July/Aug 2005

When a routing and scheduling package works out the journey plan for vehicles, it often knows to within metres where each call point lies. Logically, drivers should be able to use that data in an on-board satellite navigation system to find their way directly to each location, but it's not always a simple matter to feed the coordinates to a satnav system.

Now MapMechanics, a long-established supplier of logistics software and digital map data, has launched a system that integrates the two functions wirelessly. It's called MapMechanics Mobile.

In simple terms, MapMechanics Mobile takes the output from a routing and scheduling system (any mainstream package should do, the company says), and feeds it by GPRS wireless link to the vehicle. The only requirement is that drivers must be equipped with Windows Mobile-based PDAs running a mainstream satnav system such as TomTom or AA Navigator, and these need to be wireless-enabled.

The driver just presses a 'next' button for each new call, instead of having to enter address, postcode or coordinates. MapMechanics says that typing in data is one of the chief obstacles to greater use of satnav in delivery operations.

 

There's more. The system also retrieves delivery information from the vehicle in real time; so if there's a delay or a delivery fails, the job can be rescheduled more quickly, enhancing operating efficiency.

Finally, since the system monitors the location of all vehicles in real time, it's also in effect a vehicle tracking system. The company is not over-hyping this aspect of the system (it also supplies map data to several mainstream tracking specialists), but says that if a relatively simple tracking system is all you want, this will fit the bill.

And if you don't have a routing and scheduling system, it will be happy to sell you TruckStops, which it has supplied and supported in Britain for many years.