Global logistics tracking and tracing in fleet management Marcin Hajdul1 and Arkadiusz Kawa2 1

Institute of Logistics and Warehousing, Estkowskiego 6, 61-755 Poznań, Poland Poznań University of Economics, al. Niepodległości 10, 61-875 Poznań, Poland [email protected],[email protected] 2

Abstract. Global real-time monitoring of means of transport and freight is necessary if we want to use the available resources in a sustainable way. Up-todate information about the fleet and cargo can also improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the logistics processes organization in supply chains. Such monitoring also enhances transport security. Generally accessible solutions for global tracking, however, are expensive and quite unreliable. The purpose of this article is to present the concept of the T-Traco system, which is used for global tracking of vehicles and cargo. Its main advantage, in comparison to the existing solutions, is the use of the USSD communication channel, which is more reliable and much cheaper than GPRS and SMS. Keywords: global track & trace, monitoring, fleet management, GPS, USSD, mobile application

1 Introduction In logistics the flow of information is as important as the flow of things. Individual entities in the supply chain provide each other with information about the amount of the accumulated inventory, procurement, production and delivery time, etc. [1,2,3,4,12]. Enterprises have attempted to improve the information exchange process for many years. What does this mean in practice? It means complete elimination of paper documents and reduction of e-mail or phone communication. Increasingly, companies use information systems operating in the so-called cloud, which are available in an easy, cheap and safe way through a web browser from anywhere in the world. To improve the efficiency of the processes, a solution globally available via the Internet, enabling effective collaboration between existing businesses, applications and loads in the supply chain is needed [6,7, 11]. The access to the actual information on the current state of a transport unit in real -time is the key element of successful and efficient organization of logistic processes. At present there are solutions which use the GPS system (localization) and GPRS system (data transmission) which allow to track transport means and, from time to time, cargo units (mainly intermodal cargo units).

2 GPS and GPRS GPS is a global system based on satellite radio signals. It allows to specify the exact position, speed and time anywhere on the globe. The system is also used in space navigation. It was constructed in such a way that the expectations of land and air forces and navies are met at any time, irrespective of the places on the globe, the weather, time of day or night. In turn, GPRS enables packet data transmission between the mobile device and the server. These data do not only concern the position, speed and time, but may also include other information about the vehicle. The advantage of GPRS is that the user pays for the actually sent or received number of bytes, not the time during which the connection is active. The most obvious and common use of GPS is to supervise transport. In this kind of application, the moving transport object determines its position using an on-board GPS receiver. Data on the current position are transmitted via telecommunications links (usually via GPRS) to the traffic control center, for example to the parent company. Information transferred to the database can be supplemented by data on the parameters of the vehicle’s movement. This requires equipping the vehicle with an on-board computer and its coupling with a GPS receiver. In addition, it is possible to transmit alarm signals or voice, depending on the communication capabilities of the terminal (phone) which the vehicle is equipped with [13]. Currently, most logistics companies take full advantage of the opportunities offered by GPS and GPRS systems. Senders, receivers and transport companies can observe the movement of their vehicles, and, thus the movement of freight, making vehicle management more efficient, and reaction to failure and other emergencies is faster. Providing current data on transport allows to continuously optimize transportation operations: routing, organization of turns, order of loading and unloading and so on. At any time, 24 hours a day, a dispatcher can obtain full information about the date, time, vehicle speed and the time and place of a single vehicle, a given group or all vehicles at the same time. In this way, s/he has full control over the vehicles that are up to several hundred kilometers away from the base. Constant monitoring of transport also allows to increase the scope of the control over a driver’s work. Transport companies enrich their offer concerning information for the shipper about the state of the shipment and its current location [13]. Additional functions of the GPS-based systems are: • Alarms and notifications • Information on fuel consumption • Monitoring temperature in the means of the transport • Open door sensor • Direct communication with drivers and operators • Control of drivers' working time • Planning and allocation of commisions • Analysis of the driving style, proposing eco-driving • Cooperation with other information systems (financial and accounting, fleet, SFA, CRM, etc.) • Report on CO2 emissions • Records of journeys on toll roads • Reporting bumps

These solutions, however, have one disadvantage: they become very expensive when used on a global scale. The costs of present solutions make them available only for medium and large local companies, in one country only, or optionally on the territory of EU. As a result, companies which use and sell logistic services are not able to fully use their logistic resources. Moreover, companies, according to the theory of systems, operate in a given environment and use and influencing its resources [8]. Therefore, if companies are not efficient, their processes become irrational, which in turn affects the environment in which they operate. As the result of this the traffic on roads increases alongside the emission of harmful substances or noise.

3 T-Traco As the trend analysis conducted by the Institute of Logistics and Warehousing (Instytut Logistyki i Magazynowania - ILiM) indicates, companies are seeking solutions that will give them fast and cheap access to selected services. Communication is particularly important from the point of view of logistics. It is necessary, therefore, to use an innovative communication channel which will be cheaper and less unreliable. The solution to this problem is the T-Traco system, which is being developed by ILiM in collaboration with CallFreedom. T-Traco is a global system of intelligent cargo monitoring without roaming. This is possible through the use of the USSD (Unstructured Supplementary Service Data) communication channel [10]. The proprietary telecommunication system with own SIM card support platform and its own T-Traco SIM cards enables to use main cellular operators' connections all over the world. In Poland, the SIM cards use the infrastructure (masts) of all four operators: Orange, T-Mobile, Plus and Play. Also, the T-Traco SIM cards automatically change between the masts so that the best reach is guaranteed. This function works all over the world at almost 560 cellular operators on all continents. T-Traco will ensure visibility of resources in real time, their location, speed, status, physical and chemical parameters and mutual communication with intelligent loads and transport service providers. T-Traco will use innovative services provided by Google Inc. that allow to visualize information sent by mobile devices mounted on vehicles / cargo units (so-called intelligent loads) on a map. In addition, the platform will combine information provided from intelligent cargo and Google servers concerning current traffic on roads and the current location of the cargo. On this basis, a user will know what time the load will reach the destination with accuracy of 1 minute. Additionally, intelligent load will also allow to identify the distance to the point of unloading with accuracy of 5 meters. T-Traco will also offer a mobile version for truck drivers, train drivers or persons responsible for specific cargo transport. This will complement the whole system, in which two-way communication with a person who has the mobile version of the TTraco application installed will be feasible. Thanks to that, it will be possible to transfer standardized status concerning both freight and transport globally. The user will be able to configure the status, for example: ready to be loaded, ready to be

unloaded, loaded, unloaded, damaged during loading, damaged during unloading, delivery inconsistent with the order etc. What is more forwarder, through T-Traco mobile app, can send to the driver list of his new task with all necessary details.

Fig. 1. T-Traco and Google Maps

Fig. 2. Mobile version of the application T-Traco - used by the driver The product operates in a cloud, therefore the costs of implementation are here excluded. Training is conducted as part of e-learning course, and is available for the users at any time, so there are no training costs. The user pays only a monthly fee which covers the costs of licensing and global communication. It is estimated that for 20 applications monthly individual cost will be 200% lower than the other

competitive systems operating in Poland. At present there are no solutions in the world that would enable global tracking of intelligent cargo in real time with complete exclusion of roaming fees.

4 USSD vs. GPRS and/or SMS What is mentioned, none of the present competitive systems in the world using the GPRS and/or SMS channels solve the problem of speed and efficiency of the messages exchanged between a device and a server in real time. For example, GPRS and/or SMS based channels are insecure with unpredictable delays in message delivery. Research described below support this statement. The proposed solution with the USSD channel as a transport layer, together with the own telecommunications infrastructure, is a unique solution on a world scale. It also ensures more efficient, cheaper and substantially more stable operation as compared to the existing Track&Trace systems. All the available Track&Trace solutions that had been analyzed by the authors use the GPRS or SMS channels as a transmission layer for data exchange. Below are shown the advantages of USSD protocol vs. GPRS or SMS [5, 9]: 1. USSD protocol operates as an active session, while SMS messaging operates in the transactional store-and-forward technology. Practically, it means that during active USSD session the server can communicate directly with a mobile device without any delays or not by means of agent services. In case of SMS communication, the message is first sent to the server (SMS Center) and then forwarded to the recipient. GPRS protocol operates on the same principle. The communication between a server and a mobile device is via http protocol with the use of agent/proxy server of a telephone operator (see fig. 3). 2. Data delivery time via USSD protocol is much shorter than via SMS, as the USSD protocol is based on active session technology and not on the principle of agent servers, such as Proxy or SMS-C. 3. The USSD protocol is available on every mobile device equipped with a GSM modem. The USSD does not require to use additional services on a mobile device, configuration of access points, SMS center addresses etc. USSD channel is made available every time a mobile device registers in the cellular network. This is particularly important in a roaming environment where problems with access to GPRS and SMS are frequent due to the fact that in roaming both SMS and GPRS are operated by agent companies. 4. The USSD protocol based messages are always sent to HLR (Home Location Register) server of the home operator, even if the client is in roaming. This in turn means that the USSD protocol message exchange system will always operate in the same way, despite the location of a mobile device, or access to extra services (SMS or GPRS). 5. The USSD protocol uses much lower resources of o device or of an operator's network as it “sewed in” on the control channel level of GSM protocol and does not require different channel allocation from the cellular network.

Fig. 3. T-Traco idea

5 Case study All the existing telecommunication solutions use the GPRS or SMS communication for the transmission of data to the web server. In GPRS http interface is used, where the information on the position of a tracked object is sent via GET or POST methods. In this case if the tracked object remains within roaming, GPRS services in roaming usually need additional operator's activation and the system is likely to lose its ability to transmit data to web server. Also, the fees for GPRS in roaming are much higher than local fees. When GPRS in not available in roaming many existing solutions attempt to send a SMS, which is much more expensive than the USSD, and still there is no guarantee that the message will reach its recipient. SMS may reach their recipients with a few weeks' delay because many SMS centers queue messages. Another important aspect is the load of a network. In GPRS communication each session requires a separate radio band (strip), while USSD protocol is always available when a mobile device logs on to GSM, because USSD remains in the control channel of GSM, so it is available always when a mobile device is within a cellular network. Due to the popularity of mobile internet services among end users and the development of mobile devices towards smartphones, tablets, etc. GPRS protocol is now very much loaded. This can be observed with “a naked eye” without conducting specialist research. Very often mobile internet fails to work on a popular smartphone where the traffic or crowds are big. With the USSD protocol the loss of data is not possible as this channel is never overloaded.

We conducted research on the reliability of GPRS and USSD protocols based communication. The research was made on selected routes in selected EU countries, as well as in United States and Japan. For example, on the 100 miles/162-km distance from Monterey/California/US to San Mateo/California/US two devices were compared (fig. 4).

Fig. 4. Sample test route comparing GPRS and USSD data transmission One device was sending information about vehicle position via GPRS, while the other device – via the USSD protocol with T-Traco SIM cards. The aim of this research was to track any delays in data transmission of the two alternative solutions. For the research purposes, mobile devices were delivered from the same producer (Sony Xperia S). On the 100miles/162-km distance each device was sending the total of 594 batches with the information about geographical altitude and latitude, current speed and hour of measurement. The GPRS based device transmitted 511 batches with 1-minute delay, which means that as much as 86% of the information reached the server with delay (see tab.1). 408 batches, i.e. 68,7% of all data batches, were sent onto the server with a 10-30 minutes delay. When the USSD protocol was used, 99.2% of all data batches (589 out of 594) reached the server without any delay. Only 5 batches were sent to the server with a one-minute delay, the reason for which was the change in the BTS transmitters of various operators (mobile devices with T-Traco cards automatically log on to this operator who has the strongest GSM signal in an area).

Location

Location data sent by traditional GPRS channel

Location data sent by T-Traco communication channel

pcs.

%

pcs.

Total number of sent locations

594

100%

594

% 100%

delay >= 30min =10 min < 30min

408

68,687%

0

0,000%

delay >=5 min = 3min = 2min =1min < 2 min sent on time - no delay

12

2,020%

5

0,842%

83

13,973%

589

99,158%

Tab.1. T-Traco communication channel vs. traditional solutions

6 Conclusions Competitive technologies which are GPRS and/or SMS based have been known for many years now. According to the product life cycle competitive substitute products are at the stage of maturity. However, there is a significant limitation which thwarts global expansion of competitive products. Nowadays companies are looking for solutions that offer them immediate and cheap access to selected services. Communication is particularly important from the point of view of logistics. T-Traco system fully responds to these needs. T-Traco as a comprehensive product will be realized through the use of a globally innovative hardware system consisting of wireless mobile devices, desktop computer workstations (server) and means of transport and loading units connected with each other by a signal using USSD in GSM and UMTS networks. Thanks to this, direct communication between mobile devices will be possible. The primary advantage of using USSD operations is their global coverage and the lack of high roaming charges, which have so far prevented widespread use of intelligent load. The most innovative function characteristics of T-Traco are as follows:  Ability of global cargo and logistics tracking - flat worldwide rate, no roaming costs.  Much better reliability than GPRS and/or SMS based solutions.  Much higher exactness when tracking cargo units and vehicles – precision up to 5 m all over the world, which ensures security and certainty of a client's cargo location. The system sees even the slightest change in the tracked cargo or vehicle position and then identifies unauthorized change in the position. Thanks to this solution the client is sure that the dispatch of his cargo will be globally tracked, which ensures the overall security of a transaction.



This solution allows automatic review of the position and the status of a cargo unit, the cargo and the vehicle. Therefore there will be no danger that the cargo is omitted by dispatchers or that it will be lost.

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