Jan/Feb 2005

Telematics specialist Isotrak has re-engineered its products and reporting systems to work in a real-time GPRS-based Web environment - a development calculated to appeal to small fleets as well as large ones.

Called Active Transport Management, the new service is designed to improve the visibility and transparency of fleet activities, and covers transport planning, activity and resource monitoring and analysis.

Data is gathered from the vehicles and drivers' mobile devices, and transmitted to the Isotrak hub. From there is can be accessed via a standard Web browser. The underlying technology is based on standard Microsoft architecture, incorporating .NET components and SQL databases.

There are four levels: vehicle tracking, fleet management, resource management and supply chain management. All the functions in each service are integrated, so there is continuous real-time feedback of actual performance into planned activity.

 

The system is modular, so fleets can start with the basic service and add functions later as their business needs change.

To make it easier for busy managers to spot any potential problems, reports are presented in graphical form and colour-coded. Thus, any urgent problem is highlighted in red, whether it is something like a driver parked in an unrecognised place or, on the electronic "whiteboard", an instance where a driver has been delayed and will arrive late at his next stop late.

The graphical display makes it easier to see the impact actual events can have on the rest of the day's activities, says Isotrak. Managers can receive pre-programmed alerts to their mobile phones.