In 2022, NOMADICS began developing an in-house real-time tracking system as part of a research and development initiative called Project Thor. The project is an exploration of NOMADIC’s real-time tracking capabilities within a leading GIS platform.
A baseline real-time tracking dashboard was developed to follow user movements within specific NOMADICS office locations and their surrounding areas through a phone application. Various tracking analytics are automatically processed from the track data and presented within a GIS platform. The track data is visualized within the platform’s map, while the user’s last known location data is presented through a set of metrics.
The baseline dashboard showcases the following sample tracking analytics:
- User’s Last Known Location
- Direction Traveled
- Speed Traveled
- Activity Type
- Track Lines
- Frequent Travel Areas
The baseline dashboard is also equipped with filtering capabilities, allowing the track data to be filtered by a specific date, by speed, and by horizontal accuracy of the data captured by GPS.
See the baseline dashboard functions and layers in action.
Watch a 00:25 time lapse of the tracking data being displayed.
The dashboard is capable of tracking of multiple variables in real-time, including weather monitoring, as seen here.
With a real-time tracking system, clients can gain many advantages for their business, such as:
Increased Productivity Rates
Clients can monitor employee and/or asset movement to see if efficient travel is taking place, or if efficiency issues (such as broken-down vehicles or excessive time spent at a single location) need to be addressed.
Real-time Speed Monitoring
Clients can monitor their employees’ speed, which could indicate if there is speeding that can lead to more fuel being used and an increased likelihood of an automobile accident, or if a vehicle is experiencing mechanical issues that make it travel at a slow speed.
Reduced Unauthorized Travel
Clients can use the real-time tracking system to see if company travel is taking place outside of business hours or if company travel involves traversing into a restricted area.
Asset Protection & Tracking
A real-time tracking system can be used to track assets as they travel from one place to another, in which they have a higher chance of recovery in the event of theft.
With these advantages, Project Thor allows NOMADICS to develop a customized real-time tracking dashboard for various clients and their needs, which can include, but are not limited to, asset/delivery tracking, field worker/vehicle monitoring, defense applications, and transportation analysis.