Thankfully, recent advances are now changing this picture, and with the assistance of mobile technology, cost-effective LBS applications will soon be available to any service company with a mobile workforce.

Until very recently, the most typical LBS-enabled device was a massive black box physically mounted inside a truck engine to track metrics such as location, speed, direction, performance, pressure and so on. This kind of data is invaluable for trucking companies that manage large fleets, but it comes at a significant cost.

Black boxes consume lots of power, require independent power sources and radio stacks, and use high-power satellite receivers and antennas as well, putting the technology out of reach for smaller businesses, and preventing widespread uptake.

But over the past few years, both market awareness of and demand for LBS technology has been growing, and developers have been working to establish more cost-effective technologies that hold wider appeal. Google Maps, an extremely popular web-based application, introduced free LBS-type services to a worldwide audience, and car manufacturers began making smaller, more cost-effective GPS systems available to businesses of all sizes.

Line-of-sight contact

Despite this increased interest however, barriers still remained to widespread adoption of LBS technology.  GPS applications rapidly drain battery power from mobile devices, limiting their usefulness.  Also, GPS technology does not work unless the user has line-of-sight contact with overhead satellite receivers.  This means users inside dwellings or surrounded by tall buildings cannot use their GPS-enabled devices to find their location or track assets – not especially useful for the average field service worker.

With the introduction of assisted GPS, however, all of that is about to change.  Through a combination of traditional GPS and triangulation technologies, assisted GPS is always able to determine the location of the device – even if there is no line of sight with the satellite receiver.  This technology uses no more battery power than a normal phone call does, and so is immediately more attractive to businesses looking to mobilise their service staff.

The technology essentially relies on the same constant communication with phone masts that mobile devices already use, and the real-time tracking capabilities mean that field staff are able to reliably and regularly send and receive data, regardless of where they are located.

Emergency response units have been using triangulation technology for years, but mobile operators are only now rolling out applications that are attractive and cost-effective to businesses.  Legal and privacy issues no doubt contributed to the delay, although developing a profitable pricing model may have been the operators’ biggest challenge.

In any case, the technology is here now, and the market opportunity is huge. Assisted GPS literally puts LBS technology into the hands of anyone who owns a GPS-enabled phone or mobile device.  By logging into a secure, web-based interface provided by the mobile operator, businesses can determine the locations of their service staff and dispatch the closest engineer to the most appropriate job site.

The range of mobile tracking applications wireless carriers can offer with assisted GPS is also potentially huge.  For example, by taking advantage of the technology’s real-time tracking capabilities, subscribers are able to create ‘bread crumb trails’ by collecting data samples at frequent intervals throughout the day.  Graphically plotting these bread crumb trails makes it easy for subscribers to track the location, speed and performance of the people and assets they are monitoring. 

Improve productivity

The results of these processes can improve productivity across an entire workforce of field staff, as businesses can use the technology to dynamically route their mobile staff to the nearest or most appropriate job.  The data can also help identify staff that are perhaps regularly taking a longer route than necessary in between jobs, and provide management with the information to rectify such a situation.

Also, by giving businesses the capabilities to pinpoint where their field staff are at all times, office-based employees are able to electronically provide details of job locations to their colleagues out in the field, removing the need for mobile staff to regularly return to and from HQ or even dialling in to the call centre for directions. Removing this process has benefits not only in terms of call costs, but also improves productivity for both field staff and the central office.

Geofencing is another mobile tracking application that wireless carriers can offer to both businesses and end consumers. Subscribers use a web-based interface to set the geographic boundaries within which their mobile employees are supposed to stay, and receive automated alerts whenever someone strays outside the geofence. While some may have concerns about the ‘Big Brother’ aspects of this application, when implemented appropriately, its sole aim is to help businesses keep their field staff productive.

As assisted GPS technology enters the mainstream, we will continue to face questions about individual privacy and mobile security. Mobile operators will be challenged to create LBS applications that provide easy tracking for subscribers while securing sensitive mobile data, and the service industry is sure to be at the front of the queue when it comes to demanding these applications.

Through the uptake of assisted GPS technology, companies across the entire industry are set to enjoy greater vision over their mobile workers, and significantly improved productivity as a result.

Suhas Uliyar, Dexterra chief technical officer