Sept/Oct 2003

Driving home the convergence of different telematics technologies, tracking systems specialist Masternaut has added two new capabilities to its portfolio ­ job scheduling and in-vehicle navigation. The new capabilities are incorporated in a package called M-Schedule.

Masternaut has maintained its position of offering pure Web-based services, and says users need not install special host software to access the new features. Some integration work might however be necessary to take advantage of its promise that the service "can integrate with existing despatch systems."

M-Schedule aims to identify the first available resource for a given job, working on the basis of an electronic diary and current location of all mobile units in the system. Job details are then sent via GPRS to the driver's PDA or a mobile phone.

Masternaut says the system can also be adapted to handle service call despatch and closure, deliveries and other response-based and emergency service activities, although not all these features are standard. PDA software includes on-screen signature capture for electronic proof of selivery and service sign-off.

The navigation element provides drivers with turn-by-turn instructions for reaching delivery or collection addresses.

Remarkably, the company says the complete package, including live tracking, job scheduling and navigation, is available at prices starting from £2.50 per vehicle per day.