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Improvements to LiGO® mobile apps

Jul
2017

In our latest updates to LiGO® we have now made it easier to connect to the your mobile fleet. Managers’ connections to their fleets is an integral part of operations, and keeping that connection easy, and constant is what will get your operations running at full efficiency.

Having two-way mobile functionality can increase productivity as fleet directors and managers can monitor, analyze analytics, and receive updates at any time. LiGO® will cut costs for operations by allowing users to set up alerts for idling. Managers can be alerted for fleet stops lasting longer than necessary, fleet divergences from routes, and other unexpected events. Thanks to our IT lead Ken Travis, updates to the mobile app is continuously tested and made operational with our priority being providing uninterrupted service to our customers.

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LiGO® Features: “Real-time” Views of your Operations

Jul
2017

LiGO® provides real-time views of your operations. Think about how much you know about what goes on in your physical office, by being there…listening, seeing, (sometimes smelling), what’s around you. Our goal is to bring more information about your mobile resources to you in the back office so you have that more intuitive understanding of your operations (maybe without the smell though).

Views can be set to see all vehicles or be set up for different levels: Departments, Divisions, and Crews etc.

This feature can be useful for those on strict deadlines and time constraints. With the click of a button, managers are able to know exactly where fleets, or crews might be. Or they get an email when a critical exception, that they’ve defined, occurs. With this feature there will never be a time where you as the manager or planner are unable to know exactly what is happening in the field. This feature can also be used for gathering data on the fastest routes, and how efficiently fleets are working, whilst simultaneously providing a level of security and protection to fleets.

A great feature for business use, ‘real-time’ tracking is being used in a number of industries spanning from government, universities, to even sports, and without a doubt most has usefulness in YOUR industry.

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GIS and its role in AVL

Jul
2017

Geographic information system (GIS) is a multifaceted computing system that has the ability to accumulate, analyze, and makes accessible geospatial data. GIS can be a storage, display and analytical tool. Though Esri has been and still is dominant in the GIS market, with the phenomenal growth of other systems such as google maps and bing, and the advances in their analytical tools, we are seeing crossover. So when providing AVL solutions, – what is the role of GIS?

Though I dislike it when people say this to me, the answer is, “it depends”. At MarshallGIS we propose that a number of different GIS technologies are useful, and which one is best depends on the business work flow. For our mobile resource management solution, LiGO, we have the following examples:

Parole Officer wants to see where staff vehicles are NOW relative to streets or terrain:
- LiGO web application using Google Maps (with street view or satellite view or windshield view)
Water operations manager wants to see what hydrants are being worked on NOW:
- LiGO vehicles displayed on your Esri GIS water layers, and perhaps with active work orders displayed on map as well.
County Roads supervisor wants to see plow/sprayer metrics for last season by road type (primary, secondary, etc.):
- LiGO tracks with plow/sprayer data merged with the Esri GIS County road layer.

The idea is mobile sensor data can be combined in myriad ways with systems you use every day. We like to think of LiGO as the mobile resource “snap on tool” to use with your enterprise GIS/Business systems.

Elizabeth Marshall,

Chief Snap On Tool Manager

Image result for snaps

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5 Reasons Governments Need GIS and AVL Applications to Remedy Winter “State of Emergency” Woes

Jan
2017

Geographical Information Systems (GIS) are becoming increasingly relevant as more enterprises, tools, databases and business systems move online. Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL) applications like LiGO® bring additional mobile asset management functionality to GIS systems.

With the many “State of Emergency” declarations last winter, the advantages of AVL technology in tracking snowplows or emergency response teams proved indispensable to local and state governments.

Here are 5 reasons why:

1. Cost, time, and environmentally efficient.

Many local/state governments have departments that already use GIS. With the addition of AVL resource management software like LiGO®, the GIS capabilities are accelerated to their full potential at a comparably slight cost; which is eventually regained with the savings made from better management of assets. ROI can sometimes be achieved in a day.

The presence of the software also urges employees to drive responsibly, as it provides management insight on crew activities in real-time or through historic information. Environmental benefits are substantial as well, as emissions can be reduced with anti-idling events.

2. Communication with the public.

Citizens also benefit from AVL applications, as some governments provide web-based versions of their maps to the public. During the winter, stakeholders can locate, track, and receive detailed information on snowplow activities and street conditions in real-time.

3. Rapid emergency and disaster response.

Advancements have come strikingly far in delivering efficient analytics to governments regarding their disaster/emergency response protocols. LiGO® is able to report in real-time a snowplows trip, idle, or plow-down time, revealing the commonly overlooked inefficiencies. Other standard features include alerts triggered by harsh driving, customizable “GeoFences”, and GPS-oriented job sites.

Furthermore, coordinating with other departments, government officials, private enterprises and the public can be difficult. GIS and AVL technologies can create one online “landing page” which automatically updates, granting everyone a shared view; the levels of access and various restrictions are customizable through administrators.

4. Maintenance and preparedness.

Resource management software helps keep equipment in tip top shape by automating and scheduling vehicle maintenance reports, which give managers full knowledge of the condition and readiness of their fleet(s).

5. Relevance.

A quote from Russ Johnson, director of Public Safety and Homeland Security for Esri (Creators of ArcGIS), said

“Whether people realize it or not, there’s a geo component to almost everything…” and “All businesses should have a continuity plan and understand the vulnerabilities they’re geographically exposed to.”

(Source).

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Happy Veterans’ Day and Thank You for Your Service!

Nov
2016

We’re grateful to those who have served their country. Civilians can never understand all that is entailed in military service for our country but we can be thankful, acknowledge this service, and support where we can.

Along those lines, we have an update on one of our favorite service organizations – Canine Companions for Independence – and their program for veterans called the Canine Companions Wounded Veterans Initiative.

Last year our first puppy, “Barbie”, flunked (only about 40% pass!), and she is now a “civilian” in the MarshallGIS office. In August our second CCI puppy “Ginnie” (image to the left) went back to Santa Rosa, and is in advanced training.

Late this September, our third green eared CCI puppy (green from the ear tattoo – see photo on right), “Safire” – entered our lives. When we picked up Safire at the Boise Airport, we met Charlie Linville, his daughter, and his CCI graduate working dog Devon.

It was a real honor to meet Charlie and his daughter, and his CCI dog Devon. Just last year, Charlie Linville summited Mount Everest with a prosthetic leg. Charlie is nothing short of awesome, and you can read on CBS News how Charlie was a member of a Marine Corps bomb-disposal unit in Afghanistan in 2011 when he stepped on a buried explosive and suffered traumatic injuries.

Below: Charlie and Tim Medvetz of The Heroes Project summiting Mount Everest. Source: CBS news / The Hero Project.

We were inspired by Charlie’s story, and happy to be apart of the CCI Puppy Raisers.

Read More about Charlie, and the CCI Wounded Veterans Initiative.

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Tablets Are Moving In and Taking Off

Nov
2016

by Elizabeth Marshall

Rollin, rollin, rollin

Keep them tablets rollin! Rawhide!

As we ponder the billions of things connected to the Internet, and try to understand which things are in the mainstream and about to really grow in mobile resource management industry….one thing (no pun intended) seems clear: Given their current price point, clarity/visibility, speed, and functionality, tablets like the 8” Samsung Galaxy seem well positioned to truly disrupt the market. This is particularly evident when you consider the vast number of moving parts, archaic softwares, and non-tiered approaches typically involved in tracking mobile resources. We are excited about the options to use tablets with, or in place of, typical mobile resource tracking scenarios, especially given our present ability to create fast web forms for customer-specific needs combined with a wide variety of sensors (image, audio, voltage change, temperature….).

We can do some interesting things like:

manage a thousand tablets remotely using MDM software
program LiGO data from the tablet to pop up in the business systems you use every day in your organization
lock down the device so only users can visit certain sites and apps
provide wireless connectivity at very low prices for these locked down devices
use RFID/NFC tags to auto-populate forms or prove you were “there”
see your coolest applications, like LiGO, mirrored in your car’s dashboard monitor
mount your tablet to your dash and customize with a variety of really cool snap-on tools
and that’s just what I can think of on a Friday afternoon!

______________________________________________
Move ‘em on, head ‘em up
Head ‘em up, move ‘em on
Move ‘em on, head ‘em up
Rawhide!

(I have not really lost my mind, but just watched the old Blue’s Brothers Rawhide video on youtube…. google it! Or watch below!)

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MarshallGIS and BSU win Grant to Improve Sensor Data Collection

Jan
2016

We are excited to announce that MarshallGIS and BSU are the recipients of a $211,098 grant from the Idaho Global Entrepreneurial Mission (IGEM) for the research and development of a sensor adapter for the machine-to-machine (M2M) market. The sensor adapter will drastically improve data collection and modification and delivery of remotely sensed global positioning systems (GPS), vehicle diagnostics and other related field data. This project will have a direct impact on our LiGO^® product’s ability to collect a wide variety of in- and near-vehicle sensor data — further improving our customers’ operations – allowing them to see operational data they have not seen before.

http://news.boisestate.edu/update/2015/12/16/igem-grant-supports-sensor-adapter-for-enhanced-m2m-integration/

We look forward to working with Dr. Sin Ming Loo and his staff at BSU — Dr. Loo is on the forefront of sensor integration.

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Tracking with a Garmin

Nov
2015

LiGO Tracks from Garmin 660

MarshallGIS has entered into a relationship with Garmin – and we can now provide the Garmin Fleet 660 or 670 as a tracking device visible in LiGO. This is actually an Android Device – and can be tracked using an in-vehicle WiFi hotspot. A link to this Garmin is here: https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/on-the-road/fleet/garmin-fleet-660/prod168406.html

Garmin Fleet 660

I used this Garmin in a recent road trip. I found the new spoken directions much more useful than the old Garmins, like “turn right at the light” instead of “turn right at main street”. I was able to focus more on actually driving. You see that the tracking cuts around the corners (not as good as our programmed CalAmp devices) – but overall the positions are timely and useful. In addition with this device I can receive, go to, and complete jobs from my supervisor (thank goodness I don’t have a supervisor). And the Garmin can provide real time traffic conditions, ETA’s to my supervisor/customer and suggest alternate routes when trying to get to a destination. Click below for a short video on how this works:

– Elizabeth Marshall

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Veterans: Thank you for your service.

Nov
2015

Thank you for your service — to veterans in our office and beyond!

A brief note on what our favorite community service organization – Canine Companions for Independence- is doing for veterans:

Independence and Peace of MindSeven years ago this month, Major Yancy Baer of the United States Army was being medically evacuated from Iraq. After several reconstructive surgeries, his leg had to be amputated. Additionally, Yancy had injuries to his right arm, back problems and memory and hearing loss. While attending recreational therapy after his amputation, he learned about Canine Companions for Independence.Yancy was matched with Service Dog Verbena, affectionately called Beanz now. “Beanz’s positive effects on me started immediately after we were matched together,” says Yancy. “I no longer rely on sleeping medication to help me sleep. I’m less stressed and overall a much happier person!”Visit cci.org/veterans to learn more about Canine Companions Wounded Veterans Initiative and read more veteran stories.Below is CCI Puppy in training — Ginnie — hard at work in our office. Hopefully she will graduate and become a CCI service dog too.

-Elizabeth Marshall

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It’s All About That Route, ‘Bout that Route

Aug
2015

What We’ve Learned

You hear a lot about routing when discussing telematics solutions. “Does it do routing for you?” “Does it have routing?” “Will it route me?” The answer is almost always yes – but you may not like the results using just one function. Routing is sort of a loaded word, and people generally have a lot of expectations and ideas of what routing means to them, but that meaning is not always well defined.

For example – do you want to use your GIS Streets data? The truth is most GIS road networks are not complete or accurate enough to adequately route. Do you want routing to take into account traffic, speed limits, or time of day? Most “callable” routing algorithms do not provide this. If you told your crews they must follow your optimized route for jobs that day, and they know that going to job #3 will bring them to a standstill traffic jam for the next 3 hours, do you really want them to follow your prioritized route? You want to route work orders or inspections – but what happens if crews finish early or do not finish on time (one of these scenarios happens most of the time). In this case you’ll need to reroute for the next day, dependent on what happened today – which starts to get a little complicated. We think the ideal routing involves 3 steps:

1. Do planned routing in the back office and send jobs to be done in a sequential list to the field worker.

2. Field workers take the list, and with access to traffic issues they decide what job to do based on their environment.

3. Provide functionality that lets field workers prioritize work and use turn by turn routing for the next best job.

Different routing functionality is needed at different times, and staff need the flexibility to identify and re-prioritize work as the day goes forward. Ad hoc changes happen a lot. “Flexible routing” also allows for crews to pick up lower priority, but quick, jobs when they finish a bigger job nearby. In this scenario, crews do not have enough time to start a big job, but enough time to do some simple jobs in the vicinity. Operations managers I’ve talked to think this ability to pick up ad hoc work, amongst planned jobs, provides one of the biggest operational efficiencies to be had using LiGO.

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Blog

Improvements to LiGO® mobile apps

LiGO® Features: “Real-time” Views of your Operations

GIS and its role in AVL

5 Reasons Governments Need GIS and AVL Applications to Remedy Winter “State of Emergency” Woes

Here are 5 reasons why:

1. Cost, time, and environmentally efficient.

2. Communication with the public.

3. Rapid emergency and disaster response.

4. Maintenance and preparedness.

5. Relevance.

Happy Veterans’ Day and Thank You for Your Service!

Tablets Are Moving In and Taking Off

MarshallGIS and BSU win Grant to Improve Sensor Data Collection

Tracking with a Garmin

Veterans: Thank you for your service.

It’s All About That Route, ‘Bout that Route

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