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National electronic logistics systems (NELS): functional requirements and architecture
Origin of the NELS term and initial development (2015–2016)
The term NELS (National Electronic Logistics System) was first used in the Ministerial Declaration of EU and Eastern Partnership (EaP) countries adopted in 2015 within the framework of a regional initiative on digital market harmonization.

Since 2016, the NELS concept has been actively developed by the EU4Digital: eTrade/eLogistics expert network with the participation of Completesoft specialists.

According to this concept, such systems represent an effective centralized solution for the digitalization of the transport and logistics sector (TLS), enabling information exchange between stakeholders at the national level as well as in cross-border transactions.

At the same time, UN ESCAP experts conducted an analysis of existing information and logistics platforms and systems, which allowed them to identify common functional characteristics and develop recommendations for a reference architecture of such systems, presented in Figure 1.
Figure 1. reference architecture of a national electronic logistics system (UN ESCAP recommendations)
Core functions of NELS and business requirements for functionality
In accordance with UN ESCAP recommendations, National Electronic Logistics Systems (NELS) should support the main types of data exchange (B2B, B2G, and G2G), cover all transport modes—i.e., provide multimodal services to users—and perform the following core functions:

  • User management;
  • Customs clearance for import/export and transit;
  • Exchange of standardized data and electronic documents;
  • Ensuring data integrity, security, and confidentiality;
  • Provision of a full range of services during transport and logistics operations.

In addition, detailed business requirements for NELS functionality were developed based on analysis for two main user groups—the public and private sectors:

For the public sector:
  • Availability of accurate data on actual freight flows, load factors, and utilization of national transport infrastructure;
  • Exchange of regulatory documents and other relevant data among participants of the national transport system;
  • Effective regulatory and supervisory activities with risk analysis and enforcement actions based on available data;
  • Information interaction and cooperation between different government authorities through data exchange, monitoring of outcomes, and coordination of inspection plans.

For the private sector:
  • Transparency and availability of data throughout the supply chain and logistics processes;
  • Widespread use of electronic document exchange and transition to digital interaction between IT systems;
  • Implementation of cargo tracking and monitoring services;
  • Shift from document exchange to secure exchange and sharing of legally significant data among TLS participants;
  • Reuse of previously submitted data and elimination of duplicate information;
  • Cost savings and reduced cargo downtime through minimization of time and resources spent on control and supervision;
  • Transparent selection between different transportation modes.
Consolidated list of functional requirements for NELS (Completesoft development)
Taking into account these business requirements, the core features of the original NELS concept, and best international practices, the Completesoft expert group formulated a consolidated list of functional requirements for such systems during the implementation of the first phase of the EU4Digital Facility program:

  1. Data sovereignty, quality, and integrity;
  2. Data security and trust in data/information;
  3. Collection, storage, and processing of data for exchange in standardized formats or standardized electronic documents;
  4. Supply chain transparency, including monitoring of national transport infrastructure, logistics processes, and cargo tracking;
  5. Connectivity and interoperability with IT systems used in the national segment across different transport modes;
  6. Interoperability with cross-border platforms and international networks, including data pipeline channels within digital transport corridors;
  7. User authentication and management with an appropriate set of client services;
  8. Supply chain and information process management with a corresponding set of analytics and BI services;
  9. Information support for transport and logistics processes with services for both public and private sectors;
  10. National logistics marketplace with payment services;
  11. Reporting and statistics.

During the development of the functional architecture and technical solutions for NELS, the following tasks must be addressed:

  • Selection of a technological solution for the NELS integration platform ensuring connectivity with stakeholders’ IT systems at the local level;
  • Ensuring secure and trusted information exchange within the national TLS and cross-border exchange with neighboring countries;
  • Establishing a trusted information space within the national TLS;
  • Selection of a technological approach for cargo transportation monitoring (tracking).
Practical implementation: Georgia project (2023)
The task of selecting a technological solution and developing the functional architecture of the NELS integration platform was addressed by the Completesoft expert team during the implementation of the national project supporting TLS digitalization in Georgia in 2023.

This architecture, presented in Figure 2, was approved by the relevant Directorate-General of the European Commission (DG MOVE) as a prototype of an eFTI-certified platform.
Figure 2. architecture of the NELS integration platform (Georgia project, approved by DG MOVE)
Platform architecture includes a client module layer and a full integration layer with modules enabling connectivity to NELS, as well as data storage, management, security, validation, and exchange.

The client module layer is responsible for user authentication and NELS user management, as well as handling user requests, information transmission, and data visualization.

The integration layer provides connectivity with information systems of different transport modes, as well as interoperability with NELS platforms in partner countries and supranational platforms at the DTC level. The following modules are required for this layer:

  • The data collection and processing module receives raw data from external sources and enriches the NELS data pool;
  • The data management and transformation module processes data from the pool and loads it into the NELS core data repository, while also converting it into standardized electronic document formats or structured data elements;
  • The information security module ensures data protection and integrity;
  • The public key infrastructure module with a logistics blockchain component ensures secure information exchange between NELS systems, data sovereignty, validation, and authorized access;
  • The NELS connectivity module enables interaction with local IT systems of TLS stakeholders and ensures compatibility with DTC-level platforms in other countries;
  • The regulatory information module provides regulatory and reference information on the national TLS.

The orchestration layer ensures the digitalization of core multimodal business processes and includes NELS service modules created within a specific country for exchanging standardized data sets across different transport modes, as well as key electronic transport and logistics documents such as eCMR, eSMGS/CIM, eWayBill, eBill of Lading, eTIR, etc. Regarding the NELS service package, the classification approach proposed by DTLF experts can be used, which defines a recommended service structure for such platforms, grouped into technical, application, logistics information, and client service blocks.