Future Supply Chain Processes and Data for Collective Intelligence

The aim of this paper is to identify the requirements on data that are necessary to support a collective intelligence solution for future supply chains. It is based on an evidential discussion of the information flows in future supply chains and the impact these will have on the life cycle, governance and ownership of data. Supply Chains are facing an increasing complex future if they are to provide the services required while operating in increasingly diverse landscapes and environments. Integration and coordination across the whole supply chain is requiring new approaches, systems and processes therefore data must be enhanced to support these new demands and provide the agility that organisations and consumers envisage. The content of data or data sets is discussed in the context of semantics and Service Orientated Architecture (SOA). A shift in the content of data to include behaviour and increased synchronisation across processes is developed as a possible solution for future supply chains. The evolution and importance of understanding is discussed and developed into a reliance on the integration of data and processes through change control and governance to achieve a collective intelligence across the supply chain.