Jeff Gardner is CEO of CalAmp, a leading Software-as-a-Service provider of connected intelligence on vehicles, drivers, assets and cargo.
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Monitoring vehicles, operators and assets in real time was a far-fetched idea until public global position systems (GPS) came along. GPS brought a revolution in connected vehicle technology, specifically with telematics. Telematics systems have since become essential to fleet management. However, with the proliferation of cloud and edge computing, the push toward greater real-time visibility has the potential to make operations management more powerful and intelligent.
The Evolution To Connected Intelligence
The first wave of telematics was driven by siloed systems that proved insufficient for the market's growing demands. In the following decades, telematics innovations delivered additional information on vehicle performance, diagnostics and driver behavior to improve road safety and fleet oversight. Insights expanded from "Where is my asset?" to "What is the health of my asset?" and "How is my asset being used?" This new generation of telematics makes data collection throughout the supply chain more valuable to business operations.
The early 21st century brought three important technologies: the cloud, intelligent edge-computing devices and mobile applications. Together, they have heralded a new age of connectivity with impacts across the globe. For example, navigating the transportation and logistics of an ever-expanding digital and global economy is a massive undertaking that has only been further compounded with the global pandemic. In this scenario, connected intelligence brings together real-time data from fleets, cargo and the mobile workforce to deliver valuable insights from the road to the back office.
Connected intelligence now touches an array of industries that impact our daily lives. From supply chain and education to public services, here are a few examples of how this technology is shaping the next generation of connectivity and helping the world work smarter.
Vaccines In The Cold Chain
Transporting temperature-sensitive products like vaccines is a complex endeavor and requires careful monitoring. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), between 17% and 37% of providers expose vaccines to improper storage temperatures. The ambient temperature needs to be "just right" to avoid compromising vaccine integrity.
Thus, supply chain visibility solutions that provide real-time insights into a shipment's location, temperature and other environmental factors have become critical to product quality and safety. Pfizer's Covid-19 vaccine, for instance, requires "specially designed, temperature-controlled thermal shippers utilizing dry ice to maintain recommended storage temperature conditions of [minus-70 degrees Celsius]."
To track and monitor the transport of Covid-19 vaccines, UPS equips each of its shipments with a sensor that collects and transmits location information as well as data on conditions like temperature, motion, shock, light exposure and air pressure — factors that could affect vaccine integrity. The data is transmitted in real time to a command center where UPS operators are tasked with safeguarding vaccine shipments and managing timely delivery. Real-time visibility enables operators to respond quickly to deviations from recommended environmental conditions or disruptions like poor weather conditions. They can thereby make smarter decisions to recover shipments if necessary, mitigate shipping delays and ensure vaccines are available when and where they're needed most.
K-12 Education And School Bus Safety
According to the National School Transportation Association, the school bus system is the largest mass transportation fleet in the United States. These school districts and bus operators are responsible for ensuring student, driver and vehicle safety throughout the school year. Real-time data about ridership and bus location can help districts address potential challenges, especially amid the everchanging implications of the pandemic.
School districts across the country have invested heavily in connected intelligence to facilitate the safe return to the classroom. Mount Airy City Schools in North Carolina, for example, has implemented a Smart Bus Transportation Program that includes issuing identification cards that each student must scan when they get on and off the school bus. Data that identifies the date, time and location of each child who entered and exited the bus is shared with parents on a mobile app. In addition to knowing that their child made it on the bus safely, parents receive real-time notifications of bus departure and arrival, providing greater peace of mind.
For district officials, bus ridership data (i.e., who was on which bus at what date and time) also supports ongoing Covid-19 contact tracing efforts. Namely, if a student tests positive for Covid-19, they have the necessary intelligence to identify and notify others in close contact with the student to mitigate outbreaks across schools.
Government And Municipal Fleets
At the heart of every community are government fleets that need to be good stewards for the taxpayer. From snowplows to road construction crews, fleet intelligence solutions can provide managers with visibility to optimally manage their public works vehicles, workforce, routes and work in progress.
Keeping roads clear and safe during a snowstorm, for example, is challenging in the best of circumstances. With current driver shortages and pandemic restrictions, the job becomes even more daunting. To optimize its snowstorm response, the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) uses our iOn fleet management software to mobilize a fleet of 12,000 owned and contracted snowplows. Within the software, VDOT staff can view statewide maps and track each vehicle's location and route to ensure streets are efficiently cleared for the safety of Virginia's 8.5 million residents.
VDOT is even passing this intelligence onto residents. During a storm, residents can visit an online map that pulls data from iOn to view every snowplow on the road. They can search their address to see if a snowplow has been assigned to their neighborhood and monitor its progress. This level of transparency has reinforced the public's trust in VDOT and other municipal services.
The next generation of connected intelligence is here, and it's being driven by edge computing and data in the cloud. As connected intelligence evolves and more contextual data becomes available, organizations will be able to make smarter decisions that not only improve operational efficiency and financial returns but keep our kids safe, help our workforce be more productive and discover new ways of moving our world forward. This is only the beginning.
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