Development of a digital platform for intelligent search for cargo transport in large cities

Permanent increase of automobilization in regions of the country coupled with the continuing urbanization leads to an ever-increasing load on the transport network of large cities. The main problems arising out of this situation are the decrease in efficiency of transport operating in the city, as well as negative changes in the environment resulting from a large volume of exhaust gases. Reduction of the volume of transport operation performed by private and municipal enterprises leads to negative tendencies in economic efficiency and affects tax revenues to the city budget. The goal of the research is to optimize operation of urban cargo transport through development of a digital platform and an algorithm that pursues the following tasks: • researching the current transport situation within the territory of Chelyabinsk’s urban agglomeration; • determining the shortest route from transport location to cargo consignor and from the consignor to the consignee; • avoiding crowded places for environmental load reduction; • searching for ways to build logistics routes that provide minimum stay in crowded places; In order to complete these tasks, software was developed by analogy with mobile applications for taxi service. Mathematical models for construction of a similar algorithm in software environment are given in the article. This application is applicable on the basis of a public-private partnership involving funds from urban Internet providers. Using the digital platform has economic advantages, as it allows to make it applicable not only for carriers operating in the city but also for third-party transport which, among all, arrives from other regions.