Telematics has several applications, such as commercial vehicle tracking and insurance telematics. It is worth understanding the basics.
Telematics is a combination of telecommunications and informatics. The joining of these two sciences created the field of telematics.
In its broadest sense, telematics includes the Internet since it combines telecommunications (mobile phone networks) with informatics (such as computer systems—vehicle tracking applications).
The technology allows the sending, receiving, and storing of vehicle information via Telematics hardware ( Telematics Control Units ) that are either hardwired into the vehicles, plugged into the OBD II or CAN-BUS port or may be battery-powered. A SIM card and onboard modem inside the TCU enable communication through a mobile network. This device then records and reports various data points to a remote software application.
Telematics records and reports on more than just GPS vehicle location, but for our needs to analyse location and activity, GPS and X, Y, and Z ( acceleration and deacceleration, lateral movement and up and down movement ) with date and time stamps are the main interest.
How does a telematics system work?
A vehicle tracking device or black box ( Telematics Control Unit ) is at the core of a telematics system. It collects GPS data and a vast range of vehicle-specific data from the vehicle. It transmits via GPRS (General Packet Radio Service), 4G mobile data, or satellite communication to a centralised server. The server then interprets the data and enables it to be displayed to end users.
The telematics device collects a multitude of data, which, when processed, can provide in-depth vehicle information such as location, speed, idling time, harsh acceleration or braking (X, Y, Z data measured by an internal accelerometer), and much more.
All this data is then layered over a map in a telematics application in near real-time and can be viewed via secure websites and apps optimised for smartphones and tablets.
The data the end user sees and uses to generate management reports is just a tiny element of the service provider’s database data.
This “raw” telematics data is required for a complete analysis. It contains data such as sequential record numbers, GPS latitude & longitude, XYZ values, quality values for the GPS satellite signal and date and time stamps—all critical data for a complete analysis.
