# Knowledge Mapping Analysis of Intelligent Ports: Research Facing Global Value Chain Challenges
## 1 Introduction
### Knowledge Mapping Questions for Integrated Roadmapping  
Technology solutions are expected to be integrated into the socio-technical arrangement of port operations with the potential to facilitate everyday operations, predict future investment areas, anticipate maintenance needs, and respond to emergencies. In this way, they are expected to empower actors in the port business ecosystems, engaging stakeholders toward resilient, sustainable, and smart ports. In addition, they should also enhance the relationship between ports on the one hand, and port cities, global trades, and global value chains on the other. Indeed, digital platform companies are reshaping the geography of logistics. For instance, Alibaba's new airport hub in Belgium has raised issues regarding its positive and negative impacts on the local and European communities [30], which illustrates the importance of dialogues and collaboration across stakeholders to generate sustainable win-win solutions. Ecosystem innovations are, thus, needed to ensure positive impacts at various levels and across multiple stakeholders, especially for seaports and airports which are essentially complex systems themselves, and together constitute a complex supply chain network system at the global level.  
The complexity of developing intelligent ports requires knowledge mapping regarding the twin green and digital transition towards sustainability [31; 32], so as to provide a roadmap including viable pathways for positive development. Indeed, both seaports and airports need to contribute to carbon neutrality and sustainable development goals. They constitute essential nodes that make global transportation, global trade, and global supply chains possible. They are expected to become zero-emission, and also bring positive impacts when serving their customers and interacting with their service providers. Previous research examined the requirements for sustainable smart ports. For instance, a review of the energy and infrastructure of green seaports examined technological solutions, including electrification, power supply, and energy storage systems [33]. Furthermore, an Industry 4.0 review was conducted for the port and maritime industry [34]. Nonetheless, to the best of the authors' knowledge, there is currently no systematic review of intelligent ports that can support roadmapping efforts. Such a mapping of current knowledge is needed for the twin green and digital transition of global supply chains.  
With the purpose to provide strategic foresight for ecosystem innovations, this study conducted a knowledge mapping analysis of the latest literature. The specific mapping questions are outlined as follows:What are the intellectual, social, and conceptual structures of current knowledge, including specific information and relational patterns on the main authors, institutions, concepts, etc.?  
What are the socio-technical arrangements among the various stakeholders of intelligent ports?  
What are the specific key trends, opportunities, and threats?  
The findings of this study are expected to contribute to a socio-technical transition framework for ecosystem innovations. The resulting framework is expected to contextualize the evolution of multiple radical niche innovations (e.g., digital technologies, such as AI) challenging incumbent systems (e.g., high-pollution infrastructures or behaviors) at multiple levels [35; 36; 37], thereby answering the main roadmapping question.