Introduction to Shipments

A shipment is anything that is being moved between a start and end point, with potential interim stops via any combination of conveyance methods that needs to be tracked. It is assigned a unique tracking number that is recorded in TVA and on the shipment itself and ideally has some type of tracker affixed to it, whether it is a passive RFID tag or a cellular based tracker position tracker or a sensor which not only transmits location but a variety of other metrics such as temperature or shock. 

Within TVA, a shipment has a variety of metadata associated to it, such as shipper, weight and cube information, and contents. It also contains data that enriches and provides context about the shipment such as state or status; whether the shipment has any special handling characteristics such as hazardous material or a required temperature range; or whether it is associated to a specifically named location. 

A shipment can be acted on in various ways. A user can set rules for the shipment, add items, add tags, attach photos or documents, add notes, and change the status of the shipment itself. Each of these actions allows TVA to provide relevant information to other users who are tracking this specific shipment or others like it.  For example, the addition of rules governing an appropriate shipment temperature range can alert an interim location of possible issues with the shipment if the range has been exceeded or identify storage requirements until the next leg of the journey. Attached photos and notes can identify damage in the case of a rejected shipment. Each of these components help the user understand the story of the shipment rather than solely its current location.