‘Near me’ GPS services can save lives
Apr
Instantly knowing which vehicle is closest can save lives
The many uses of GPS technology continues to grow as great minds apply the technology in different ways. Using GPS systems to locate the nearest point of interest is growing in popularity not just from consumers seeking business but businesses broadcasting to consumers who happen to be in the vicinity.
For example, Foursquare has become very popular as a way for businesses to offer discounts to shoppers who visit their store, or ‘check-in’, using the GPS feature on their phone.
Other social media tools, including Google Buzz, Gowalla, Loopt and Twitter, are adding features related to pinpointing a user’s location (geotagging) for people who want to let their friends know where they are. But there’s more to the ‘near me’ technology that just finding your nearest coffee shop or getting reviews on a restaurant you’re standing outside of; it can actually be used to save lives.
Telogis Fleet, for example, has a useful ‘find nearest vehicles’ option that allows fleet managers or dispatch workers to quickly locate the nearest vehicle to a given address. For example, a utility company may get an urgent call from a resident advising of a power cut and what sounded like an explosion in the transformer outside. What’s making this situation even more critical is that there is someone who has a condition that requires a continuous supply of electricity and their UPS will only last so long. Which vehicle do you send to fix the problem?
Without GPS tracking you would have no idea what trucks, if any, were in the area but with Telogis Fleet you can filter your vehicle list based on those that have the necessary skills and equipment then use the ‘find nearest vehicle’ to locate the closest capable driver. Right away you have details of how far away (both in miles and minutes) the vehicle is, which means you can not only get the problem fixed sooner but you can advise affected customers with an expected time of arrival.
The reason GPS fleet tracking and location-based technology is so popular is that it is so vital for fleets to be responsive and nimble, particularly for emergency call-outs when there’s no time to waste. When it comes to storm or disaster relief, a fast response is even more critical and can be the difference between life and death. A GPS fleet management system combines the power of a vehicle and driver database with GPS technology to help you coordinate resources relevant to the customer, and all in real-time.
Telogis GPS fleet tracking is more than just a ‘near me’ service. It is a complete fleet management tool that uses GPS tracking to monitor and measure fleet activity, keep customers informed, give drivers turn by turn navigation and optimize routes.
Junk It, a Canadian-based business, is using GPS technology in another way that connects customers to their nearest bin or dumpster. This helps them, not only which trucks are available, but also how quickly they can arrive. The press release mentioned that their GPS-enhanced trucks mean that staff, at any point in the day, “know exactly where all of their junk removal trucks and garbage bins are. This gives them greater control over their inventory and allows them to serve customers better.”
‘Near me’ services will continue to grow in popularity, driven by user’s need for relevancy in anything from business reviews to nearby points of interest. Relevancy is what makes sense of the glut of information around us and GPS location technology is, in many ways, the key to making the information we get relevant. And the more relevant the information, the more useful it becomes.
