Positionamobile.com is the name a new tracking and location system from Mobile Location Services, which has been set up as a specialist in the telematics and positioning market. It will be aimed at both field service and vehicle fleet operations.

Unusually, the service is a joint project, since the GSM phone-based tracking functions will be handled by Verilocation, the company formed last year by the team behind Overview Mapping. In effect MLS will act as a value-added reseller for the Verilocation service.

However, conventional GPS-based tracking will also be part of the offering. The company says it wants to offer a comprehensive Web-based mobile phone location service that uses a single Web browsing interface, however the data is gathered.

Mobile Location Services is headed by Nigel Porter, who with Edward Belgonne left Thales Telematics to set up Destiny Wireless, which was formed last year to sell and supports the Anoto digital pen system. MLS has several strings to its bow, including single-number national phone call routing (you ring a central number, the service works out where you are and allocates the nearest branch to attend to your requirements). It also has various mobile worker solutions, including a service called VL Tracer.

 

Verilocation already claims to have 10,000 users, including what are described as a host of blue-chip clients.

... as ICS offers Mapbyte tracking technology

ICS Black Box and Mapbyte are working together to offer real-time GPRS-based GPS tracking solutions. ICS, the on-board computer and telematics company, is providing its latest GPRS Fleet Log on-board computer, while Mapbyte, an Internet-based tracking and asset management specialist, is offering its Vega online track and trace system.

The system features a browser-based mapping package that displays the location of tracked vehicles every 30 seconds, as well as producing various reports. The software can also help office-based users to find the best route between locations, and even offers turn-by-turn instructions for the journey.