A yard that has plenty of space in the morning can become crowded within a few hours. It is important for terminal operators to know what is happening in the yard right now. But it is equally important to know what the situation could look like over the next 48 to 72 hours. How much space is available? Which areas are getting crowded? Which containers have been waiting for too long? Where should the next containers be placed? These questions can be difficult to answer when planners are working with old information. A shift report, radio call or spreadsheet may show what happened earlier in the day. But by the time the planner receives that information, the situation in the yard may have already changed. This is where a digital twin can help. Instead of relying on old reports, a digital twin can give terminal staff a live view of the yard. It can also help them prepare for what may happen next. What a Live View Can Do Many terminals use dashboards, manual reports or shift reports to keep track of yard operations. These tools can provide useful information. But a modern digital twin can provide a different kind of view. It can connect directly to the terminal database and show a live, 3D view of the yard. A supervisor does not have to wait until the end of a shift to see how full the yard is or check which appointments are coming in. The information is available while operations are taking place. This can help staff make decisions based on what is happening at that moment. Image for representation purposes only Spotting Crowded Areas Early One simple use of a digital twin is to show how full different parts of the yard are. A heat map can show where containers are located using different colours. It can help planners see which areas have a large number of containers and where space is still available. This can help them spot crowded areas before they become a bigger problem. For example, if one part of the yard is getting busy, planners can direct containers to anothe