This was designed at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, to give the world’s supply chain professionals easier access to live information about delays, holdups and congestion at critical points around the world. It displays real-time data and insights into the status of ports, border crossings and interstate transit corridors all across the globe, and is free and open to the public.

Publicly available at https://live.fourkites.com

At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic’s arrival, closures and delays at ports and border crossings, as well as rest stops and welcome centers played havoc for supply chain professionals and logistics providers. Border crossings in particular, which were already notoriously difficult for logistics providers to predict, were especially impacted by COVID-related delays as the borders were being closed abruptly and without prior warning.

Working around the clock, we quickly built out a dashboard providing real-time insights into transit times at national border crossings around the world. Fourkites wanted to take the opportunity to use their data to benefit the industry as a whole, not just their customers or users. With the current crisis in mind, Fourkites chose to make this information public, rather than sequestering it within the platform, making it available to anyone who needed the information. State governments have also benefited from this, by more accurately understanding the flow of goods into their region so they can reroute supply convoys to address product shortages.

The dashboard was met with critical acclaim and FourKites received an Honorable Mention for Fast Company’s prestigious World Changers Awards. This contest honors products, concepts, companies, policies, and designs that are pursuing innovation for the good of society and the planet.