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Fleet management systems have been around a while and have become so complex that it has evolved into Field Resource Management. This article explores 5 reasons why all fleets need at least a basic Field Resource Management system.
Block III GPS satellites have a more powerful signal and will be able to determine position to within three feet, compared to 10 feet with current technology, the AP reported. Users are expected to see major improvements in navigation and driving directions.
GPS systems don’t currently work well indoors, so the improvements will be a major breakthrough. The Block III GPS system is expected to be more reliable in areas where the current technology is shaky, such as under heavy tree canopies or on city streets surrounded by skyscrapers, or even indoors.
Yesterday the European Commission unveiled plans to establish a cross-border surveillance and tracking system which will allow border guards to share information and intelligence, helping in the fight against crime. The proposed European Border Surveillance System (EUROSUR) will allow border agents to track small boats – often used in smuggling operations – using satellite imagery, ensuring this information is passed between member states.
The EUROSUR tracking system is expected to increase communication within and between states to prevent and tackle serious crime – such as drug trafficking and the trafficking of human beings, and to reduce the number of migrant deaths at sea.
Iran may be playing military games as speculation rises that its military will soon be shutting down the Strait of Hormuz, a shipping channel where one-sixth of the world’s oil supply passes through.
Oil prices rose the most in almost four weeks on speculation supplies will be disrupted after a report that Iran may be planning to close the Strait of Hormuz. Crude advanced as much as 3.6 percent after the state-run Fars news agency reported the military drills at the strait, however Iran’s Foreign Ministry denied the report.
Oil traders remain fearful that Iran could try and block the strategically-sensitive Strait of Hormuz that links the Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and through which much of the region’s oil is transported. Most of the crude exported from Saudi Arabia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Iraq – together with nearly all the liquefied natural gas from lead exporter Qatar – must slip through a 4-mile wide shipping channel between Oman and Iran.
Did you know there is hidden software on millions of smartphones that records every interaction a user has with the device, as well as his location, then sends that information off the phone in a totally unencrypted way without letting the user know?
Leaked government test results show that “LightSquared signals caused harmful interference to majority of GPS receivers tested” according to the Bloomberg news service. The report concludes that “millions of GPS units are not compatible” with LightSquared’s network.
“No additional testing is required to confirm harmful interference exists… The wireless service caused interference to 75 percent of the global-positioning system (GPS) receivers examined in a U.S. government test,” says the draft.
Sierra Solutions saved thousands in its first year of using FieldLogix by being able to prove misuse of vehicles, verify overtime hours and reduce fuel consumption by over 20%.
Rivers Casino in Des Plaines, IL, has installed InvoTech’s GIMS automatic ultra-high frequency RFID garment tracking system to manage more than 20,000 custom-designed staff uniforms. InvoTech provides Rivers Casino’s uniform supplier with UHF-RFID tracking tags so new uniforms arrive with tags already sewn in, enabling the tracking system to know the location of each uniform once it arrives on the property.
Employees come to work each day, they wave their ID card near a reader in the uniform room, which triggers an automated conveyer system to deliver the correct uniform. The uniform is delivered in less than a minute and the GIMS uniform tracking system automatically records which uniforms were picked up, and to whom the uniforms were issued.
Now you can track all your sea vessels, transporters, containers and crew in one integrated tracking system called ISATTrack. ISATTrack, an integrated GSM and satellite tracking system for the offshore environment, was launched last week by Global Satellite USA, one of the world’s largest mobile satellite solutions providers.
ISATTrack empowers you with the latest satellite technology to manage your boats, containers, crew and any type of asset using the next generation of web-based platforms. For the first time you can now control and instantly monitor, text message, and manage your devices from anywhere in the world.
A government fleet in Connecticut, the Department of Children and Families (DCF), is considering adding GPS tracking devices to its entire 800 vehicle fleet. DCF Commissioner Joette Katz estimated the GPS fleet tracking devices will save the state nearly $250,000 in the first year by being able to prove misuse of vehicles, verify overtime hours and save 20 percent on fuel consumption, the CT Mirror reported.
“Anytime you add additional oversight you reap some benefits and efficiencies,” said Cindy Butterfield, budget chief of the $872 million agency. The agency proposes cutting overtime by 10 percent for a savings of $1.7 million next year, and Butterfield said GPS fleet tracking devices will help DCF do that.
