Digicel’s Black Box system capable of monitoring all vehicular behaviour

Digicel St Vincent Limited has provided a way for companies with a fleet of vehicles to properly manage those vehicles.

The management system provides not only the physical location of the vehicles, but it can also monitor fuel consumption, do geo-fencing (setting of boundaries), schedule maintenance of the vehicles, monitor driver behaviour and even provide 3D crash reports.{{more}}

The service has come through Digicel’s collaboration with F6 Tech Vehicle Services, which can provide a wide range of vehicular usage and crash reporting services.

On Tuesday, October 14, Digicel organized a webcast from Jamaica where Sales manager for F6 Tech Michelle O’ Conner and Digicel Account manager from F6 Tech Craig Dorney did presentations to a group of local businessmen and government officials.

The webcast was held at the National Insurance Services (NIS) building’s conference room on Upper Bay Street.

Dorney explained that there are two elements to the service, the Event Data Recorder (EDR) or Black Box, which is installed in a vehicle and is capable of independently capturing and reporting on all vehicular usage patterns and quality crash data and the Information Store where all of the valuable data that the EDR automatically sends back gets processed and presented to customers in the format that they require.

Basically, a black box is placed in the vehicle and that box can be set to monitor everything the vehicle does.

According to Dorney, vehicular behaviour that can be managed includes dangerous driving detection, automated crash reporting, detailed crash analysis, 3D crash reconstruction, and customized reporting/fleet management.

“The solution is event-driven, meaning that information is only sent when a predetermined event happens or a crash occurs,” explained Dorney who said that knowing where your vehicles are is not the sole purpose for investing in this system.

It was noted that the system can also be used by insurance companies, to create new products and services for their clients, while government organizations can also benefit, as the service has the potential to significantly reduce misuse and crashes by those assigned to use the vehicles.

O’Conner said that the system is good for insurance companies, as it can reconstruct accidents in 3D and give specific information on speed and impact points.

Also present at the webcast was Business Solutions Sales executive at Digicel Diana Caesar, who stressed that “the black box is placed in the vehicle and can be set to monitor everything the vehicle does.”

She explained that the black box uses GPRS technology to do vehicle tracking, while the box is also a component of a larger fleet management solution that has the capabilities of providing more than just the physical location of vehicles.

“This system is now available to local business people who have a fleet of vehicles they need to properly manage,” said Caesar, adding that with the box, persons can monitor fuel consumption and also see how long a person stops in one spot. She said that business can set predetermined routes and areas which a driver must use and stay in and once a vehicle goes beyond these borders, a notification (through email or cell phone) can be sent to the person monitoring it. The vehicle can also be remotely shut down and send panic signals in case of emergencies.

“Digicel Business is all about delivering tailored solutions that drive business efficiency and deliver cost saving and with F6 fleet management we are doing just that. I am encouraging businesses, especially with a large fleet, to experience this first-of-its-kind solution that will significantly help to manage your valuable assets by enabling you to, monitor drivers’ behaviour and vehicle whereabouts, improve driver safety and fuel consumption and maximize vehicle residual value,” said Caesar.

It was noted that in addition to the savings on petrol and other things, the percentage saved often covers the cost for the solution, showing an almost immediate return on investment for businesses. The black box’s data is supplied by a Digicel SIM card.

Caesar stressed that F6 is a global information services provider for the automotive industry.