April/May 2003

As tracking and communications devices on vans and trucks have begun to proliferate, so have calls for units that combine GPS tracking with GSM communications. In the logistics sector, few companies want just one or the other, and a combined unit is neater and faster to install, saving costs.

An integrated unit promoted as being "programmable rather than simply configurable" is now available from Basingstoke-based Telecom Design Communications. The company is the UK importer for the Dome, developed by New Zealand-based Navman.

The Dome (so-called because of its shape) can collect, record and communicate real-time information on the activities of vehicles, including accurate start and stop times, time spent on site or at customer visits, routes taken and the distance travelled, with notifications when vehicles become disabled or approach a boundary.

It includes a 12-Channel GPS receiver, cellular data modem and antennas, all enclosed in a UV-resistant, weatherproof IP66 case. The Dome can be mounted externally or internally inside a glass-fibre roof which would not interfere with signal reception.

 

The device has a built-in processor which allows systems installers flexibility to write their own code to tell the unit which events to monitor, what data to collect, how frequently and so on. The processor supports 832KB Flash, 128KB battery backed (Li-lon) SRAM and 32KB EEPROM memory and has more than 100,000 erase/write cycles. It can connect to Navman's MDT-800 Terminal for in-vehicle displays.