Dynamically Generating Visualization Data Based On Shipping Events

Abstract

Technologies are described for generating visualizations that graphically represent an item being exposed to extreme environmental conditions while en route to a destination. An exemplary visualization may include a still graphic that shows a symbol of a detected environmental condition positioned adjacent to and/or superimposed over a graphic that represents the item. Another exemplary visualization may include an animation that includes a sequence of frames that, when sequentially displayed at a particular frame rate, animate the item being subjected to the detected environmental condition. Various implementations include receiving measurements of the environmental conditions that the item is exposed to from sensors that are proximate to the item while it is en route to the destination. Then, when thresholds are reached for specific environmental conditions (e.g., temperature, acceleration, etc.), visualizations may be generated that graphically represent the item being exposed to such specific environmental conditions.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method, comprising:
 receiving, from sensors associated with an item, event data indicating measurements of environmental conditions;   generating, responsive to determining that the measurements of an environmental condition exceed a threshold level of the environmental condition defined for the item, a visualization by inserting a graphical element representative of the item into an animation, the animation including a plurality of frames which, when displayed sequentially, animate the graphical element moving within the visualization as being subjected to the environmental condition; and   automatically transmitting, over a network, the visualization to a client device, thereby causing the client device to render the visualization on a display screen of the client device.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the generating the visualization includes inserting an additional graphical element representative of the environmental condition into the animation, the animation including the plurality of frames which, when displayed sequentially, animate the graphical element moving within the visualization in relation to the additional graphical element. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the determining that the measurements of the environmental condition exceed the threshold level is based on resistance data defining a plurality of threshold levels for the item in association with the environmental condition, the visualization being different based on the threshold level of the plurality of threshold levels that is exceeded. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the plurality of threshold levels define different degrees of exposure to the environmental condition, and the generating the visualization includes selecting, as the additional graphical element, one of multiple graphical elements corresponding to the environmental condition, the multiple graphical elements representative of the different degrees of exposure to the environmental condition. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the plurality of threshold levels define a first threshold level indicative of the item being at risk of being damaged and a second threshold level indicative of the item having been damaged, and the generating the visualization includes visually indicating, in the visualization, whether the item is at risk of being damaged or the item has been damaged based on whether the first threshold level or the second threshold level is exceeded 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the plurality of threshold levels define an acceptable range for the environmental condition, and the determining that the measurements of the environmental condition exceed the threshold level includes determining that the measurements of the environmental condition are outside the acceptable range. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the event data is received while the item is being transported from an origination location to a destination location, and the generating the visualization includes generating a map to be included in the visualization, the map including a shipping route from the origination location to the destination location and an additional graphical element on the shipping route indicating a location along the shipping route at which the item was exposed to the threshold level of the environmental condition. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the map includes a further graphical element on the shipping route indicating an additional location along the shipping route at which custody of the item is transferred from a first carrier entity to a second carrier entity during shipment of the item from the origination location to the destination location. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 receiving a smart contract associated with the item, the smart contract being encoded with one or more actions and triggering criteria, the triggering criteria identifying the threshold level for the environmental condition; and   responsive to determining that the measurements of the environmental condition exceed the threshold level, automatically initiating the one or more actions by implementing the smart contract.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the event data is received while the item is being transported from an origination location to a destination location, and the one or more actions include causing the item to be dynamically re-routed to an updated destination location. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the event data is received while the item is being transported by a carrier entity from an origination location to a destination location, and the one or more actions include causing the carrier entity to initiate shipping of a replacement item to the destination location. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the event data is received while the item is being transported by a carrier entity from an origination location to a destination location, and the generating the visualization includes generating a user interface element to be included in the visualization, the user interface element being selectable to request that an inspection of the item be performed by the carrier entity. 
     
     
         13 . A client device, comprising:
 a processing device;   a display screen; and   a memory communicatively coupled to the processing device, the memory storing instructions that, responsive to execution by the processing device, cause the processing device to perform operations including:
 receiving, over a network and from one or more computing devices of a service provider system, a visualization of an item that is being transported from an origination location to a destination location, the visualization received responsive to measurements of an environmental condition, sensed by sensors associated with the item, exceeding a threshold level of the environmental condition defined for the item, the visualization including an animation of a plurality of frames which, when displayed sequentially, animate a graphical element representative of the item moving within the visualization as being subjected to the environmental condition; and 
 displaying, responsive to the receiving, the visualization via the display screen. 
   
     
     
         14 . The client device of  claim 13 , wherein the visualization further includes an additional graphical element representative of the environmental condition, and the animation includes the plurality of frames which, when displayed sequentially, animate the graphical element moving within the visualization in relation to the additional graphical element. 
     
     
         15 . The client device of  claim 13 , wherein the displaying the visualization includes sequentially displaying the plurality of frames to animate the graphical element moving within the visualization as being subjected to the environmental condition. 
     
     
         16 . The client device of  claim 13 , wherein a plurality of threshold levels are defined for the item in association with the environmental condition, the visualization being different based on the threshold level of the plurality of threshold levels that is exceeded. 
     
     
         17 . The client device of  claim 13 , wherein the visualization further includes a map including a shipping route from the origination location to the destination location and an additional graphical element on the shipping route indicating a location along the shipping route at which the item was exposed to the threshold level of the environmental condition. 
     
     
         18 . The client device of  claim 17 , wherein the map includes a further graphical element on the shipping route indicating an additional location along the shipping route at which custody of the item is transferred from a first carrier entity to a second carrier entity during shipment of the item from the origination location to the destination location 
     
     
         19 . The client device of  claim 13 , wherein the visualization further includes a user interface element that is selectable to initiate transmission, over the network, of an inspection request of the item to an additional computing device associated with a carrier entity in custody of the item during shipment from the origination location to the destination location. 
     
     
         20 . One or more computer-readable storage media storing instructions that, when executed by a processing device, cause the processing device to perform operations comprising:
 receiving, from sensors associated with an item, event data indicating measurements of environmental conditions;   generating, responsive to determining that the measurements of an environmental condition exceed a threshold level of the environmental condition defined for the item, a visualization by inserting a first graphical element representative of the item and a second graphical element of the environmental condition into an animation, the animation including a plurality of frames which, when displayed sequentially, animate the first graphical element moving within the visualization in relation to the second graphical element; and   automatically transmitting, over a network, the visualization to a client device, thereby causing the client device to render the visualization on a display screen of the client device.