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This Case Study presents an
account of the GPS based Vehicle Tracking and Fleet Management
systems that have been used of late, covering the important
features of in-vehicle GPS units, their integration with Radio
and Mobile communication Networks for transmitting the in-vehicle
GPS data, and the real-time vehicle tracking information system
and their diverse applications with accrued benefits on their
usage. The ASL forays in the area of VTS
are described in sequel.
What is a GPS & VTS
Global Positioning System (GPS), which was introduced by US
initially for servicing the interest of Defence, is now being
used in many civilian applications as a true dual-use technology
system. It consists of 24 circular orbit satellites transmitting
on two frequencies to enable coarse and accurate position
to be determined on objects which are equipped to receive
and process satellite signal from a minimum of three satellites,
using triangulation method. Apart from the real-time position,
the receiver also outputs time, velocity and a host of other
object related parameters.
GPS has played a key role in Defence providing additional
capability to weapon platforms by virtue of knowing position,
velocity and time wherever movements are involved. Among the
civil applications, GPS based Vehicle Tracking and Fleet Management
Systems (VTS)
have become popular with fleet operators for making their
operations more efficient by providing on time service, improving
productivity and increasing safety.
Who
are the Potential Users of VTS
Suggested here is a list of some of the potential users of
the Vehicle Tracking Systems (VTS):
- BPO Companies or Call Centres
- Call Taxi operators
- Ambulance, Police and other Emergency
Service Providers
- Public Transportation System
- Municipal Corporations
- Freight carriers of Industrial and Agricultural
produce
- Beverage distributors
- Transporters of trucks carrying hazardous
or expensive materials
- Transporters of trucks carrying drugs
and dairy products
- Fossil Fuel Carriers
What does a Vehicle Tracking System
Comprise of
The basic Vehicle Tracking System (VTS)
consists of an in-vehicle GPS receiver unit with interface
to the popular Radio/CDMA/GSM communication network, and
a Real-time information system consisting of GIS (Geographical
Information System) Maps of the area of operation and vehicle
database. It provides information to the service owner’s
Control Station on the location of the vehicles under their
jurisdiction. The data from the in-vehicle GPS unit consists
of Latitude, Longitude, Date, Time, Speed, Stoppages, Over
speed etc., in the form of GPS strings
This is explained through a block diagram shown below (Fig
1).
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© 2009 ASL Advanced Systems Pvt Ltd