Smart port: A bibliometric review and future research directions

• Published in: Transportation research. Part E, Logistics and transportation review Logistics and transportation review, 2023-06, Vol.174, p.103098, Article 103098
• Main Authors: Li, Kevin X., Li, Mengchi, Zhu, Yuhan, Yuen, Kum Fai, Tong, Hao, Zhou, Haoqing
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Bibliometric review; Concept evolution; Future research directions; Performance indicator; Smart port
• ISSN: 1366-5545; 1878-5794
• DOI: 10.1016/j.tre.2023.103098

•A systematic bibliometric review of smart ports study is performed.•More than 100 papers have been reviewed and classified.•The conducted review reveals the challenges in smart port study.•Identified future research directions. Smart ports can be regarded as the solution that addresses the new challenges faced by international trade and logistics systems. By deeply integrating digital technologies, such as the Internet of Things, big data, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence, smart ports can greatly increase their capacity for intelligent operation and optimal allocation of resources in port operation, which will enable continuous improvement in the competitiveness of ports as they meet the various challenges ahead. In this paper a systematic bibliometric review of smart ports is conducted by analyzing the existing publications related to smart ports. The development status of studies on smart ports is discussed, and both existing problems and key research gaps in this field are identified. In addition, performance indicators and future development trends are discussed. The purpose of this work is to lay a solid academic foundation in the field of smart ports, and to propose open research directions that will stimulate interest in this area. Furthermore, through an in-depth analysis of the existing studies on smart ports, the problems existing in current smart port studies are revealed, and targeted suggestions are put forward, which will have a positive impact on smart port studies in the future.