The hottest holiday gift this past year is already an enterprise mainstay when it comes to cargo security, fleet management, asset tracking and even law enforcement applications.

The combination of global positioning systems (GPS) with wireless communications is a one-two punch that attracts chief security officers and transportation directors. An indication of the sophisticated growth of GPS for security and fleet management was the entrance, just weeks ago, of  Qualcomm, with strength in digital wireless communications products and services based on CDMA and other advanced technologies.

That firm’s first OmniVision Metro service offering, called Service Fleet Manager, aims at service-based businesses that are centered in metropolitan areas and have mobile resources. Beyond security, Service Fleet Manager helps businesses gain visibility into their assets to increase their revenue, decrease operational expenses and improve customer service and loyalty. Similar to other security systems that now provide business advantages, such a new service can better manage enterprise workloads and improve response time to know where their resources and employees are, where they have been and where they should be. 

IDENTITY AND ASSET MANAGEMENT

The OmniVision Metro service provides customers with visibility into their mobile assets via management dashboards driven by data from in-vehicle GPS hardware for improved workforce and asset management, routing and scheduling.  As a benefit of Qualcomm’s unique approach to the user experience, companies gain the business intelligence they need to manage their service fleets proactively.  Leveraging the graphical user interface of this Web-based OmniVision Metro service, companies can identify the location of vehicles, monitor vehicle use, analyze and manage asset costs and increase overall operational efficiency and productivity.

Created for the mobile resource management market, Service Fleet Manager, as well as other new generation GPS-wireless solutions, incorporate industry-specific capabilities and features, including detailed maps and reports that provide a snapshot of an entire fleet for improved logistical planning.

The technology already has a visible footprint in law enforcement.

For example, BrickHouse Law Enforcement, a division of BrickHouse Security, told Security Magazine that it experienced a significant sales spike in 2007, with more than 1,000 new GPS tracking units deployed by over 200 local and federal agencies. In this case, the firm designs battery-powered magnetic GPS tracking devices specifically for use by law enforcement and private investigators. Popular police applications for GPS technology are real-time location-based security, property theft investigations, undercover operations, fugitive and bail recovery as well as fleet management.

SIDEBAR: Is GPS Tracking Complicated to Install and Use?

Most fleet tracking systems are comprised of the same basic components: a GPS receiver installed within each vehicle, and some kind of software operating on PCs that organizes and displays the information gathered. Both installation and use of these systems are actually fairly simple – but may seem complicated to those unfamiliar with the technology. This is why security’s relationship with a GPS tracking provider is always much more important than the tools they provide. A reputable, experienced GPS tracking vendor will:

• Work to make the implementation of a fleet management solution as seamless as possible within an organization;
  
  
• Ask for guidance to interpret the data received and apply it to improve the efficiency of field operations; and
  
  
• Seek knowledgeable, accessible technical and sales support to cover any service issues that may arise.