ATMS SUPPORTED REPORTING METHODS

There are several methods for reporting the location and status of your mobile assets, and IGTI, Inc.’s Asset Tracking and Management System (ATMS) can support any or a combination of these reporting methods. The type of reporting that is best for your particular application is often dependent on the following conditions:

· Maximum reporting interval supported by wireless communications.

· Maximum reporting interval supported by GPS/Modem device

· Maximum reporting interval required by customer application

· Reporting format/capability of the GPS/Modem device

PASSIVE REPORTING METHOD

The most simplest of reporting methods is called ‘Passive’ or ‘Automatic’ reporting. This reporting method requires no action by the base monitoring station(s), and is the most commom method of reporting for simple ATMS configurations. In a ‘Passive’ reporting system, the mobile units are configured to report automatically at a specified time interval and/or distance traveled. The interval depends upon the customer requirements and the capability of the wireless data method used. An example of a passive system would be to have mobile units report every 1 minute or if they move more than 500 feet.

POLLING REPORTING METHOD

The polling method of reporting requires the base monitoring station to send a ‘request’ or a ‘poll’ in order to obtain the current location and status of a mobile asset. The polling method requires a two-way wireless communications method, one to the mobile to request it’s location and status, and one for the mobile asset to report the requested information. A polling system is typically done at a lower interval than that of the passive system since it utilizes the wireless communications twice as much, and there are often latencies in the system between the time of the ‘poll’ to the receipt of the requested data. Polling can be used effectively to reduce or minimize wireless data communications to only using the system to ‘poll’ a remote asset when the information is required by the base monitoring station(s).

EVENT REPORTING METHOD

A newer and quickly becoming more common reporting method is called ‘event’ or ‘exception’ reporting. Under this method, the unit only reports its position and status when it meets specific programmed conditions. For example, a unit could be programmed to report its position if the vehicle was speeding, or stopped for more than a specific time, upon the start of the vehicle ignition, or if the lights were turned on, or a ‘panic’ button was pressed, etc. Thus, the Event reporting is similar to that of the above passive reporting method, but the number of reports is reduced to those conditions and events of specific interest to that specified by the base monitoring station(s).

The ATMS developed by IGTI, Inc. is capable of supporting all of the above methods of reporting. In fact, an ATMS may be configured using a combination of the above methods making the ATMS one of the most flexible and powerful ATMS systems available.