Axeda and Walsh Vision have joined forces to provide advanced M2M services for the telematics market.
Axeda is a cloud platform provider for M2M application development and Walsh is a systems integrator specialising in the delivery of cellular wireless products.
Through this collaboration, enterprises now have access to a flexible cloud platform that enables them to layer value-added applications on top of the real-time data coming from vehicles. Applications, such as text disablement for safer driving, route management for improved service team dispatch and fuel savings, as well as vehicle management for maintenance cost reductions, can be deployed in weeks, not months or years.
“Vehicle telematics continues to mature and represent one of the key segments in the M2M market,” said Thilo Koslowski, vice president and analyst at Gartner.
“New innovations in cloud-based telematics solutions will lead to advancements in data management, improved process efficiencies, and new value propositions for consumers and commercial businesses.”
With this joint service, an OBDII data device is connected through a vehicle’s on-board diagnostics port and collects relevant data such as speeds, idling time, locations and distances travelled. These data are sent over a cellular network to the Axeda platform, which is stored securely in the cloud and presented via a rich internet application or integrated to enhance third-party services.
“When you are talking about basic monitoring of a ten-vehicle fleet, you might be able to get away with a simple telematics point solution,” said Dennis Lottero, vice president of M2M and wireless for Walsh Vision. “But when you have a 100-vehicle service fleet, or are trying to monitor 10,000 policyholders for a usage-based insurance solution, scalability, security and back-end integration capabilities become critical.
“We partnered with Axeda because these capabilities are built into their platform – making it faster and less expensive to deliver comprehensive and highly reliable M2M and telematics solutions to our customers.”
To demonstrate the effectiveness of the collaboration, Axeda and Walsh Vision delivered a usage-based insurance (UBI) service that enabled one of the world’s leading insurance companies to track the driving behaviour of individual policyholders. This information is used to calculate a driver score, which dictates policy terms and discounts and allows insurance companies to offer their customers value-added services.
Organisations are looking for ways to reduce the costs of operating and maintaining their fleets of vehicles, vans or trucks. With features such as GPS tracking, email alerts, geofencing and ignition sensors, the Axeda and Walsh service is claimed to let companies gain control over once-uncontrollable assets.
For example, GPS tracking provides for marked increases in dispatch efficiency, allowing dispatchers to redirect drivers to alternate branch locations for emergency pickups or through faster routes to avoid traffic and ensure on-time deliveries.
“As an Axeda solution provider, Walsh Vision brings deep expertise for our customers who want to rapidly deploy advanced wireless solutions,” said Jim Hansen, CTO at Axeda.
“By providing a total approach to design, engineering, delivery and on-going support, Walsh Vision significantly reduces the complexity of bringing these game-changing M2M solutions to market.”
