Faster to the end: Smartphones as multifunctional mobile communication centres
High tech companies in Adlershof are developing new software tools for optimising traffic flows, not only a relief to logisticians in their everyday routines. As a welcome side effect, the tracking system used also deters thieves.
The Adlershof company TSI-Telematic Solutions International GmbH converts smartphones into multifunctional mobile communication centres for logisticians, fieldworkers and security companies. At CeBIT, Managing Director Günter Baumgarten unveiled the software TSI Vision, patent pending, that above all SMEs can use for the low cost control of their processes.
The driver of a truck will therefore not need an expensive onboard unit to find the most economical route, plan goods coordination, or deliver them with full documentation. He simply picks up his mobile with the TSI Vision software. This lets the customer acknowledge the incoming delivery on the smartphone’s touch screen and can document any damage as a photo report which is then immediately sent to the coordinator.
“There has never been anything like it on the market,” said Baumgarten. With nearly sixty functions to choose from – including antitheft protection and personal tracking – the customer can put together what he needs for his business. “Individualised displays on the smartphone can be configured without any programming know-how. Subsequent changes are no problem,” emphasised the TSI Manager.
In the meantime Fugon Telematic has made a name for itself as the enemy of crafty thieves. “We develop and produce the hardware and software for tracking and antitheft warning systems in moving objects, like for instance transporters of valuable articles,” explained André Schrank, Marketing Manager of Fugon. The characteristic features of these solutions are their high reliability and their so called SSL encrypted data transfer for the tracking data. For instance, the GPS/GSM onboard computer is not fitted with a mechanically susceptible SIM card, but their functions are programmed on chips, a more robust solution. The tracking systems not only deter thieves, but also serve to coordinate and monitor vehicle fleets.
Better traffic flows are the responsibility of the researchers at the German Aerospace Centre DLR who, thanks to high precision, real time vehicle tracking, can locate the first signs of traffic congestion. “The basis is provided by detailed information on the current traffic situation and their rapid processing,” explained Peter Wagner, who coordinates the research at Floating Car Data (FCD). His team also receives data from 4,000 Berlin taxis that can be analysed at lightning speed for congestion symptoms. This also allows highly precise predictions of the travelling time. “Scarcely possible with conventional methods,” says Wagner.
by Chris Löwer
Links:
www.tsi-telematic.com
www.fugon-telematic.de
www.dlr.de/vf