How IoT is Transforming Fleet Management and Telematics
Over the past few years we are hearing the phrase “IOT” more often than before. To those of us who are in the vehicle tracking business or in the vehicle business in general, it seems that IOT is interchangeable with telematics.
That is not the case. There are differences and the more IOT evolves, the more it will transform fleet management and telematics. Below we have provided an easy review of the terms as well as a summary on the way that IoT will transform fleet management and telematics. Happy Reading!
Telematics is in some ways considered the mother of IoT technology. Before all the transformations, telematics was a simple way of receiving information and transferring it to a specific computer, so in the minds of potential customers, it is associated with something outdated, expensive and very limited in functionality.
IoT is the evolution and combination of systems and technologies. IoT covers a broader solution set than does telematics, which can be seen as a part of machine to machine communication. IoT is the next step in the chain after telematics. It can perform its tasks, but it also includes a much more extensive range of possibilities. In turn, everything progressive is usually indicated by a new term.
The term IoT was mainly created and popularized, primarily to market a new round of technology development in the eyes of customers.
At the moment, telematics and IoT share the same market, but gradually the percentage of telematics in it will decrease, which is justified by the development and cheapening of IoT technology.
Put it this way, telematics will be a part of a larger system solution in the IoT domain. Regardless of the industry, you’ll have data analytics, cloud platform and sensors just to mention few.
Telematics is the technology that helps in tracking connected vehicles using IT and communication protocols.
Telematics is the field of remote motion. Tele=far away, matic = motion. (Automatic means motion by itself). Telematics devices are also known as GPS devices in colloquial language. Actually, GPS is the network of satellites being used for finding the exact location of a point on the earth. So, a telematics device receives its position on earth (latitude and longitude) and transmits this data to a server that has been configured in the device.
To enable telematics, fleet businesses integrate a crash-resistant telematics unit in the vehicle. The telematics unit collects data such as GPS location, engine, diagnostics information, vehicle speed, etc. and transmits the data to the IoT cloud platform through a secure communication channel. Actionable insights are gathered in order to increase fleet productivity and efficiency.
The mass adoption of IoT has brought massive business value in connecting vehicles and assets as well as gathering data. Many industries which were not able to track their assets in the past, have evolved to the point where any tool or asset can be inexpensively connected via IoT devices, allowing data to be captured, interpreted and acted upon.
IoT asset tags enable the collection of streamlined data across entire fleets. IoT sensors can seamlessly integrate within a fleet management platform to more quickly and efficiently mine and sort relevant data and connect existing fleet management platform into a more robust platform that monitors all of a businesses assets and not just its vehicles.
By having an all around integrated IoT fleet management platform, organization can:
- Connect tools or assets that were not able to be connected in the past to gain real-time visibility and receive actionable insights.
- Tag assets with IoT tags and get information such as location, time, date, temperature and so on and send this to one cloud platform for real-time insight.
- Get an accurate operational picture for more informed decision-making
- Temperature Sensors– IoT temperature sensors placed on temperature sensitive goods, packages, containers and reefers can relay temperature data to fleet managers allowing them to quickly identify if there is a temperature related issue. This helps save the products and the overall shipment leading to cut down on last minute spoilage.
- Tool Tracking– IoT sensors placed on tools provide visibility to the fleet manager. Alerts on misplaced or theft help to cut down on loss and help with inventory management.
- Waste Management– IoT sensors placed on bins or dumpsters provide tracking and visibility. If needed, it can signal a service call only when one is needed versus at routine intervals. This type of condition-based monitoring helps reduce service costs while improving accuracy and customer service.
Pairing IoT with fleet management technology helps fleet operators embrace predictive analytics. This provides the necessary context to achieve proactive management and a competitive advantage in a number of key operational areas.
To gain the benefits of IoT with Fleet Management, organizations must ensure they have a modern fleet management platform in place that allows for IoT connection and supports seamless connectivity.
A modern fleet management platform should provide WIFI connectivity as well as IOT sensor connectivity, all displayed on one central cloud dashboard with reports and data.
Wireless Links leverages one cloud based central platform for monitoring and tracking your fleet of vehicles and assets. For IoT connectivity, we offer active and passive RFID solutions in addition to mini IoT tags and a mobile app.
To find out more about our IoT solution, visit our mini IoT tag page.
Footnotes
[1] https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-differnece-between-IoT-and-Telematics
[2] https://www.quora.com/In-the-world-of-IoT-what-is-telematics