax. A lack of information sharing impedes collaboration and reduces efficiency and safety. As a result, there are many opportunities to apply IS theory and knowledge to a critical global industry.

Call for papers

According to the International Maritime Organization (IMO), international shipping moves about 90 per cent of global trade and is the most efficient and cost-effective method for the international transportation of most goods. Because of its efficiency, shipping is critical to future sustainable global economic growth. Thus, the advancement of sustainable shipping and maritime development is a major priority for IMO, which is the UN agency responsible for global shipping standards, safety, security, and environmental impact.

Shipping is an old industry, starting with river trading on the Euphrates at the beginning of agricultural development. A ship’s captain has considerable autonomy, and the industry can be characterized as many independent actors (e.g., ship captain, port authority, terminal operator, tug master, pilot, and shipping agent) who engage in episodic tight coupling (e.g., a pilot meeting a boat and guiding it into harbor) for mutual benefit.

The shipping industry has been a late starter to digitization, possibly because of the long history of high autonomy and the lack of inexpensive high bandwidth communication when on the ocean. Indeed, some participants in the industry are still sharing information via fax. The lack of information sharing impedes collaboration and reduces efficiency, safety, and sustainable. As a result, a group of scholars associated with Viktoria Swedish ICT formulated a new IS topic, namely Maritime Informatics, which studies the application of information systems to increasing the efficiency, safety, and ecological sustainability of the world’s shipping industry. In mid 2014, the first scholarly post in maritime informatics was established within the Center for Digital Innovation, a cooperative effort of the University of Gothenburg and Chalmers University of Technology. The position is partly funded by the Swedish Maritime Administration.

The track seeks submissions that address some of the following questions or others related to the general notion of Maritime Informatics as defined in this call.

	• How do you design an information sharing system for the shipping industry to enhance coordination and planning to increase efficiency, safety, and ecological sustainability?
	• How do you design an information sharing system for an ecosystem constrained by a culture of limited cooperation?
	• What are appropriate standards for data sharing within the shipping ecosystems?
	• What is the role of real-time digital data streams in enhancing shipping efficiency?
	• How can information systems increase the efficiency of episodic tight coupling?
	• How does the shipping industry digitize its natural, human, and economic capital to improve efficiency, safety, and ecological sustainability?
	• How can information systems contribute to effective sea traffic management?
	• What theory bases can inform Maritime Informatics?
	• What prior research can accelerate the development of Maritime Informatics?
	• How can the application of information systems in other domains inspire the adoption of digitalization in the maritime sector?

Manuscript submissions close on February 25, 2015.

For more details, see http://amcis2015.aisnet.org.