Subject: [NEXTEL-1] Tracking GSM Style

From: [email-masked]
Date: Mon, 14 Jul 2003 23:49:17 -0400

MapInfo’s Stephen Hurcom provides an overview of what technology
now exists for SME logistics companies to effectively track their
resources and freight.

Every fleet administrator has been there - one of the firm’s most important
clients is screaming on the phone looking for his/her vital delivery, which hasn’t
arrived yet. While some fleet managers have avoided this situation by investing in
pricey Global Positioning System (GPS) technology for tracking all kinds of
vehicles and their contents, other Small and Medium sized Enterprises (SME) have
found the cost of this kind of location-enabled solution too prohibitive. That is
until now.

A new type of tracking system for fleet managers is just around the corner and to
avail of this, all you need is an ordinary GSM mobile phone, computer and Internet
connection. Sound too good to be true? Well it isn’t. With this type of solution,
fleet managers won’t have the huge capital or operational expenditure
traditionally associated with GPS because this system works by tracking the
location of mobile phones, something that every driver already possesses.
The argument for fleet managers to invest in tracking systems has always been
sound. Information is the lifeblood of any company but especially for distribution
organisations. With large numbers of vehicles moving around the UK, Europe or even
globally, the value of knowing where these vehicles (and their all important
contents) are at any one time, together with the expected time of arrival at their
destinations, is enormous. Currently some logistic and road haulage firms incur
financial penalties for late deliveries, so the idea for investing in some type of
technically enabled tracking has always been good.

But despite this sound thinking, this solution has never really been an option for
the SME fleet managers. GPS requires a receiver and transmitter. The transmitter
is a black-box type device, which has to be physically located within the vehicle.
It sends the location data wirelessly to the receiver, which is held at the firm’s
base and a special kind of software will then translate this location data into
visually appealing maps. The price as well as the hassle associated with GPS is
considerable and this investment has traditionally only been justified for
logistic companies with over a hundred vehicles.
However a new era of fleet management software is possible. Mobile software
developers can now access the x y co-ordinates of all the mobile phones in the UK
and many parts of Western Europe, provided that the phone customer has given his
permission for his phone to be identified. This x y co-ordinate is vital for
detecting the location of the phone and as a direct result, the user. What this
means for fleet managers is that mobile software developers such as Cyantel
(www.cyantel.com), which has a global partnership with MapInfo, are developing
solutions specific for the logistics industry which are built on location
technology from MapInfo.

Not only are these systems easy to use, they are also easy to set up.  Companies,
such as MapInfo, are able to offer these services via an Application Service
Provider (ASP) model. Here the fleet manager will sign up to an online service and
then point their web browser at the appropriate URL (website) to access a fully
functional fleet tracking and management service. Once up and running, the fleet
manager can activate a ‘poll for position’, a technique which returns location
information on each driver. This kind of service is secure, easy-to-understand and
provides SMEs with a very low cost of entry, as there will be no investment in new
equipment or products.

By adopting fleet management solutions, there are a multitude of benefits for
fleet managers. For the first time, the tracking and pinpointing of assets using
simple but highly fucntional maps becomes affordable. Precise and accurate data
will indicate estimated delivery times and will also reveal the availability of
drivers, therefore allowing new jobs to be allocated more quickly. An opportunity
also exists to police assets, ensuring that during working hours vehicles are
always where they should be!

In addition to simple tracking functionality, fleet managers can also provide
their drivers with routing directions and traffic reports using the mobile phone
or PDA as the display tool. Although it would require more investment in technical
infrastructure, the opportunity will also exist for customers to actually track
their deliveries, making the supply chain visible and transparent. This is a move
that has its own benefits for Customer Relationship Management (CRM) practices.
Both of these methods operate using Cell-ID technology, which works by identifying
the area that the mobile phone is being used in. Mobile networks are denser in
urban areas so mobile phones can be located within a few hundred metres of their
actual location. In rural areas where the density is less, the location accuracy
will be less but will still be fit for purpose. While this admittedly, isn’t as
accurate as GPS, it does allow fleet managers to answer that immortal customer
question of ‘When will my delivery be made?’. Cell-ID technology is available
today but in the future, the ability to exactly pin-point the location of assets
will be enhanced via upgrades to the operator’s core network.

Before investing in this type of solution, however, it is vital that fleet
managers consider the infrastructure on which they are built. MapInfo’s partner
Cyantel utilises its MapInfo miAware platform as the foundation upon which it
builds its fleet management solution. It is essential that this type of solution
is built on a scalable, robust, carrier-grade platform technology, as it is this
middleware which executes and translates the search for the x y co-ordinates of
mobile phones. 

Currently MapInfo miAware has been adopted by Siemens and Vodafone
to provide geo-information functionality such as mapping, routing and geo-coding
for a variety of location-based services that they are both currently developing.
Over the coming months, fleet managers will see more promotion surrounding systems
that work by tracking the x y co-ordinates of mobile phones. For logistics firms
of all sizes, being able to effectively track resources and deliveries has become
vital. In these tougher economic times, anything that is cost effective and can
guarantee increased customer satisfaction, has to be considered.

About the Author

Stephen Hurcom is Global Director Location Based Services, MapInfo
(www.mapinfo.co.uk). For further information, you can email:
[email-masked] or call: +44 (1753) 848 200

MapInfo Corporation is a global software company that integrates software, data
and services to help customers realise greater value from location-based
information and drive more insightful decisions. MapInfo solutions are available
in 20 languages through a network of strategic partners and distribution channels
in 60 countries.

Related Weblinks:

www.mapinfo.com
www.mapinfo.co.uk
www.cyantel.com

http://www.wirelessdevnet.com/articles/miaware03/

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