Enterprises are increasingly not only relying on IT systems but are migrating towards the use of mobile devices to increase profits by more effectively reaching their employees with the right information. An interesting application of mobile device solutions is their use in the process of managing units in the field. We understand this process not as simple contact establishment (e.g., via telephone), but as the ability for supervisors to control employees, which can be of key importance in large organizations. Equally important, for example in transport, courier, or forwarding companies, is the ability to track the current location of vehicles to ensure greater security for entrusted goods. The use of mobile devices often allows for work optimization, and thus cost reduction (e.g., through the ability to search for an employee
located closest to a specific point or optimizing vehicle routes in transport companies.) Among the systems allowing for the management of units in the field is a portable, interactive map created by Accenture Technology Labs. This solution belongs to the group of LBS (Location-Based Services) and operates using portable PDA-type devices with GPS (Global Positioning System) technology, which allows for determining the position of system users. The system enables indicating the location of selected objects, e.g., the nearest company vehicle, while remaining an effective and easy-to-use solution. According to the manufacturer’s information, development work is underway to adapt the application to new-generation solutions used in the transport and communications industry. Another system belonging to the same category is the Proteka system, which is in the offer of Monitel SA. Proteka uses GSM technology and mobile phones owned by employees with a software extension installed. The system enables locating a mobile phone (the person possessing the phone
or the vehicle in which it is located) with an accuracy of several dozen meters in the city and several hundred outside it. Proteka operates based on SMS messages, which contain the current location and are sent at the user’s request, which is converted by the appropriate terminal into a query directed to the mobile phone application. In some versions of the system, it is possible to collect individual locations in an archive, and therefore there is a possibility to reconstruct the route of a given object. The system enables communication with the MS Outlook program, thereby allowing for the creation of task lists for individual employees, delivering these tasks even if employees are already in the field, and monitoring the execution of assigned orders. On the same hardware platform on which the Proteka system is based (Celebrity platform), the Mobile Command System by CTMotion was created, which has very similar functions.
The article comes from the magazine