# An Architecture for Reliable Transportation of Delicate Goods
## 1 Introduction
This work has been carried out in close partnership with some transport companies operating in the Brazilian market, themselves service providers, but also subcontractors, who pointed out that the reduced negotiating capacity and the high competition leads carriers to lower prices and very controlled profit margins, without room for unforeseen circumstances and forcing minimization of expenses. Sometimes, this goes beyond the acceptable limits, as when the cooling system is turned off to reduce fuel consumption, or avoiding resorting to warehouses where the merchandise can be kept in due condition, especially during overnight breaks. Such carelessness easily creates conditions to degrade the product or even allow its bacteriological contamination. Being that this a reality, supported by evidence reported in several studies [6; 7; 8; 9], neither the producers nor the consumers can be absolutely sure that the transport is carried out in due conditions. Moreover, without a direct responsibility, the producer ends up selling a product of inferior quality or even out of conditions for consumption. However, the transport of delicate goods relates to other situations, such as the transport of live animals, involving two major segments: animals for slaughter (for human consumption or other purposes), and pets or animals for competition. In either case, transport conditions can have consequences that are not immediately detectable. For example, an animal can be delivered alive, apparently in good health, but after a few days or weeks passes away or becomes seriously ill. Thus, an animal whose health conditions prevented slaughter for human consumption (or even for any other type of consumption), loses much (if not all) of its commercial value. Or, if the animal is a pet or a competitor, very high emotional/economical losses may be at stake. Ascertaining the causes for such situations is difficult enough, but if the suspicions are due to non-compliance with transport conditions, then it is practically impossible to prove it. There is also the case of merchandise, such as art or archaeological pieces, sometimes priceless and irreplaceable. Or technical equipment of high precision, or extremely delicate, which cannot be subjected to falls, sudden movements or inclinations. These, being undetectable in the merchandise, can jeopardize their correct operation. On the other hand, examples exist where proper conditions are ensured a priori. For example, when transporting organs for transplantation, care is taken to pack the organ in a suitable container for that purpose, with controlled temperature and humidity. The transport operator is essentially responsible for not subjecting the packaging to violent displacements and delivering it on time. In any case, this type of transport is done under very special conditions, rarely using conventional commercial services. Another example, emerging from the present scenario of the COVID-19 pandemic, is the logistics associated with two of the available vaccines, from Pfizer and BioNTech [10; 11; 12], that must be kept at \(-70\)\({}^{\circ}\)C during transport and storage. Since there is an evident lack of vaccines on the market, and since it is urgent to vaccinate as many people as possible, vaccines are a very critical resource that cannot be wasted. The goal of vaccinating as many people as possible in the shortest amount of time has triggered some of the largest logistical operations ever carried out in order to guarantee that the vaccines can be applied to hundreds of millions of people (including health care professionals on thousands of hospitals and health centers). The viability of these logistical operations, or at least the speed of implementation, largely depends on the use of existing logistical resources, adapted to the new requirements. Since the vaccines leave the factory and people are inoculated, they will have to pass through many actors and operational contexts. Who can effectively ensure that they arrive properly?