GPS World

Tag: waste management

  • Geotab launches public works solution for government fleets

    Geotab launches public works solution for government fleets

    Helps enable state and municipal government agencies to improve fleet operations and increases operational efficiencies

    Photo: THEPALMER/E+/Getty Images
    Photo: THEPALMER/E+/Getty Images

    Geotab, an Internet of Things (IoT) and connected transportation company, has launched its Geotab Public Works solution in North America.

    The all-in-one solution offers fleet managers full visibility into the operational data of all government vehicle types on a single platform,and provides the toolsets to effectively remain compliant, reduce costs and maintain road safety.

    Designed to help government agencies better manage vehicles such as salt spreaders, snowplows, street sweepers and waste management vehicles, the Geotab Public Works solution is integrated with an extensive number of spreader controllers.

    The solution is built to support key government business drivers including material management, compliance, accountability and liability. Providing public works departments with improved fleet management capabilities, fleets can utilize the solution to more accurately measure material usage, such as salt, allowing government fleet managers to feel more confident that community roads are not over- or underserviced.

    With Geotab Public Works, government fleets are better able to control costs while reducing the impact that excessive material usage can have on the environment.

    “Empowered by an industry-leading number of spreader controller integrations alongside various geospatial capabilities, the Geotab Public Works solution is designed to help government fleets optimize both their seasonal and ongoing fleet operations,” said Chris Jackson, associate VP of Business Development, Public Works and Smart Cities. “Spreader controllers provide fleet managers with rich insights that can help government agencies ensure that their fleets are adequately servicing roads without sacrificing the health of the environment.”

    Available as a configurable add-in on the MyGeotab platform, the Geotab Public Works solution allows governments, including municipalities of all sizes, to customize their database to help meet the specific needs of their fleet.

    In addition, users can add further value and customization through access to the Geotab Marketplace, an extensive portfolio of mobile apps, software add-ins and hardware add-ons that enable Geotab customers to further customize the fleet management solution.

    “As many governments continue to look for ways to optimize their operations, Geotab Public Works is the type of robust, scalable, secure solution that provides real value by giving government fleet managers and local constituents unprecedented visibility to their public services,” said Jean Pilon-Bignell, vice president of Business Development, Government and Smart Cities at Geotab. “With high-frequency, near real-time reporting, the Geotab Public Works solution allows governments to know where their fleets are and how they are operating at all times, enabling fleet managers to more efficiently leverage their fleet data to provide better and more transparent services to their residents.”

  • Propeller Aero and DJI join on PPK drone solution

    Propeller Aero, a cloud-based drone analytics company, is partnering with DJI to create the Propeller PPK Solution leveraging the DJI Phantom 4 RTK drone.

    The solution provides customers in the civil, mining, aggregates and waste management industries with a reliable and fully integrated drone mapping system, helping them collect highly accurate data from any worksite without the challenges of traditional workflows, the companies said.

    The DJI Phantom 4 gathers data at a construction site. (Photo: DJI)
    The DJI Phantom 4 gathers data at a construction site. (Photo: DJI)

    According to Propeller Aero, Propeller PPK Solution is a fully integrated software and hardware system that reliably provides photogrammetric model outputs in geodetic, projected or local coordinate systems.

    The solution provides accuracy of 1/10 feet (3 cm) from independent checkpoints across small and large survey areas (checkpoints up to 1 km from GCPs). To capture surveys of this accuracy, all that is needed is one AeroPoint on the ground (over a known point if working in local coordinates).

    The Propeller PPK Solution has been shown to reduce the time required to complete a drone survey by 70 percent as compared to a traditional workflow using multiple GCPs across a worksite, Propeller Aero said.

    “DJI has led the drone market with their reliable and innovative products, and quickly demonstrated the ability for these machines to become useful tools in the heavy civil and natural resource industries,” said Rory San Miguel, CEO of Propeller Aero. “Globally, these industries are seeing real cost savings and efficiencies through cloud-based analytics and using innovative new technologies like PPK drones combined with AeroPoints. Accurate data is paramount to worksite analytics and Propeller has always been obsessed with helping teams achieve this. We introduced the world’s first smart ground control point, AeroPoints, and now we’ve partnered up with DJI to build an end-to-end PPK solution.”

    On today’s construction sites, lack of project data costs businesses more than $177 billion annually. To help solve this problem, Propeller developed a tightly integrated PPK workflow across the DJI Phantom 4 RTK drone, an AeroPoint, and Propeller’s cloud processing platform that visualizes real-time site data. Surveyors and contractors can Propeller PPK solution to gather verifiable, trustworthy data to help make data-driven decisions and prevent costly mistakes, the companies added.

    “Propeller’s deep expertise in aerial mapping and analytics coupled with DJI’s industry-leading open-platform drone hardware creates a highly accurate turnkey solution,” said Jan Gasparic, director of strategic partnerships at DJI. “We are excited about this partnership because it broadens the use of DJI drones to deliver accurate data at a cost-efficient price point, helping teams better answer questions about site progress and productivity.”

    The complete PPK solution will be distributed through channel partners, including Trimble’s SITECH distribution network. Trimble Stratus, a 3D cloud-based visualization platform developed by Propeller, along with AeroPoints, is already integrated with Trimble Connected Site solutions.

    “The advent of drones in the construction industry has improved efficiencies, and Trimble Stratus users are already benefiting from the ease-of-use and scalability of drone-based surveys,” said Scott Crozier, general manager, Trimble Civil Engineering and Construction. “With the new Propeller PPK Solution and Trimble Stratus software, we’ve seen first-hand how surveyors and contractors can collect aerial survey data in a fraction of the time it used to take, and get repeatable and reliable results.”

  • Trimble and Infinicon Offer Surface Methane Monitoring Solution

    Trimble and Infinicon, Inc., are offering a portable Infinicon DataFID Flame Ionization Detector and Trimble SEMonitor software as a solution for surface methane monitoring of landfills. The landfill gas solution provides a more streamlined workflow for the environmental services professional, improving efficiency and reducing rework.

    The announcement was made at WasteExpo 2014, a North American solid waste and recycling tradeshow.

    In the past, field technicians had to carry notebooks, maps, plans and the sensor to locate, mitigate and audit trouble points on site. The Trimble SEMonitor and Infinicon DataFID solution combine to eliminate the need for pen and paper, increase communication capabilities in the field and improve work flow demands for field technicians, maximizing productivity and streamlining the workflow.

    By leveraging Trimble’s innovation and expertise in geospatial software solutions with Infinicon’s proficiency in portable, intrinsic safe detection equipment, environmental professionals can see increased efficiency in conducting their landfill methane surface emission monitoring, analysis and reporting.

    “Collaborating with Infinicon allows us to offer a more robust software solution while simultaneously addressing the entire environmental workflow from data collection through analysis for compliance and operational optimization,” said John Rice, general manager of Trimble’s Environmental Solutions Division. “Together, we offer the environmental industry a complete end-to-end solution for landfill methane monitoring.”

    “The Trimble SEMonitor adds a unique dimension to traditional monitoring practices by streamlining surface landfill gas data collection, analysis and compliance reporting. Communicating via the Bluetooth connection, the hardware and software solutions combine to improve efficiency, accuracy and effectiveness of surface methane monitoring,” said ChingYue Yeung, product manager for the INFICON DataFID.