applications and development of real-time gps tracking systems

Dr. Ger Devlin, Coford Technical Workshop, 22nd February 2008.

To assess GPS tracking To assess GPS tracking devices and associated devices and associated

software suitable for real software suitable for real time monitoring of timber time monitoring of timber

haulage trucks.haulage trucks.Dr. Ger DevlinBioresources Research Centre (BRC)Biosystems EngineeringUniversity College DublinBelfieldDublin [email protected]/biosystems


INTRODUCTIONINTRODUCTIONBackground to Irish ForestryBrief Overview of GPS technology.Providers of real-time GPS asset tracking in Ireland.BlueTree Vs FleetmaticsIncorporating and implementing technology into timber haulage sector.

Department of Biosystems Engineering, UCD.

...Introduction...Introduction

Forest cover in Ireland increasing steadily since 1980’s.This accounts for approx. 650,000 hectares (9.09%) of Ireland’s land.Potential production of roundwood from Irish forests will reach 5 million m3 by the year 2015.


……IntroductionIntroduction

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10,000

15,000

20,000

25,000

1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010

Year

Aff

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ha) State Private Total

Variation of afforestation level in Ireland in the period 1969 to 2001.



Roundwood production forecasts for the forests of Ireland 2001 – 2015 (Coford, 2001).



The rising amount of timber transported on public road network will present major challenges.Total volume of timber sold in 2003 = 2.66 million m3 = 100,000 truckloads on Irish roads!!Road transport will remain the most important part of timber transport in Ireland, having a major influence on the sector’s overall economic performance and competitiveness.


……IntroductionIntroductionNew legal weights of 44 000 (6 axle) and 42 000 (5 axle) d.g.v.w. were introduced by the DOT to minimise excess road damage.Road damage proportional to 4th power of truck’s g.v.w.Fear of an economic downturn in timber sales forces hauliers to maximise their payload weight.20% of all loads in excess of 20 000kg.60% exceeding the 44 000kg dgvw.



Loads > 46 tonne - 2006 & 2007

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10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30 32 34 36 38 40 42 44 46 48 50 1 3 5 7

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% o

f Tot

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oads

Hau

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Percentage of timber loads contracted by Coillte > 46 tonnes (Source: Coillte).



Scotland have recognised the significant impact of increased timber transport on rural roads.As a result, an Agrees Routes map has been developed to keep timber traffic off the most vulnerable forest access roads.Scotland has a forest cover of 1.33 million hectares compared to Ireland’s 0.695 million hectares, yet Ireland are harvesting and hauling more.



GIS and GPS technology can be used to;– Monitor truck movements through a PC web

browser – adhering to agreed routes??– Monitor truck from the point of view that it

is travelling to correct destination and not removing timber for personal gain!!

– Forest manager can divert trucks accordingly if the opportunity of backloads arises.


……IntroductionIntroductionCoillte in conjunction with local county councils have also developed an Agreed Routes map.Routes do not always agree economically with hauliers in terms of journey time, journey distance, revenue per km (RPK) and cost per km (CPK).For these reasons, researching the effective use and implementation of GIS and GPS technology into the forest haulage sector has become a major concern in recent years.


……IntroductionIntroductionGIS is already in use in the Irish forest sector with FIPS (Forest Inventory and Planning System).A similar type of routing model is being developed in Wales – UK Timber transport forum.In Sweden, Arvidsson (1998) predicted that attempting to optimise routes travelled could reduce the empty return journeys by 22% = an annual saving of US$ 12.5 million = saving 20 million km empty journeys = reduction of 6.5 million litres of diesel = 5% reduction in C02 emissions!!



Forsberg (2003), also concluded that by using optimised routes in North Sweden could reduce direct costs by 5% and the number of empty return journeys by 24%.In Finland, TietoEnator (2002) developed an optimised routing system for Stora Enso Metsa using GPS, GSM and GPRS, used daily by over 600 people, 100 mills and over 550 trucks and harvesters.Stora Enso has annual sales over 1.1 billion euros!!


GPS OVERVIEWGPS OVERVIEW……What is GPS?What is GPS?

Radio-based navigation system developed by DoD– Initial operation in 1993– Fully operational in 1995

System is called NAVSTAR– NAVigation with Satellite Timing And Ranging– Referred to as GPS

Series of 24 satellites, 6 orbital planes, 4 satellite vehicles (SV) on each plane Works anywhere in the world, 24 hours a day, in all weather conditions and provides: – Location or positional fix– Velocity– Direction of travel– Accurate time


Global Navigation Satellite Systems Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS)(GNSS)

NAVSTAR– USA

GLONASS – Russians

Galileo– Europeans


GPS involves 5 Basic StepsGPS involves 5 Basic Steps

Trilateration– Intersection of spheres

SV Ranging– Determining distance from SV

Timing– Why consistent, accurate clocks are required

Positioning– Knowing where SV is in space

Correction of errors– Correcting for ionospheric and tropospheric

delays


How GPS works?How GPS works?

Range from each satellite calculatedrange = time delay X speed of light

Technique called trilateration is used to determine you position or “fix”– Intersection of spheres

At least 3 satellites required for 2D fix However, 4 satellites should always be used– The 4th satellite used to compensate for

inaccurate clock in GPS receivers– Yields much better accuracy and provides 3D

fix


Signal StructureSignal Structure

Each satellite transmits its own unique codeTwo frequencies used– L1 Carrier 1575.42 MHz – L2 Carrier 1227.60 MHzCodes– CA Code use L1 (civilian code) – P (Y) Code use L1 & L2 (military code)


Three SV ranges knownThree SV ranges known

20,000 Km radius22,000 Km radius

21,000 Km radiusLocated at one of these 2 points. However, one point can easily be eliminated because it is either not on earth or moving at impossiblerate of speed.


Accurate Timing is the KeyAccurate Timing is the KeySVs have highly accurate atomic clocksReceivers have less accurate clocksMeasurements made using “nanoseconds”– 1 nanosecond = 1 billionth of a second

1/100th of a second error could introduce error of 1,860 miles Discrepancy between satellite and receiver clocks must be resolvedFourth satellite is required to solve the 4 unknowns (X, Y, Z and receiver clock error)


Satellite PositioningSatellite Positioning

Also required in the equation to solve the 4 unknowns is the actual location of the satellite.SV are in relatively stable orbits and constantly monitored on the groundSV position is broadcast in the “ephemeris” data streamed down to receiver


Sources of ErrorsSources of ErrorsLargest source is due to the atmosphere– Atmospheric refraction

Charged particlesWater vapor

Ionosphere(Charged Particles)

Troposphere


Other Sources of ErrorsOther Sources of Errors

Geometry of satellite positions Satellite clock errorsSV position or “ephemeris” errorsQuality of GPS receiverMulti-path errors


Dilution of Precision (DOP)Dilution of Precision (DOP)

Geometric location of the satellites as seen by the receiverThe more spread out the satellites are in the sky, the better the satellite geometryPDOP (position dilution of precision) is a combination of VDOP and HDOPThe lower the PDOP value, the better the geometric strengthPDOP value less than 6 is recommended


Selective AvailabilitySelective Availability

The intentional introduction of errors for civilian users is called Selective Availability SA was terminated on May 2, 2000When SA was on, civilian users accuracy was ~100 meters Military has capability to degrade signal in certain “theatres of operation” – this is called “spoofing” - will not happen with Galileo.


Differential CorrectionDifferential Correction

Technique used to correct some of these errorsReferred to as “differential GPS” or DGPSIn DGPS, two GPS receivers are usedOne receiver is located at an accurately surveyed point referred to as the “base station”A correction is calculated by comparing the known location to the location determined by the GPS satellitesThe correction is then applied to the other receiver’s (known as the “rover”) calculated position


DGPS MethodsDGPS Methods

Post-processing – Corrections performed after the data is

collected– Special software required such as Trimble GPS

analyst extension for GIS software

Real-time – Corrections are performed while the data is

being collected– Need special equipment to receive the DGPS

signal


Providers of realProviders of real--time GPS time GPS asset tracking.asset tracking.

1. Bluetree www.bluetree.ie2. Fleetmatics www.fleetmatics.ie3. Celltrak www.celltrak.ie4. Transpoco www.transpoco.ie5. Motor Risk Management www.mrm.ie6. SafeCom www.safecom.ie


Bluetree Vs FleetmaticsBluetree Vs FleetmaticsDepends on the level of “Big Brother” type of monitoring required by the user and of course the capital cost of equipmentFleetmatics & Bluetree will provide live GPS real-time tracking of vehicles with relevant road mapping plus reports for all individual vehicles;– Current location– Replay the trip– View recent stops / idling report– Daily truck route activity– Hours worked


Vehicle position is tracked through GPS satellites and in-truck GPS receiverData is sent through the GSM / GPRS network which can be accessed through internet browser with username and password and updated every 3 mins (or less if required).This is how the truck’s location, speed, direction etc can be accessed in real-time.


General concept of GPS and GPRS communicationsGeneral concept of GPS and GPRS communications


Scania 124 (400hp) (rigid+trailer+crane).

Iveco Stralis (530HP) (6 axle artic configuration)


Bluetree’s GPS Blackbox


GPS accuracy on forest roadsGPS accuracy on forest roads

Accuracy on public roads not a problem – can define location to within approx +/- 2->5 metres.GPS signal intermittent on forest roads due to canopy cover but accuracy does not seem to be affected when position is locked.From a location point of view - We can still monitor trucks within the forests and know that they are actually in the forests.Can define “no go areas” and monitor if truck actually visits.


From a routing point of view…new X and Y co-ords of all Coillte forest entry and exit pts means we can;– Develop full GIS routing map– Integrate this info with GPS tracking provider– Can insert co-ords into in-car sat navs to

optimise directions for the truck driver.– In car sat navs reduce general drivng time by

15% (GPS Ireland, 2008).


GIS ROAD MAP


CostingsCostingsBig difference between BlueTreeand Fleetmatics is Engine Diagnostic Recordings.Bluetree connects to all truck engines to record engine and driver performance -


Distance TravelledMaximum Speed, RPM,

Harsh Braking Fuel Consumption

Engine Run and Idling Time

Total Number of Stops longer than 10mins

Number of Trips Total Drive Time

Total Stop Time

Number of Approved and Unapproved Stops

Number of Drivers


Most importantly…Bluetreesystem records accurate fuel data (kmpg, idling, litres used) and monitors actual fuel in the tank – very handy if transport managers are suspicious about drivers syphoning diesel if drivers take truck home!!


BLUETREE FLEETMATICS

GPS tracker unit

FMS engine diagnostics

Truck manufactured FMS €300 - €520 0

Live and Historic tracking

Live and Historic tracking PLUS engine diagnostics

Monthly GPRS data charge with O2

Approx €10 0

TOTAL €2686.20 (inc VAT @21%) €2,400 / €2,880 (inc VAT @21%)

€1,300 €2,400 (all in price).Optional lease agreement of

€15 / truck / wk for 4 years = €2,880

€300 0

€55 0

€90 0


……money saving example (Nolan money saving example (Nolan Transport)Transport)

Biggest cost to transport companies to day is DIESEL FUEL.With Bluetree can monitor discrepancies of fuel in tank – make sure fuel stays in tank when truck is not been driven.Also, can effectively manage and control the kmpg of each truck and its driver to save money and increase profits by reducing running costs.


Switched drivers around different trucks to maximise driver’s ability to optimise the truck performance in terms of kmpg based on info from Bluetree monitoring.Increases from 9/10 kmpg to 14/15 kmpgfor Daf XF and Iveco Stralis models were recorded.For an average 100,000km / annum implies;


• 100,000 / 14 = 7,142.86 gallons• = 32,142.86 litres• = 32,142.86 * 0.8 cent/litre = €25,714.86

• 100,000 / 10 = 10,000 gallons• = 45,000 * 0.8 cent/litre = €36,000

• SAVING approx €11,000 / annum / truck on FUEL!!

• => New truck on lease agreement instead of spending it on fuel!!


KEEP ON TRUCKIN!!

applications and development of real-time gps tracking systems

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