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Increasing Cargo Visibility at PortMiami

Public Innovation Challenge No. 3

Miami-Dade Innovation Authority (“MDIA”) seeks early-to-growth stage startup companies with innovative solutions that can enhance cargo visibility at PortMiami with a focus on public data-based solutions. Collaborators for this challenge include PortMiami, American Association of Port Authorities and Miami-Dade County. 

Cargo visibility broadly refers to the tracking and monitoring of the movement of goods through the supply chain. It involves real-time information on the location, status, and condition of cargo as it moves through ports and logistics networks including vessels, trucks and rail.  

Why Is Cargo Visibility Important?

PortMiami plays a critical role in the current and future economic development of Miami-Dade County and the state of Florida. Supporting more than 334,000 jobs and contributing $43 billion annually, PortMiami is the second largest economic engine in Miami-Dade County. 

While the Port may best be known for its cruise business (named the World’s Busiest Port with nearly 7.3 million passengers in 2023), PortMiami also serves ocean carrier clients by linking worldwide markets with US consumers and producers served by global container carriers connecting Latin America, Asia and Europe to Florida. Last year, the Port recorded almost 1.1 million 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs), surpassing the 1 million TEU mark for its ninth consecutive year.

With increasing cargo activity, cargo visibility becomes even more critical to the Port and its various stakeholders by impacting the efficiency, reliability and overall performance of port operations and ultimately leads to reduced costs to consumers. Improving visibility helps optimize operations, improve efficiency, and enables stakeholders to make informed decisions based on accurate and up-to-date data. It also leads to lower costs in the supply chain, including to consumers, as well as quicker receipt of goods.

What Solutions Do We Seek?

Enhancing cargo visibility represents a complex and wide area of innovation. The Port and MDIA are seeking achievable solutions of limited scope to improve cargo visibility for users such as beneficial cargo owners, freight forwarders, and others in the supply chain. MDIA is seeking to collaborate with innovators to test and validate solutions that harness public data to enhance cargo visibility, tracking, and cargo operation management in seaports. 


Examples include but are not limited to solutions that:

  • Leverage technology in public spaces (like cameras and/or computer vision) to monitor containers at the Port, including on public roadways and on dock. 

  • Utilize public data sources such as satellite imagery, public APIs, weather data, and maritime databases.

  • Employ advanced analytics, machine learning, or artificial intelligence to process and interpret public data.  

  • Focus on optimizing internal port processes without requiring extensive integration with external stakeholders.

Scope Limitations:

  • PortMiami is a landlord port and does not perform cargo handling operations. 

  • Solutions should rely on publicly available and/or publicly gatherable data. 

  • Companies should not propose solutions that solely rely on cooperation or data provided by the Port’s terminal operating companies, although cooperation from terminal operating companies may be feasible. 

  • Companies should not propose solutions that require placement of physical tracking devices on containers.  

Preferred (but not required) capabilities:

  • Integrates with but does not rely on existing systems such as RFID

  • Incorporates data or analysis around improving traffic flow on Port

How Does the Public Innovation Challenge Work?

  1. Apply to submit your solution for an opportunity to receive a $100,000 equity investment and to test and validate your solution at PortMiami.

  2. Your company should have an existing product or MVP (minimum viable product) that is ready to be tested and validated in a commercial market setting.

  3. Your company should be legally registered and compliant with all relevant regulations and laws in your respective jurisdictions.

  4. We evaluate each application thoroughly through a multi-stage process involving subject matter experts and an investor-led selection panel. While there are no inflexible rules and guidelines, we generally consider factors such as the level of innovation, feasibility of the proposed solution, potential for sustainable impact, financial stability as well as diversity, equity and inclusion with regard to the executive or management team.


    MDIA is not seeking project developers selling third-party products, companies without an operating prototype, consulting firms, marketing or PR agencies, or acquired startups.

    Check out our FAQs to learn more about eligibility criteria, investment terms, key deadlines, requirements, and other important information.

    Watch one of the Q&A Information Session recordings to learn more about our Cargo Visibility Innovation Challenge:

Key Milestones

  1. Final Application Deadline: Monday, April 29, 2024 at 11:59pm ET

  2. Application Review (6-8 weeks)

  3. Top 10 Finalist Interviews: Early June

  4. Pilot Period Kickoff: Summer/Fall 2024

About MDIA

Miami-Dade Innovation Authority bridges the gap between private innovators and the public sector to fast track innovation that improves quality of life for residents.  Through our signature Public Innovation Challenge, we identify, invest in and support early-to-growth stage companies from across the globe to pilot, test and validate their technology and solutions to pressing public challenges in collaboration with the economic engines within Miami-Dade County.