Also given a high profile at the event will be the browser-based intranet and web-enabled map displays. An example is the dynamic mapping used by Commander, the office-based component of MapMechanics Mobile.
MapMechanics Mobile provides the missing link between office-based routing and scheduling systems and in-vehicle navigation. Using GPRS, it sends the location and call details for each drop from the office to the mobile worker’s PDA (personal digital assistant), where the data is fed transparently to a satellite navigation system such as TomTom or AA Navigator, and translated into journey instructions. Having finished each call, the driver simply presses a “next” button on the PDA, and up comes the route. There is no need to type anything else.
According to MapMechanics’ managing director, Mary Short, “We’ve learned from operator feedback that one of the main obstacles to effective use of in-cab navigation is simply the time it takes for drivers to type in details of each of their calls. MapMechanics Mobile automates that process, helping to reduce delays and improve efficiency.”
This is especially useful for operators doing one-off deliveries – for instance, of home shopping. The system is equally invaluable for operators with routine deliveries when using temporary or new drivers, since it can guide them to unfamiliar destinations. They can fit more calls in a day, and productivity is not compromised by their lack of knowledge of the operation.
The system can also capture data from the vehicle in real time, such as reports of delays or non-delivery, and can display this on the Commander console in the office and pass it back to corporate IT systems. “It means operators know earlier in the day when there are delivery problems,” says Mary Short. “They can plan missed orders more promptly into the next day’s delivery schedule, as well as passing the information automatically to customers.”
Because it can capture accurate vehicle location details from on-board GPS equipment, MapMechanics Mobile also allows operators to track vehicles on screen. Using low-cost GPRS mobile data technology, operators can poll vehicle for positions at any chosen frequency.
“MapMechanics Mobile provides vehicle visibility, which is what many operators really want rather than necessarily needing a fully-featured vehicle tracking and fleet management system,” says Mary Short, “In other words, it delivers certain key elements of tracking and location systems alongside its other benefits, and therefore gives operators an affordable way to achieve these capabilities.”
MapMechanics pulls together many of the mobile technologies that have been emerging in the last year or two. “For instance,” says Mary Short, “we’ve recognised that many operators simply want to use practical, affordable off-the-shelf portable handhelds such as XDAs or mobile phones rather than elaborate fixed in-cab computers. They also want ease of set-up and transparency in operation. We offer this.”
MapMechanics Mobile is fully modular. It can integrate with routing and scheduling and corporate order management systems, and can be refined or customised for individual applications. Where required, MapMechanics also provides TruckStops, the popular routing and scheduling application, which the company supplies and supports in Britain .
At Logistics Link North MapMechanics will also be promoting a range of other products that can be used either alone or in combination with MapMechanics Mobile and TruckStops. These include street-level mapping with road speeds, which differentiates between real-world speeds achievable at various times of day (peak, off-peak and so on) to provide realistic and achievable travel time estimates and a wide range of map-based logistics software for distribution planning and analysis, including depot boundary revisions and customer profitability analysis. |
