Britain’s new data frontier? The computer system designed to avert chaos at the border

With the release of “The Border With The European Union” document, we have been given a glimpse of what Brexit will entail for truck drivers taking goods to and from the EU.

Faulty paperwork has the potential to “lead to significant queues and delays on the roads approaching ports”, the report confirms. The newly announced Smart Freight System is supposed to avert trade and supply chain disaster, but it will all hinge on tight control of the data at the border.

Boomi Principal Technologist Mike Kiersey comments:

‘The success of the newly announced Smart Freight System will be determined by its capability to manage the swathes of data that run through the system. Whilst the exact details are still somewhat unclear, it is certain that the system will need to be integrated with the relevant tax authorities to ensure a smooth passage. This will be a delicate process, and one that will depend on the digital ecosystem set in place, and the connectors at its core.

A siloed approach will not work here with the need for access to real-time data. Core legacy applications across government departments need to be open via APIs to enable emerging technologies to enter into the architecture, to help digitally capture information at the borders. To ensure a single “track and trace” view of freight, clean and trusted data must be captured into a single master data hub to record critical information. These systems need to be able to capture, prepare and process the data within, to ensure swift processing times and avoid traffic deadlock.’