Logistics: The process of planning, implementing, and controlling the efficient, effective flow and storage of goods, services and related information from their point of origin to point of consumption for the purpose of satisfying customer requirements. – Ion Logistics
On my birthday 47 years ago, June 26th, 1974, the world’s first barcode was scanned on a pack of Wrigley’s Juicy Fruit gum in Troy, Ohio. The thought of a barcode probably does not fill you with excitement. We are surrounded by such codes and often do not stop to think about how these lines are evidence of the vast network of “invisible” data. However, this invisible complexity is what makes the seemingly mundane world of logistics exciting.
Since that pack of gum, the world of data and logistics has changed dramatically due to innovation. In 2020, there were approximately 44 zettabytes of data in the world. This vastness may be hard to quantify, but one zettabyte is 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 bytes, which are equivalent to the data of 250 billion DVDs. As time goes on, the world of data only grows exponentially. According to projections from Statista, there will be 74 zettabytes of data created in 2021. Large companies that rely on efficient logistics to run a successful business are a huge propeller of data growth. For example, Walmart, the world’s largest retailer, copes with 2.5 petabytes of data per hour. Amazon averages 1 megabyte per “object” and is estimated to have around 1 exabyte of stored data.
Click here for a Byte Size Infographic
Big data collection is essential in logistics planning to reduce inefficiencies, provide transparency to the supply chain, optimize deliveries, and make space for future automation. Data is an important tool that helps inform logistics, but it can not stand alone; it must be supported by well-designed infrastructure. Infrastructure is the underlying base or foundation for a system or organization. Even though infrastructure, usually thought of as bridges and roads, is created at such large scales, it often fades into the background. We rely on good infrastructure daily, but infrastructure planning operations and management can be seen as dull at first glance. However, my experience working on logistics and infrastructure-related projects has opened my eyes to these hidden systems, challenged my perception of how things should work, and pushed me to become more creative. At times, this work has made me feel like I was living in a simulation because of the immense scale and amount of stakeholders involved.
Infrastructure is often as hard to see as a light rain through the window. Not only is it invisible by nature, but it can be camouflaged by design in what Lisa Parks calls “infrastructural concealment.” – John Durham Peters, The Marvelous Cloud
Before this semester at AAP NYC, I could not tell you why the creation of the barcode is important to me as a planner. But now, being a part of Jesse LeCavalier’s studio, Logistical Frictions, I see that a planner’s mind is well suited to design logistical systems. Similar to the often-overlooked logistics world, planners are often the behind-the-scenes actors working to improve urban systems. Those same problem-solving skills can be applied to improve logistical efficiency and organization, which is just as fundamental to the function of society as something more evident, like street design or zoning. I encourage more planners to investigate all facets of creative thinking and design but to especially take the time to explore what was made to seem invisible.