Since the AT&T Drive Studio opened in January 2014, twelve companies have joined AT&T there in an effort to collaborate and develop new services for the connected car of the future. The latest company to join is LG Electronics, which signed on November 18.
AT&T Drive Studio is a connected car center for innovation and research. Its sponsorship agreement with LG allows the companies to collaborate on the AT&T Drive platform to support services on automotive-grade hardware and equipment for tomorrow’s connected vehicles.
Located in Atlanta, the more than 5,000-square foot AT&T Drive Studio features working garage bays, a speech lab, a full showroom to exhibit the latest innovations, conference facilities, and much more. Drive Studio integrates AT&T solutions across multiple companies and serves as a hub where AT&T can respond to needs of automotive manufacturers and the auto ecosystem at large.
“At the Drive Studio we work with automakers to make the in-car experience better and safer for the driver and passengers,” said Chris Penrose, senior vice president, Internet of Things Solutions, AT&T. “The spirit of the AT&T Drive Studio is to bring together players in the auto industry ecosystem, like LG, to design the road ahead.”
“By analysis of customer insights and Car OEM’s requirements, safety, comfort and convenience are key factors in automotive area,” said Jong Rak Lim, vice president and head of LG’s In-Vehicle Infotainment R&D Lab. “As global telematics supplier, we are very pleased to participate in AT&T Drive Studio as a sponsor and hope to bring better Connected Car solutions into the market together.”
AT&T already provides mobile Internet access in vehicles manufactured by both U.S. and non-U.S. automobile makers. AT&T entered the market with a proprietary, global SIM platform that made it possible for automotive, consumer and M2M equipment makers to work through a single carrier to wirelessly enable and connect products across the globe, and cars are being sold throughout world today with this SIM.
Geotab, a telematics engineering company, has launched its new GO7 telematics device. The GO7 allows fleet management applications to receive vehicle data communications from the engine, drive train, instrument cluster and other subsystems.
The Geotab GO7 is the newest device in Geotab’s line of telematics solutions and has added a number of new features such as programmable CANBUS, OBD, J1708 connection pins, enhanced auto-protocol detection and higher sensitivity accelerometer — making the solution future-proof and cost effective for any fleet to install and maintain, the company said.
The GO7 is an plug-and-play device with internal antennas that eliminates installation and out-of service vehicle time, which significantly lowers installation costs and improves fleet productivity, according to Geotab. The latest edition of Geotab’s GO devices caters to more than one vehicle protocol at a time, allowing the device to collect data simultaneously for all possible datasets, such as RPM, VIN, fuel level, seat-belt detection and odometer. The secondary protocol support provides detailed engine data for a variety of vehicles, including Ford, GM, Chrysler, Volvo and Mazda. The technology is scalable, from light duty, medium duty, to heavy commercial trucks in addition to supporting all major vehicle manufacturers globally, Geotab said.
Photo: Geotab
“Our goal is to provide the most advanced and efficient telematics solution in the industry,” said Neil Cawse, CEO, Geotab. “Together with our MyGeotab software, the all-new GO7 device allows us to provide our customers with the most sophisticated end-to-end fleet management solution on an industry leading platform — providing great productivity enhancements, safety features and cost-savings to our fleet customers.”
Top features of the GO7 include:
Easy plug-and-play installation
External device expandability via IOX Technology
Intelligent in-vehicle driver coaching
Small form factor device
Breakthrough accident detection and notification
Accurate engine diagnostics, DTC, and proprietary engine data
Real-time vehicle data
Fast GPS acquisition time using Almanac OTA support
Agilis Systems, LLC, a provider of GPS-based software solutions for businesses, now offers MOTOsafety Teen Driving Coach — a specialty consumer product designed to help parents monitor location and driving behaviors of their teenage drivers.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), inexperience and speeding are top contributors to teen automobile accidents. The team at Agilis recognized this as an opportunity to leverage the company’s experience improving safety ratings of professional drivers to develop a similar product that would help young drivers become better, safer drivers.
Expanding Agilis’ product line to include a consumer product that will help teens stay safer on the roads was an easy step to take, says Agilis Systems’ President and CEO, David Barford. “Most of us here at MOTOsafety are parents. I, myself, am the father of four children. I know the stress and worry you feel as a parent the first time you hand the keys to a new driver. So evolving our technology from business use to helping safeguard and teach our kids… absolutely. It was a must-do.”
Photo: Agilis Systems
Agilis Systems developed MOTOsafety in collaboration with a former police officer and driving school owner and an advisory board of parents.
MOTOsafety was first offered to the public with a soft launch in 2011. Today, MOTOsafety is the largest and most trusted GPS teen-driving product on the market.
MOTOsafety is a web-based software and mobile app that provides parents with real-time and historical information on their child’s daily driving habits. Data is collected using a small GPS device that installs directly into the vehicle. Customers may choose between a removable plug-in tracker or a hard-wired option. Both devices are small in size, easy to install, and are not visible in most vehicles.
Parents login to secure web-based software to review daily reports on speed, rapid acceleration, harsh braking, routes traveled, and times and locations of driving activities. The MOTOsafety software also allows parents the option to set approved driving hours and designate geofences — customizable, virtual mapped boundaries where their child may or may not travel. Parents may also opt to receive real-time text or email alerts if their teen driver violates speed limits or other established rules, or if the MOTOsafety device is removed from the vehicle.
Another MOTOsafety feature is the Daily Driver Report Card. This specially designed report provides a summary of the prior day’s driving activity in a familiar letter-grade format. The Report Card is automatically emailed each day, and serves as a coaching tool for parents to review with their child and facilitate on-going conversation on his or her driving performance, safe driving practices, and goals for improvement.
According to a new research report from the analyst firm Berg Insight, the number of active fleet management systems deployed in commercial vehicle fleets in Europe was 3.65 million in Q4-2013. Growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 14.2 percent, this number is expected to reach 7.10 million by 2018.
A group of international aftermarket solution providers have emerged as the leaders on the European fleet management market. Masternaut reported an active installed base of close to 350,000 units in July 2014, mainly in France and the UK. TomTom Telematics was the fastest growing vendor also in 2014 and has now surpassed 400,000 subscribers in August 2014.
The two companies share the number one spot in terms of active installed base in Europe. Digicore has also joined the exclusive group of fleet management providers in Europe having more than 100,000 active devices in the field. Transics is number one in the heavy trucks segment with an estimated 85,000 active units installed.
A major trend in the past three years has been the announcements of standard line fitment of fleet management solutions among the HCV manufacturers. Scania, Daimler, Volvo and MAN now experience fast growth of telematics subscribers thanks to these initiatives. FleetBoard by Daimler, Dynafleet by Volvo and Scania Fleet Management are the most sold systems with cumulative shipments of 150,000 units, 135,000 units and 100,000 units respectively as of Q4-2013.
A recent trend is that LCV manufacturers increasingly work together with aftermarket players to offer fleet management solutions. PSA Peugeot Citroën has for instance launched a new fleet management service on the French market in partnership with Orange Business Services in April 2014. Ford and Telogis recently partnered to deliver fleet management solutions to Ford customers in Europe. Teletrac has moreover for a long time collaborated with OEMs on the UK market, including Citroën and Mercedes Benz.
M&A activities on this market continued with full force in 2014. “Seven major mergers and acquisitions have so far taken place this year among the vendors of fleet management systems in Europe,” said Johan Fagerberg, Senior Analyst, Berg Insight. At the beginning of 2014, Qualcomm finally divested also the majority of the European arm of its fleet business to Astrata Group, a fleet management company headquartered in Singapore.
Later in February, WABCO acquired Transics and the transaction valued the company at about €100 million. Lysanda acquired UK-based TRACKER Network in February and plans to establish Tantalum Corporation from the combined business.
In April, TomTom also acquired the French FM provider DAMS Tracking, adding another 27,000 subscriptions to the installed base. Francisco Partners, moreover, divested Masternaut to Summit Partners and FleetCor in the same month.
In July 2014, Zucchetti Group acquired a majority share of Macnil from its founders. The latest transaction was done in October 2014 when Finder acquired its Polish competitor Autoguard to form the largest FMS provider in Poland. Fagerberg anticipates that the market consolidation of the still overcrowded industry will continue in 2015.
The upcoming Telematics Munich conference, scheduled for November 10-11 at the Hotel Dolce Munich, is considered Europe’s largest and most influential business conference and exhibition for the connected car industry.
More than 1,000 industry executives and 100 speakers are set to attend the conference, which has the theme “The Car Plugs into the Connected World: Auto Mobility Strategies for 2020.”
This year’s agenda covers these topics:
Personalized Connectivity Prevails — Context is king as data from changing driving environments sync with personal preferences to create a UX that bridges generational gaps.
Data Investments Pay Out —Collect. Analyze. Deliver. Harness connected car data to obtain real consumer and vehicle insights and generate new revenues.
Move with the M2M Hype Curve —Align the tech of other connected industries (such as home automation and health) with the car to draw closer to a totally connected lifestyle.
Tech Titans Enter The Connected Car —Discuss the business model and CRM repercussions for entrenched telematics players as CE giants move into the ecosystem.
Auto Mobility Towards 2020 — Debate OEM commitments, V2X tech, and smart cities today to plot the path of automated vehicle technology of tomorrow.
The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) has announced that Boo-Keun Yoon, president and CEO of Samsung Electronics, will deliver the keynote address at the 2015 International Consumer Electronics Show. The International CES will take place in Las Vegas, January 6-9, and Yoon will talk at 6:30 p.m. January 5 in the Palazzo Ballroom at the Venetian.
Yoon will discuss connected devices, the future of the Internet of Things (IoT), and the vision of the smart home. He also will focus on Samsung’s vision of strategic partnerships that will drive the next wave of technology breakthroughs.
“Samsung is widely-known for its disruptive technologies and business models, and has been one of the fastest growing CE brands in the world,” said Gary Shapiro, president and CEO, CEA. “Samsung amazes at each CES with its innovative products spanning the entire tech ecosystem. We welcome Boo-Keun Yoon back to the keynote stage for the 2015 CES.”
Yoon began his career at Samsung Electronics in 1978. After serving in a number of leadership positions at Samsung Electronics, Yoon headed Samsung’s Visual Display Business from 2007, seeing its revenue double while maintaining the company’s No. 1 global TV market share for eight consecutive years. Currently, Boo-Keun Yoon serves as the president and CEO of Consumer Electronics at Samsung Electronics, leading Samsung’s Visual Display, Digital Appliances, Printing Solutions and Health & Medical Equipment Business. In addition, Yoon also acts as the company’s Chief Design Officer.
According to CEA/GfK research, global consumer technology spending will top more than $1 trillion in 2015. Lauded for its innovative design and technology across its diverse portfolio of products, Samsung Electronics is a leading global brand for high-tech electronics and digital media.
The 2015 CES will feature more than 3,500 exhibitors unveiling the latest consumer technology products and services across the entire ecosystem of consumer technologies. For more information on the 2015 CES, visit CESweb.org.
According to a new research report from the analyst firm Berg Insight, global shipments of personal navigation devices (PNDs) declined from 28 million units in 2012 to 22 million units in 2013. There are signs that the decline is slowing and some emerging markets still experience growth.
However, on the whole, the PND market is set for a continued downturn on a global basis. Berg Insight forecasts that PND shipments will decline to only 10 million units worldwide in 2019.
A number of developments are affecting the PND market. Retailers have reduced shelf space and marketing for PNDs in favor of other consumer electronics products. Competition from other navigation solutions, especially navigation apps, is also intensifying.
Over time, PNDs will also face further competition from in-dash navigation systems as more car brands launch low-cost systems. Moreover, the installed base of PNDs is already high, and replacement cycles are likely to be prolonged since PNDs have matured considerably and many devices are now sold with lifetime map updates, giving users less reason to replace their existing devices as frequently.
The user experience for handset-based navigation apps is now improving through better integration in the car. Some vendors have released NFC-enabled car mounts enabling the owner to configure the handset to turn on the GPS and launch a navigation app when the phone is placed in the mount. A majority of car manufacturers have also started to offer smartphone integration solutions that connect the vehicle’s infotainment system with the user’s smartphone via Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, USB or HDMI. It is then possible to display and control smartphone apps using the touchscreen and controls in the car.
Higher smartphone adoption along with broader availability of low-cost and free navigation apps are important factors for the continued increase in usage of mobile navigation services worldwide. “The number of mobile subscribers worldwide using a turn-by-turn navigation app on their handset at least once per month grew from 150 million in 2012 to 180 million in 2013,” said André Malm, senior analyst, Berg Insight. He adds that in most markets, smartphones from major vendors now come bundled with free navigation apps.
The leading navigation service providers on a global basis include Google, Apple, Telenav, Appello Systems, Nokia and Garmin. Examples of major local players include AutoNavi and Careland in China, SK Planet in South Korea, NAVITIME and ZENRIN in Japan, as well as Navitel and Yandex in Russia.
Despite increasing competition from free navigation apps, many mobile operators are still marketing their own navigation services developed by companies such as Telenav, TeleCommunication Systems and Appello Systems. “App developers and operators are now trying to monetize navigation apps by introducing premium features and advertising,” said Malm. “Developers are also forced to reduce costs as competition increases, for instance by adopting OpenStreetMap data to reduce map licensing fees.”
The award-winning in-vehicle system now offers more customization capabilities for travelers along with new navigation tools for convenience and personalization when planning trips. The new system syncs directly with the recently launched Hertz NeverLost Companion app, giving travelers access to more than 10 million U.S. destinations on their mobile devices to plan trips at their leisure, then instantly begin navigation in their Hertz rental.
“Our innovation goes beyond a typical navigation device, offering hands-free calls and instant Bluetooth connection, personal and customizable rental information, exploratory travel guides, weather, flight information, and even access to a concierge to provide the traveler with an enhanced rental experience,” said Mark P. Frissora, Hertz chairman and CEO. “With the latest Hertz NeverLost, customers can experience a new way of trip planning and navigation with a one-of-a-kind travel tool that allows them to see more, do more and discover more.”
Hertz NeverLost is available to rent along with a Hertz vehicle and offers groundbreaking features for rental GPS systems within the car rental industry, including:
Hands-Free Calls – For ease and safety on the road, pair with a smartphone to make and receive calls and access contacts. Phone numbers for points of interest within the device can also be dialed.
Travel Guide – Explore the city and discover local events. Quickly search through thousands of points of interest and get even more out of the trip with accompanying audio, images and descriptions.
Weather, Flights & More – Discover special events and local attractions and get access to weather and flight information.
NeverLost Concierge – Live concierge operators are available to help search for destinations, build custom trips and send route information directly to the NeverLost system.
Companion App – Stay connected with the NeverLost Companion app to sync favorites, explore the area and search for destinations from any location.
My Favorites – Enter download codes or use the USB flash drive to access trips built on NeverLost.com, the Companion app, or excursions built by the NeverLost Concierge team.
Contact Hertz – The device is programmed with all necessary Hertz phone numbers. And with hands-free calling, Hertz can be contacted with a paired smartphone with the press of a button.
Rental Record Info – View current rental record information on the device.
“We’re thrilled to be rolling out the newest version of Hertz NeverLost across the U.S. to offer travelers a sophisticated, yet easy-to-use navigation tool when renting with Hertz,” said Rob Moore, Hertz Chief Technology Officer. “With the instantaneous connection to our new Companion app, the NeverLost system has become a first-of-its-kind within the travel industry, shaping the wave of the future for navigation technology.”
Hertz NeverLost GPS navigation system, demonstrated at CTIA Super Mobility Week, now incorporates Bluetooth connection, hands-free calls, travel guides, weather, flight information and more.
Omnitracs, LLC, a provider of fleet management solutions to transportation and logistics companies, is making available Omnitracs Tracking powered by Roadnet, a mobile workforce tracking application for smart devices. Omnitracs Tracking offers basic capabilities to help companies track the locations of their mobile workers throughout the day and get additional performance data to help make them safer and more productive, the company said.
“Every transportation company with a mobile workforce wants to know the location and key behaviors of their drivers,” said Dan Speicher, chief technology officer at Omnitracs. “Omnitracs Tracking powered by Roadnet enables companies that have not adopted a fully featured mobile fleet management solution to utilize their existing smart devices in order to track locations of mobile workers, improving safety, productivity and customer satisfaction.”
Benefits of Omnitracs Tracking include:
Location Tracking. By leveraging existing smart device GPS positioning technology, location tracking pinpoints drivers’ locations in real-time using satellite and street maps. Fleet managers access this information through a web-based application, enabling them to provide customers with timely updates on the status of their delivery or service call.
Speed Tracking. The application monitors drivers’ speed throughout the day, allowing fleet managers to take prompt action to help preempt potential safety issues.
Exception Reporting. Users can predefine thresholds for maximum speed allowed, GPS gap, over road speed and stationary position time limits. Exception reporting helps to quickly identify driver behaviors that may lead to unsafe driving and reduced productivity.
“Omnitracs is committed to leveraging the expertise and capabilities of our business units to continuously bring value to our customers. Our newest basic tracking application will give companies the tools they need to better manage their mobile workforce and take fast, appropriate action to improve safety and productivity,” added Speicher.
Omnitracs Tracking is available exclusively through Roadnet and Omnitracs’ resellers. For more information about the application, visit.
With fall tradeshow season fast approaching and 2015 vehicles hitting the road, Scott McCormick, President of the Connected Vehicle Trade Association (CVTA), took the time to answer some questions for GPS World about one key conference, CTIA’s Super Mobility Week, and what to expect in the connected vehicle market for the second half of 2014. The CVTA is a nonprofit industry group dedicated to accelerating technologies in the consumer and commercial auto market. CVTA will be well represented at Super Mobility Week, with about a third of its membership comprised of companies involved in the wireless industry. However, McCormick won’t be in attendance in Las Vegas; that’s because he’s a member of the organizing committee and will be moderating sessions at ITS World Congress, being held that same week in Detroit.
Do you think that ITS World Congress will end up cannibalizing the connected vehicle crowd from Super Mobility Week?
Yes, I think it will a lot. Most of the connected vehicle companies don’t work solely in DSRC, they work in cellular and WiFi, too, so it really depends on where their business needs are. The company with the large multinational presence will certainly be at World Congress because that’s where the networking capability is, while CTIA will be most of the cellular providers. It’s about connecting with your channel partners, your supply base and your potential customers. It’s not really about seeing new technologies, but about engaging new customers.
What we are announcing is about doing something that will help benefit collaborative industries. We have our core industries, but there are now insurers, data mining companies, security companies, all these other companies that are not in the automotive space that are doing things related to it. A few years ago we had people in Silicon Valley begin working in the automotive space but they didn’t understand the user interface in the car, where you need to have control and return your attention to driving as quickly as possible. All the devices they knew were designed to focus your attention. It’s the same thing today: The insurers don’t know how to work with the automakers. Neither did the telecoms. They’re completely different business models, but they’re channel partners. This is not just about a company to hire, but where can we gain utility and expertise.
So your announcement will be about reaching into a second tier of companies that just a few years ago were not involved in the connected vehicle space?
That’s a perfect way to characterize these companies; they all have to deal with interoperability issues.
What will be the hottest topics at Super Mobility Week?
There will be three: privacy, data ownership, and security. Security is the only one that’s important, and it’s for simple reasons. The United States has no personal privacy data law and it never will. The issue is one that we’re not going to solve. Everybody wants to talk but nothing ever comes of it.
The same question with data ownership. Why would my privacy or data ownership be device-specific? It should be device-agnostic. Anytime you transfer data, there are two levels of ownership. Of the data in the connected vehicle, an infinitesimally small amount is related to location or driving behavior. Although we talk about privacy and data ownership, nobody’s going to define data ownership.
Security, however, is a huge issue, because once you clear a gateway into the system, it can be breached. I’m not concerned about terrorists, it’s more just teens with nothing to do who want to rock the system. I’m most concerned about the insufficiency of the code. There’s an average of 43 networks in a car, and while they’re not likely going to affect braking, that doesn’t mean if you tinker with things long enough you couldn’t figure it out and remotely control functions. That’s really sophisticated and of very low value to do it to one vehicle.
It’s more important to ask if the overall infrastructure is protected. Systems have to be designed to be secure, detectable, and reparable. It’s incumbent upon cellular companies to take that responsibility.
Will they accept that responsibility?
If they don’t, people won’t use it. Now we understand that when a car is purchased it’s based largely on the perception of quality of service, not just on the quality of the engine or the comfort of the ride … it’s about how long until my connection breaks off and why didn’t I know about that traffic jam or that this road was icy if another guy did in a different make and model car.
How do you think this year’s show will be different from last year’s show?
Last year a lot of industries were still coming off the recession and going back to core competencies. This year I expect to see a lot of innovative companies coming out with much more focused sort of innovation where in the past it was about trying to be everything to everybody. In particular, the connected life stuff is going to be interesting because those are the people that when you look at it you’ll say, this is something I haven’t seen before or wasn’t aware of and it’s new and consequential.
The automakers will be a part of a lot of those discussions. Do you think we’ll hear anything new?
There will be some talk about the aftermarket. The average person keeps cars for 11 years. Now if I just bought a new car and next year someone has something really cool, I can’t just go buy a new car. But if I could add it … now there’s another revenue stream for the OEMs.
What are some innovations you think we’ll see hitting the market in the next year?
The machine-to-machine market is going to have a lot. Also, I just read a report that a lab figured out how to do 1000-times the data transmission speed of the fastest fiber-optic system by running it across copper. We have certain sized pipelines today and a certain time to get data from here to there, and we’re exploring how we can best do that with what we have.
By all estimates the global connected car service market is expected to top $130 billion by 2019. What will fuel that growth the most? Safety and security? Infotainment? And is that growth sustainable?
By 2020 we’re looking at a $200 billion market … and that’s going to be because of security. The problem with the automotive industry is that they have a very difficult time communicating the value proposition, because they’re used to selling business-to-business. But in the cellular industry you don’t question paying several hundred dollars a month for your phone, because they communicate that well to consumers. So the question is really one of both developing the product and service and understanding the consumer.
CTIA has talked a lot about safe driving policy and distracted driving legislation. Where do you see this policy going in the next year?
I see the federal government moving at a glacial pace. They were 2 months late on the vehicle-to-vehicle report, they were supposed to work on the interstate commercial vehicle rule, and they’re struggling with a transportation authorization bill that’s not anywhere near where it should be. There are things that the federal government needs to be involved in and things they have no business being involved in, like setting standards. The automakers will do what the consumers want. Look what happened with backup cameras. Even before there was legislation requiring backup cameras because of kids being hit, the automakers decided to put it on certain models because the consumers wanted it.
What policies will come into play in the next year?
One is very critical. The American Jobs Act is pushing to allow unlicensed devices to use the 5.9 (GHz) spectrum (currently allocated to licensed Intelligent Transportation Systems), and we have conveyed what a bad idea that is. The FCC has tested it in lab conditions, not with hundreds of cars at an actual intersection. This is not like connecting a toaster and refrigerator, this is hundreds of people in the backseats of cars attempting to connect and disconnect (to WiFi). That’s the equivalent of a denial-of-service attack. Unless we deal with this soon, it’s going to be a real safety risk. The problem is once the spectrum gets reallocated, it’s going to be really hard to take it away.
CompassCom will offer Esri User Conference attendees a sneak peek at advanced asset tracking capabilities in the upcoming version of its CompassTrac software powered by Esri ArcGIS technology. Scheduled for release in late summer, CompassTrac 6 provides Esri users with custom digitizing tools for geofencing applications and map optimization for any electronic device.
CompassCom will demonstrate the new CompassTrac 6 capabilities in booth #2307 at the Esri User Conference, being held July 14-18 in San Diego.
“The newest version of CompassTrac will enable Esri GIS users to keep track of their vehicles and high-value assets with greater ease than ever before whether they are in the office or out in the field,” said CompassCom CEO W. Brant Howard. “On-the-fly geofence alerts increase fleet efficiency and improve crew safety.”
CompassTrac is the software tool that enables Esri ArcGIS users to view the locations and statuses of vehicles and other high-value assets on their GIS map in real time. Leveraging existing Esri architecture and GIS data files, CompassTrac locates addresses and displays vehicle positions, speeds, and heading on the fly using selected ArcGIS data layers as the map background, including satellite and aerial imagery, the company said.
Over the past 16 years, CompassTrac has provided field service management services for thousands of vehicles operated by organizations involved in public safety, public works, utilities, road maintenance, delivery and transportation.
The premier upgrade to CompassTrac version 6 is a set of digitizing tools that allows the user to draw a geofence polygon around any feature or area — a street, neighborhood or town — on the GIS map. If any vehicle or asset being tracked by the system crosses the geofence boundary, CompassTrac will automatically send a text or email alert to select users and highlight the vehicle in question on the map display. These geofence alerts occur instantly and on the fly in real time, providing enhanced tracking of mobile resources to help operators manage their mobile work force.
Now with version 6, CompassTrac is also hardware agnostic. The software will automatically scale, or optimize, its map view to fit on the screens of desktop computers, laptops, tablets and smartphones, giving Esri users the ability to track assets from any location where they have Internet.
Visitors to CompassCom’s booth #2307 at the Esri User Conference will also view demonstrations of the new CompassLDE Connector, which provides plug-and-play capabilities to link AVL and mobile resource management tracking to the Esri ArcGIS GeoEvent Processor.
To recognize National Safety Month and to highlight the growing dangers of distracted and reckless driving, Azuga has published a Fleet Stats infographic showing the dangers of auto accidents its fleet tracking programs are designed to prevent.
Of the 41,000 Americans killed each year in traffic accidents, nearly 5,000 die as a result of crashes involving large fleet trucks. An additional 13,000 die as a result of a speeding-related accidents. Azuga offers two programs for fleet managers: SpeedSafe and DriveSafe.
The programs combine GPS, a driver behavior and rewards system, vehicle health reports, and plug-and-play installation to combat reckless and distracted driving. DriveSafe prevents talking and texting when the vehicle is in motion. The distracted driving technology locks down a driver’s screen and only allows phone numbers that the employer’s policy allows. Policies can be applied at the individual driver level to allow certain calls and texts (for instance, allow incoming calls from home, the office, and school.)
With SpeedSafe, a fleet manager controls speeding on residential streets, in school zones, and in adverse weather conditions. Going beyond simple control, a fleet manager also gets reporting and analytical tools to help quickly identify problem areas and track and train drivers over time.
National Safety Month is sponsored by the National Safety Council. According to distraction.gov, using a mobile device while driving causes an estimated 28 percent of traffic accidents. Further, the National Safety Council estimates $40 billion cost to United States citizens each year.
Azuga says its customers have been able to decrease the number of speeding events by 40 percent and decrease overall liability, which translates into an average 15 percent savings on insurance premiums.
