Technologies to drive down consumption of fuel are crucial in any cost or carbon reduction initiatives.  Globally 14% of CO2 emissions are generated as a result of fuel and transportation and significant reductions can be achieved by concentrating efforts here in transport intensive organisations.

Tracking, monitoring and reporting on vehicle location, routes and usage eliminates abuse and creates a platform for optimised route planning.  Mapping and navigation technology together with vehicle location intelligence can provide significant business value.  In addition, management information and the ability to report on the use and abuse of vehicles acts as a change agent and drives desired behaviours.

UBWhere is a solution developed and optimised for Commercial Fleet Management.  The solution allows a fleet manager to track the whereabouts of his vehicles at all times enabling the fleet to be better managed and thus improving the efficiency of the fleet as a whole.  Being able to select the right vehicle closest to the required destination prevents wasteful kilometers being travelled and provides a better quality of service.  By optimising vehicle usage, costs can be reduced and the fleet better maintained.

UBWhere provides for integration with workforce operations and other data collection activities allowing information to be integrated into the transactional activity of the business.

The tracking device is always online and can be upgraded and programmed remotely allowing for the customers’ needs to be addressed and migrated as their business needs change.

In addition to this technology, effective driver training can reduce fuel consumption in a fleet by as much as 15% and is one of the most cost effective mechanisms to reduce fuel costs.  More information regarding eco-driving can be found at www.ecodriving.co.za.

Vehicle Tracking

Vehicle movements can be viewed live on a textual report or map view allowing real time monitoring including the ability to remotely disable a vehicle.

Customised Reporting

Reporting includes activity reports, location based reports and various exception reports (e.g. speeding).  Customised reports can be added according to specific business needs.  The technology has the ability to review historical data.

Asset Management of a fleet

Location intelligence enables effective management of a fleet, which in turn improves the availability and utilisation of vehicles.  Maintenance costs can be reduced by analysing and acting on bad driving habits.

Vehicle Recovery

Alarms are triggered by tampering with vehicles and the movement of vehicles without authorisation.

State-of-the-art technology

This locally developed solution maximises South African needs by using best of breed technology components.  State-of-the-art German Technology is based on GSM and GPS.

Operational Overview

Key benefits include:

• More effective route planning and verification
• Real time updates including positioning, time and speed, are overlaid on detailed street level maps permitting immediate and effective control
• Improved verification and management of travel costs
• Immediate and effective allocation of vehicles when notification of impending services are received
• Detailed vehicle history permits review and management
• Optimisation of vehicle usage provides improved costs and better utilisation
• Improved quality of service

Optional features

• Desktop and PDA Alarm Console warns you when a vehicle presents any alarm condition
• Communicate with vehicle drivers at any time and allow them to call a predetermined number
• Dispatch nearest vehicle
• Ability to disable the use of a vehicle via remote applications
• Optional PDA based proof of delivery or call log reporting linked to vehicle position. This option automatically provides captured information to the required parties thus optimising POD, payments and other transactional information without the need of paper.
• Update of fieldwork status linked to positional information.

MapInfo

Unleashing the value of location within data

Location intelligence can play a significant role in helping business reduce its carbon footprint. Location forms such a fundamental part of any business activity and hence the applications are diverse – the benefits more so. Research has shown that 80% of data maintained by business has a location component. The value of this data can be realised using Geographic Information System (GIS) technology and analytics.

Targeting efficiencies within business

From optimising and tracking distribution routes, to reducing marketing spend by intelligently focussing on target markets, location intelligence empowers organisations with information and tools to enable business to operate more efficiently. Efficiency reduces costs, raises customer service levels and improves productivity and profitability. It is about doing things smartly.

The application of location intelligence and GIS solutions depend largely on the nature of the organisation and the business need. sustainableIT offers products, consulting services and technical expertise in GIS technology. We work with you to assess the applicability of location intelligence technologies and data within your specific business environment.

MapInfo Professional, the world’s premier mapping and analysis application

MapInfo Professional is a powerful Microsoft Windows-based mapping and geographic analysis application. Designed to easily visualise the relationships between data and geography, MapInfo Professional helps business analysts, planners, GIS professionals – even non-GIS users – gain new insights into their markets, share information-rich maps and graphs and improve strategic decision-making.

The value of visualisation

GIS, or Geographic Information Systems, allows us to integrate, view, interpret and analyse data within a visual framework. Patterns and relationships often embedded in data tables become clear and evident and add a dimension to your decision making process.

Data integration and analysis

Where disparate data has a location component, geography forms the common denominator to easily link these data sets together for comparative analysis. For example, by using GIS technology, map data and the powerful process of geocoding (i.e. geographically locating an address record to a map base) one can consolidate disparate information such as channels, markets, customers and competitors for analysis.

Increase customer service levels whilst reducing operational costs

GIS functionality to optimise routes, find features, and do ‘closest to’ queries increase your customer service levels while reducing operational costs.

Optimisation and planning

Location intelligence enables the optimisation of infrastructure, networks, channels, territories and services for greater efficiencies. When networks are geographically displayed overlaps and gaps are easily identified and provide insight when planning expansion and rationalisation strategies.

Enterprise wide deployment

Location intelligence plays a key role in business decision-making and hence the deployment of GIS technology and data needs to be scalable. Solutions range from adhoc reports to intranet applications to location intelligence dashboards within business intelligence tools.

MapInfo enables the development of map-centric applications and through location-based intelligence, helps companies make more informed decisions, says sustainableIT.

Alan Ellis, CEO of ST Group, says there is synergy between sustainableIT’s vision and ST Group’s range of offerings. “Complementary to sustainableIT’s objective to progressively introduce green technologies to the corporate environment, ST Group’s mobility products and fleet management system facilitate the optimisation of business processes.”

He adds that ST Group reduces fuel consumption by enabling companies to manage real-time operational data, resulting in a decreased carbon footprint and bottom line.

SustainableIT offers solutions and consulting services to organisations embarking on a carbon reduction strategy.

Teresa Legg, director at the company, says: “At sustainableIT, our mission is to be a catalyst for green IT within the South African business context, specifically focusing on technology that is geared to reduce energy consumption and CO2 emissions within a company’s IT infrastructure.”

Beyond hype

Legg points out that green computing starts with manufacturers and developers producing environmentally friendly products and encouraging acceptance in the market.

She advises companies to look past the hype around green solutions, and not just obtain every green label. “They should determine which products are really best suited to optimally reduce their carbon footprint.”

According to Legg, modern IT systems rely on a complicated mix of hardware, software, networks and people. “Therefore a successful green IT initiative should be systemic in nature and address increasingly sophisticated problems across organisations,” she adds.

Organisations with a field workforce (sales, technicians, researchers etc.) create huge wastage in workflow between the office and the field.  Optimising the business processes of a field workforce can reduce paper trails, reduce unnecessary travel, improve management of resources, reduce time delays and increase customer service levels through empowering the workforce with information.

QuickFacts is a tool to assist organisations who deploy a workforce in the field.  The solution provides for the acquisition and dissemination of information by and to any mobile workforce in a simple and effective manner.  Mobile workforces, be they sales, research, or technical in nature are able to work more efficiently with information at their fingertips.  Eliminating the need for paper based forms and unnecessary travel to the office reduces the carbon footprint of your workforce and improves business efficiency.

Simplifying daily reporting processes not only makes field staff more effective, but when linked to mapping technology also enables the organisation to better understand territory coverage and identify gaps and overlaps.

It allows business information templates to be defined centrally and then published to mobile devices ensuring the integrity of the collected information as well as managing the workflow process.  This information is available in any standard relational database from where it can be easily analysed and processed according to the organisational needs.  QuickFacts can run on a desktop, laptop or PDA device.

Data interrogation and synchronisation

A search facility enables one to search, edit and update data in the field.  The updated record will have an audit trail available through a logging facility.  Synchronisation uploads the data onto the server and also allows it to be available on the device in the field.

Real time form distribution

New forms, or existing forms that have been updated, and registered for use, can be downloaded to the device.

Work in progress and data transfer success

Completed records including logs are sent without data capture intervention to any one or more databases.  If the record does not reach the server intact, the record will be stored on the device for transmission once connection has been re-established.  Should the capture process be interrupted, resulting in the field worker being unable to complete a record successfully, the facility exists to recover work in progress.  The fieldworker has the ability to store a draft if necessary.  This draft can then be reviewed and completed before transmitting the record to the server.  Only when the server sends confirmation to the device that data transfer is complete, does the device delete the record.

Scheduling and Reminders

One is able to schedule meetings or reminders utilising Microsoft calendar on the device.

Optional GPS functionality

Full GPS support for personal routing, including navigation to destination optimises travel.

SERVER/ADMINISTRATOR FEATURES

Multi-page forms and page navigation

The administrator uses simple logic to determine which page should be used next, dependent on the response to a particular question.  The forms can branch and loop back to previous pages if necessary.

Validation of data input

There is wide applicability of rules to display warning messages or error messages that explain terms during field evaluation.

Manage Logging

It is possible to track device, user, date, time and record in the database selected for logging to create an audit trail for each record, particularly in cases where editing of records is taking place.

Setup Searches

It is possible to search the server-side of the database for data related to the record being captured for validation purposes or to inform the researcher.  This facility is selectable by the Administrator who needs only to specify which field in which table is searchable.  The search facility can be enabled or disabled.

Setup Previews

The administrator can preview how each form will look on the various devices used for capture to improve the look and feel of the questionnaire.  The screen size of the device needs to be specified by the Administrator to preview each device type.

GPS Integration

The Administrator can turn the GPS coordinate capture on or off depending on the need and this can be done with or without the knowledge of the sales person.  The latitude and longitudes can be stored in any appropriate database to which they have been linked.

Linking Data

The Administrator can link the captured data fields or the searched data fields to any one or more of a variety of registered databases.  Each field must be linked to the database field into which it must be stored on the server hosting that database.

Database Management

The Administrator can use pre-defined tables to capture the data or allow QuickFacts to create the tables automatically.  These tables can be edited as the project progresses to allow changes in the questionnaire and the resultant saved data, as long as the edited questionnaire is published.

User and Device Management

The ability to create and manage user profiles, roles and device registration is available.  Devices can be registered to specific users for tracing purposes.

Publish Projects

To provide more flexibility for the Administrator in the preparation of the form, upon finalisation the publishing facility makes it available for distribution.

Call Reports

Provides both the company and the field person with reports which enables them to understand their territory better and manage their performance.

In summary, key features include:

• Runs on a desktop, a laptop, a tablet, or a PDA
• Download new forms via GPRS
• Unique identifiers for captured records
• Send saved records automatically
• Search, edit and update previously captured and sent records
• Resume unfinished work if data collection is interrupted
• Save working record as a draft
• Advanced administrator tool
• Multi-page forms can be created
• Manage logging
• Authorise specific searches
• GPS integration
• Link data to a variety of registered databases
• Database management with predefined or automatically created tables
• User profiles and device management to create user
• Publish projects to make them available for distribution