Take a closer look at how we believe the port will one day evolve into a Living Digital Entity.

In 2018 I had the opportunity to propose the APICA concept to the Port of Antwerp leadership Team. 

All I had was a handful of interactive virtual reality demonstrations, a personal philosophy on how technological advancements will change the way we work in the next ten years, a title and a key image that says more than a thousand words. By changing one letter, the main port system became an assistant with a face and a brain.

Ten years ago only the lucky few had a smartphone or a flatscreen monitor, today our mobile devices are more powerful than most personal computers back then. I believe that in ten years time, physical screens could be a thing of the past. 

Today about 50% of all western adults wear glasses or contact lenses, in ten years time everybody that wants to view a screen will own a pair. Of course the concept screens themselves will fade as computing itself will become spatial and no longer bound to a flat rectangle. 

Never in history have investments been so large as seen today in virtual and augmented reality startups and companies.

Now is the time to not only think about how we will interface with our own content, partners and systems, but to actually start building the foundations for this interface.

That is what APICA as a philosophy represents…

This book captures the conception and continuous growth of APICA. It’s a creative status report of where we are today and an ambitious vision for how we’ll move forward. But more than anything, it’s an inspirational trigger for your imagination.

More about APICA

  • Antwerp Port Experience
    Exploring the Port of Antwerp with Virtual Guides Both the Port House and the MAS Haven Pavilion proudly display impressive satellite images of the Port of Antwerp. Thanks … Read more
  • Port of the Future
    Were you one of the 15,000 visitors who explored the Port of Antwerp dome during SuperNova? If so, you were treated to a unique sneak preview of the … Read more
  • Digital Twin – Boekenbeurs
    The Port of Antwerp does not take its role as a partner of the Book Fair lightly. At its booth, it presents a public version of the Digital … Read more
  • APICA
    APICA is short for “Antwerp Port Information & Control Assistant” and takes you 10 years into the future of a world-leading port.  It envisions a time where the … Read more
  • APICA FUTURE CONCEPT BOOK
    Take a closer look at how we believe the port will one day evolve into a Living Digital Entity. In 2018 I had the opportunity to propose the APICA … Read more
  • APICA – Digital Twin
    “Hello, I am APICA, your virtual assistant. Welcome to the port of Antwerp-Bruges. It will be a sunny day, with a light breeze from the north-west. There are … Read more
  • APICA wins ICT/Digital Project of the Year 2022
    Very proud to announce that APICA won the ICT/Digital Project of the Year 2022 Award (Link in Dutch)
  • MetaPort VR
    The primary aim of this project was to explore and understand the capabilities of the metaverse in facilitating virtual tours within the Port of Antwerpen Bruges. Central to … Read more