Industry Pack · Customs
Customs
From declarations and shipping documents to structured, traceable customs data.
Customs work runs on declarations, invoices, packing lists, bills of lading, and inspection files, each following its own rules and code lists. Digitization has to turn these into one consistent dataset, so declaring, cargo tracking, risk profiling, and archiving all draw on the same record instead of re-keying it at every step.
DESIGNED FORDesigned for customs record sets that must be reconciled against consignments and traceable to their source documents. Production begins only after acceptance on a representative dataset.
What digitization means here
Digitization in customs
Customs digitization turns declarations, supporting documents, consignment information, and inspection files into structured data, so declaring, cargo tracking, risk assessment, and archiving all work from one source of data.
What we would build
Electronic declarations
Receive, validate, and cross-check declaration fields against the supporting documents.
Cargo and container tracking
Link consignments, containers, and vehicles to each declaration and record the milestones.
Risk profiling
Assemble historical data on companies, goods, and routes to support channel selection.
Declaration archive
Structured storage of declarations and documents that is searchable and traceable.
Stages of work
Survey the documents
List declaration types, documents, and existing systems together with the business rules involved.
- Document catalog
- Business rule table
Standardize the data
Agree on goods codes, entity codes, and field formats across sources.
- Customs data schema
- Reference code table
Extract and reconcile
Extract fields from declarations and documents, reconcile with consignment information, and record the source.
- Structured declaration records
- List of discrepancies to resolve
Accept and archive
Check against a golden sample set, then load into the archive and open search.
- Acceptance report
- Declaration archive
Deliverables
- Structured electronic declarations
- Consignment and container tracking records
- Data to support risk assessment
- A searchable declaration archive
Inputs
Typical input data
Customs declarations
Import and export declarations, in electronic or scanned form.
Shipping and trade documents
Commercial invoices, packing lists, bills of lading, and certificates.
Cargo and container records
Consignment, container, and vehicle information with time milestones.
Inspection and clearance files
Inspection results, decisions, and clearance records.
Challenges
Hard problems we solve
Many document types and code lists
Goods codes, entity codes, and units differ between sources and change over time.
Matching declarations to documents
Each declared value must be checked against the supporting document and the consignment.
Linking cargo across steps
One consignment appears under different references at the port, the carrier, and the declarant.
Security, permissions, and audit logs
Trade data is sensitive, so access rights and a verifiable log of every action are part of the requirement.
Evidence for every value
Each extracted value must trace back to its source document and processing history.
Outputs
Target outputs
Structured e-customs declarations
Declaration fields captured, validated, and cross-checked against documents.
Cargo and container tracking
Consignments, containers, and vehicles linked to declarations with milestones.
Risk profiling data
Historical data on companies, goods, and routes prepared to support channel selection.
Declaration archive
A searchable, permissioned archive of declarations and documents.
Source evidence and processing history
Evidence links plus an auditable record of how each value was produced.
Value
Where the value lives
When declarations and documents share one structured record, officers spend less time re-checking the same fields, and every figure can still be traced to the document it came from.
How to start
Start with one representative dataset
Select a representative set of declarations and documents, then lock the schema, code lists, critical fields, missing and conflicting-source rules, and acceptance criteria. Run a benchmark before scaling production.
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