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Trimble Adds Location-Based Services Capability
Trimble has formed Trimble Information Services to offer
Internet location-based services to the mobile workplace. The company will now offer
complete, end-to-end, fleet management solutions
Most business information has a location component. Location information has been successfully
incorporated into the business systems of a few industries, such as long- haul trucking, emergency
services and public transportation systems, but is relatively underutilized in most other businesses
and government organizations. With the advent of location technology, wireless communications,
mobile computing and the Internet, location information is becoming more commonplace. By
leveraging the Internet to serve web-based location-enabled applications, businesses now have
unprecedented access to location related information.
Businesses and organizations with fleets of vehicles, mobile work forces, or other remote assets
often have very little control over those assets. Knowledge of their location and activity can
significantly improve efficiencies and profits. Location information can:
- Automate vehicle status changes for dispatching applications,
- Determine time spent and distance traveled on jobs for accounts payable systems,
- Improve efficiencies by detecting unauthorized vehicle stops or off-route activities,
- Improve customer service by alerting customer service systems of delays,
- Drive compliance by keeping a time-stamped log of activities,
- Improve safety by indicating speed limit violations,
- Identify unauthorized use of equipment,
- Detect theft,
- and provide countless other benefits.
Obtaining this information requires a business' remote assets and applications to be enabled with
location technology via wireless hardware and interfaces.
Incorporating wireless data communications, particularly with location data, into business
applications can be a complex task. A business usually requires custom fixed and mobile software,
and hardware implementations to provide a complete solution. This most often requires integration
of a variety of devices, operating systems as well as multiple wireless networks to meet the
geographical operating requirements of the company or agency. The need for more than one
network leads to additional complexities of managing multiple software protocols, and negotiating
and managing relationships with numerous wireless data carriers. It is a difficult and expensive task
to design, develop, install, and maintain new hardware, software and systems for businesses and
organizations that lack the necessary resources.
In addition, adding a location component to an existing application requires engineers to spend
significant development efforts outside the domain of their specific application. Trimble's location
platform technology, coupled with widely available devices and low-cost airtime, changes the
complex equation by simplifying the integration of location into applications and enabling the
distribution of location-enabled applications to a wide variety of customers over the Internet.
A Platform for Wireless Location Services Deployment
Trimble's wireless location services platform removes the complex barriers to integrating location
related information with new and existing business applications. It provides an end-to-end
integrated system for rapid development of cost-effective applications that require location
information and wireless communications. Using the Trimble platform solves the following
problems for developers who want to add location capabilities to their applications:
- Wireless data carrier connectivity: Trimble has the relationships with the carriers and
provisions service for wireless devices for its location service customers and application
providers.
- Wireless device design, development, and connectivity: Trimble, is the world leader in
ruggedized in-vehicle GPS and communications hardware. Trimble also develops
component technology for location aware devices, such as the new generation of phones
and PDAs enabled for use with the Trimble platform.
- Applications: The platform provides end-users with sophisticated, web-served mapping,
text messaging, and database reporting applications.
- Software development: Trimble provides application developers with an Application
- Programming Interface (API) to its platform and an Software Development Kit (SDK) that
includes sample code to simplify the integration of the developer's application with the
platform relieving the developer from having to create these basic applications. The
developer has the option of incorporating the applications into the product, expanding on its
functionality, or replacing the Trimble application with his or her own.
- Common protocols and business logic: the platform implements a security model and
business logic for interacting with location-related data and access to Trimble or developer
applications. The primary functions of the location aware business logic are to associate
location information with other data generated by the mobile assets or traditional business
applications and to enable the creation of new applications that were not possible before.
- Application hosting: the architecture provides for a variety of hosting options. The
developer's application may be web hosted by Trimble, from another location, or may be a
client application located at an end user's enterprise.
- Trimble affiliates: partners may license the platform technology to provide services tailored
to their customers.
Supported Wireless Networks
Trimble has extensive experience with wireless data technology. This experience enables the
company to optimize bandwidth use on any network to minimize airtime costs for its customers.
The Trimble wireless location services platform currently supports the CDPD (Wireless Digital
Packet Data) network with full location and messaging capabilities with the company's vehicle
mounted devices. AMPS, GSM, GPRS, and 1xRTT CDMA support will be provided as well.
The platform also provides text-messaging capability with any wireless device, such as a PDA or
wireless phone that supports the WAP protocol. Trimble is working with wireless data carriers to
quickly add additional networks and protocols.
Supported Devices
Trimble provides a location aware wireless communications solution for in-vehicle use. The mobile
device contains the wireless interface, GPS location technology, and external interfaces for vehicle
sensors as well as the mobile data terminal (MDT) and other peripherals. The device runs the
software necessary to communicate with the TIS platform and automatically reports
location-based information such as position, speed, and direction, when the vehicle stops or
exceeds a specified speed, and other information such as vehicle run time and mileage. It is also
programmable over the air by the platform. Configuration parameters or the entire code set can be
changed.
The MDT displays received messages or dispatches and allows the driver to send data back to the
enterprise. It has a serial interface to the wireless data computer. Any serial interface device such
as a mobile notebook computer, Windows CEŽ device, or PalmTM device can replace the MDT
for a specific application.
Trimble will extend its location aware platform to its vehicle-mounted
CrossCheck AMPS and
CrossCheck GSM product lines and new location aware handheld devices. As location aware
wireless phones become available on digital PCS networks in the middle of 2001, the company
intends to embed its core device software into these phones to enable customers and integrators to
take advantage of the wireless network, location data, and user interface all in a single handheld
device.
Mapping
The platform provides a sophisticated map application to the user based on a GIS (Geographic
Information System) engine. The GIS interface provides detailed, accurate map data; and displays
updated vehicle locations in real-time as they are received using Trimble's patent pending location
push technology. The map presentation is configurable by each user to show the desired level of
detail and features, vehicle icons and colors. Map data are updated quarterly so that the most
recent street data are available to users.
Navigation and Event Reporting and Alerts
Devices connected to the Trimble platform transmit navigation state data at periodic intervals as
well as when specific events are detected. The navigation state data include:
Location,
Speed,
Direction of travel.
Devices are programmable with a sampling and reporting interval. Navigation state data are also
attached to events that are automatically reported by the device. For a vehicle mounted device,
standard events that may be enabled are:
Ignition on and off,
Exceeding a specified speed,
Stopping for over a specified time limit.
Engine run time hours are also reported with ignition events. Vehicle mileage is also reported with
speeding and work site events. Other events may be related to sensor inputs to the device, such as
a door opening. All events that occur within a work site are also tagged with that site identifier.
Work site related events are discussed in more detail below.
Location Reporting and Alerts
Trimble's patent pending location reporting technology allows users to define geographic areas
around work sites. The reporting technology automatically provides work order management and
dispatching applications information when a vehicle or technician arrives and leaves from these
sites. The map interface provides interactive tools for editing works sites. Alternatively work sites
can be automatically defined using XML. Real-time status from the location reporting system
enables further automation of these applications and provides reliable data for analysis and
reporting on business efficiencies.
Messaging
The location services platform has a versatile text messaging system and a web-based, email-like
user interface for sending, receiving and reviewing messages to and from remote assets. The
interface has an inbox and outbox; messages from remote assets are displayed in real-time and can
be reviewed later in the inbox. The wireless data computer maintains an analogous interface to
show received messages in real-time, as well as an inbox and outbox for review of past messages.
The system allows the enterprise user to define a set of responses to the message from which the
field user can select. It notifies the enterprise user when the message was received by the wireless
device, when it was read by the field user, and the response of the field user.
Data Mining
The Trimble platform includes a sophisticated, web-based data mining and database reporting
system, which is user configurable. The platform stores in its database all locations and events
reported by remote assets, and the reporting system generates reports of events, including the
locations or sites associated with those events. The system can report all standard location related
event data such as stops, speeding, and site arrival/departure. It can also report driver initiated
messages and changes in sensor inputs. The system can also be easily extended to recognize
application specific data reported by vehicles. For all events reported, the associated location and
work site, if applicable, are identified in the reports.
Conclusion
Location information is a key component for driving revenue and operational efficiencies. It
enables communications with the mobile workforce, and more proactive asset management.
Location information provides an overall picture of business performance. To date, gathering
location data and integrating it with enterprise information systems has been difficult and expensive.
Trimble is changing the way businesses use and leverage location data by transforming it into
information that adds value.
Trimble brings together four of the most significant technologies of our time--GPS, mobile
computing, wireless communications and the Internet to provide a new level of service to
location-conscious businesses and government entities. By providing the necessary hardware,
software, services and tools, for customers and wireless applications developers, Trimble is the
only single source for location-based services.
Media Contact: LeaAnn McNabb of Trimble: 408-481-7808
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