The Centre of Excellence for Applied Research and Technology (CERT) the commercial arm of the Higher Colleges of Technology will launch the UAE’s first ‘home-grown’ technology solution for the management of traffic at Gitex. Developed to address safety in transportation and logistics issues, CERT ‘Falcon’ aims to lead the market for vehicle telematics and fleet management solutions, now estimated to be worth US$ 5 billion globally.
Dr. Tayeb Kamali, Vice Chairman, CERT, commented, “CERT ‘Falcon’ is a next generation customised telematics solution which can offer companies, ‘certain’ knowledge to enable best practice to increase productivity, reduce risk, improve safety, streamline processes and reduce costs. It is geared towards fleet management, but due to its flexibility can be applied to a host of disciplines.”
Developed over the last two years at CERT Telematics Labs in Abu Dhabi, at a cost of several million US dollars, CERT ‘Falcon’ is the culmination of a research and development agreement between CERT Innovations, and IBM Engineering and Technology Services, to expand and enhance patented IBM technology.
Telematics solutions enable remote access to vehicle data over a wireless network using the satellite Global Positioning System (GPS) in conjunction with GSM and GPRS digital mobile network, can supply fundamental vehicle data to managers via web-based applications.
Regular data transfers can report on mileage, fuel consumption, precise position and routes travelled, as well as on vehicle statistics like speed and engine performance. The device flags violations of pre-defined operating zones or geofences and designated delivery routes, accidents or vehicle abuse. Vehicles can also be equipped with tracking devices attached to engine immobilisers and alarm systems and drivers can activate panic buttons in case of emergencies. Data warehousing stores both current and historical information, ready for management analysis.
CERT’s unique ‘Real-Time Fleet Management System’ combines full telematics data services with flexible open voice communication between dispatchers, drivers and customers to significantly reduce delivery times, fuel consumption and insurance costs, while optimising fleet management.
Building upon the telematics and vehicle security this provides transport and logistics operators with a continuous stream of valuable data. Customised Fleet Management Software (FMS) affords rapid response to urgent requests, delivery delays, traffic congestion, accidents and mechanical problems. Real-time displays pinpoint vehicle position, destination and route, aiding management visibility within readily adjustable geographic areas.
It also offers fleet dispatching and scheduling, continuous fleet tracking, fleet optimisation and management reports, traffic monitoring, route planning, real-time delivery information and customer service. In practice, this means drivers can be instructed instantly to alter delivery schedules, quantities or destinations.
Additional features include a back-office software interface, automatically generated insurance reports and text message display.
“The ‘brains’ are in the unit, we can customise CERT ‘Falcon’ to suit individual client needs and at far lower communication costs. Typically businesses should achieve a return on investment between 6-18 months,” added Dr. Kamali
To highlight the huge savings potential, Dubai’s RTA estimated that 350,000 vehicle trips are being made every hour and there is a 15-minute delay in each 25-minute trip during rush hours, which costs the local economy US$ 1.25 billion annually.
