The dashPORT project delivers a digital control centre for energy management in small to medium port terminals. The system is built around a web‑based dashboard that integrates real‑time power consumption data from two industrial partners, NPorts and J. Müller AG, and augments it with process information from a web‑based ship list and an AIS receiver. Data from NPorts are transmitted every 15 seconds via the IEC 60870‑5‑104 protocol, while J. Müller’s smart meters are accessed through an OPC‑Server and only send updates when a change occurs. All measurements are stored in a database that keeps the data of each partner separate to satisfy data‑protection requirements. During the data‑cleaning phase, OFFIS identified and corrected errors such as negative power values, out‑of‑range readings, persistent zero values, and missing data. A multi‑day workshop verified the completeness and plausibility of the cleaned dataset, after which the cleaned data were used to train machine‑learning models.

The forecasting component of dashPORT predicts the next hour of power consumption in 15‑minute intervals for each feeder. The models are trained on the cleaned historical data and are able to detect impending load peaks. When a peak is forecasted, the system generates actionable recommendations for the operator. The architecture relies on a data‑stream‑management system to ingest, process, and serve the data in real time. The platform is hosted on virtual machines on J. Müller’s servers; a dedicated virtual network connects NPorts to the dashPORT environment, ensuring secure and reliable data transfer. The dashboard is accessible from both desktop and mobile devices, allowing users at both partner sites to view historical, current, and forecasted consumption, as well as alerts for exceptional events and recommended actions.

The project’s technical design was led by Fraunhofer CML, with OFFIS providing technical support during the initial assessment, data‑integration, and infrastructure implementation phases. OFFIS also performed the data‑quality checks and supervised the data‑storage architecture. The system was designed to be transferable to other NPorts sites, and the use of standard protocols (IEC 60870‑5‑104 and OPC) facilitates this scalability.

Collaboration among the partners was coordinated through monthly video conferences and, when possible, in‑person meetings before the COVID‑19 pandemic. Fraunhofer CML supplied a cloud‑based data room that streamlined the exchange of documents, intermediate results, and administrative files. Two large UI workshops—one at the start and one at the end of the project—ensured that user requirements were captured and that the final design of alerts and recommendations met operational needs. The consortium consists of OFFIS, Fraunhofer CML, NPorts, J. Müller AG, and the Niedersachsen Ports GmbH. The project ran over a period of several months, during which the partners jointly defined requirements, implemented the infrastructure, cleaned and validated the data, developed the forecasting models, and delivered a functional dashboard that demonstrates the feasibility of digital energy management in port terminals.