Marine Tracking
The OverSight system from Locus Traxx makes any vessel self-reporting.
Real-time information on the location and status of remote vessels is automatically sent to your desktop. Time consuming, costly and error prone manual tracking methods are now a thing of the past.
Effectively coordinating hundreds or thousands of private vessels to support an oil spill cleanup requires lots of data.
Knowing the types of vessels, the location of each vessel, the path of each vessel and the conditions around each vessel all contribute to a successful cleanup and containment operation.
Getting real-time information on the location and status of each remote vessel sent to your desktop makes your job a lot easier and the work of the ships and their crews more effective. Time-consuming, inefficient and error prone manual tracking methods become a bad memory. Ship captains and crews can go about the business of navigation, containment and cleanup. The information you need to effectively coordinate the cleanup will be sent automatically.
Overview
The OverSight system from Locus Traxx makes sure every vessel you manage is safe and productive when it's out of your sight.
OverSight does this by making each vessel self-reporting. Self-reporting vessels continuously send real-time information on their location and status to your desktop. You no longer have to guess on the status or location of a vessel. With OverSight, it will be continually telling you.
SMARTTAG™ SENSORS
A combination of rugged SmartTag sensors continuously monitor a variety of environmental conditions. SmartTag sensors can measure, temperature, humidity, chemicals, shock, security, fuel level, engine run hours and other conditions that influence vessel operation or environmental conditions.
Sensors use sophisticated, long-range RFID to communicate their readings wirelessly at regular intervals. Sensor readings are transmitted automatically to the OverSight data center by a SmartTraxx telematics module that accompanies every vessel being tracked and monitored.
SMARTTRAXX™ LOCATION AND COMMUNICATIONS
SmartTraxx telematics modules gather SmartTag sensor readings and add GPS location data. This critical information is then sent wirelessly to the OverSight data center for analysis, reporting and Intelligent Alerts.
You can choose between low-cost cellular communications or use satellite communications if you need coverage further off shore.
ANALYSIS AND REPORTING
All incoming data are analyzed for potential issues. If an issue is detected - such as vessel in an unauthorized area, the OverSight system automatically issues an Intelligent Alert.
INTELLIGENT ALERTS
Intelligent Alerts are email or text messages sent to the individuals responsible for the vessel. Each Intelligent Alert contains all the information you need to take action. This includes the reason for the alert, the current location of the vessel, the current status, and contact information for the captain of the vessel being tracked and monitored.
OVERSIGHT DASHBOARD™
Location and condition information is instantly available online through the easy-to-use OverSight DashBoard. The OverSight Dashboard lets you quickly look up the status of a vessel or choose from a number of pre-formatted reports.
Use Cases
The flexibility of the OverSight solution from Locus Traxx lets us provide the benefits of self-reporting to a large number of industries through a wide range of applications. Below are a couple examples. Check back for more. Due to our creative restlessness, new ones pop up all the time.
APPLICATION – VESSEL SPILL CLEANUP COORDINATION AND ENVIORNMENTAL MONITORING
Coordinating a large number of vessels poses unique challenges. OverSight puts up to the minute information on the location, path and status of each vessel at your fingertips. It's like you're standing on the bridge of every ship.
When trying to coordinate a cleanup effort, having access to vessel location and status information is critical to efficiency and effectiveness. You can direct vessels to change course to adapt to changes in the spill and make sure all spill areas get proper coverage.
Equipping vessels with sensors and continuous communication capabilities gives you a constant flow of geographically and time-stamped data on the water and environmental conditions in the spill area around the vessel. This information can be used to support environmental research.
APPLICATION – FISHING BOAT TRACKING AND MONITORING
Restrictions on fishing areas is a great idea that needs some help. Instead of putting a person on every boat to monitor fishing locations, it's a lot easier, cost-effective and efficient to make each fishing boat self-reporting.
You can set up restricted areas in the OverSight DashBoard. Any time a boat enters one of these areas, it can send you an alert. Or, you can choose to have the boat send you alerts only when its speed in the restricted fishing area indicates possible fishing activity. Either way, you will always have online access to the location, path and status of each boat. Letting fishing boats tell you where they are is a very efficient way to protect restricted fishing areas.
APPLICATION – ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING - MARINE
Whether it’s temperature, tide measurements, chemicals, or other environmental conditions, Smart Traxx sensors can continuously monitor and report what's important to you. Applications can be early weather alerts, warnings about toxins, location and movement of oil slicks, and continuous data for climate or marine research. Smart Traxx sensors and communication modules can collect data and transmit from buoys, boats, floats or other custom research devices.
APPLICATION – PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION SAFETY
Knowing when the next bus or train is going to arrive can lead to safer travel for commuters. This a big issue for second shift workers who travel when there are fewer buses and trains operating.
OverSight can make buses and trains self-reporting. Self-reporting buses and trains can deliver their current location to a desktop or cell phone. Armed with current bus information, every worker will get home safely every day.
MORE TO COME
We haven’t thought of everything. If you think of something that we could make self-reporting through continous, real-time monitoring, reporting, and Intelligent Alerts, please let us know. We welcome new challenges.
FAQ
Q: How does the OverSight system work?
A: The OverSight system makes boats, trucks, containers, shipments or anything else self-reporting. It does this through a combination of active RFID sensors, GPS location information, and wireless communications. SmartTag sensors continuously gather and transmit changes in conditions to a SmartTraxx communication module attached to the ship, vehicle, shipment or piece of equipment. The SmartTraxx communication module adds GPS location data and sends the information to the OverSight data center for analysis, reporting and - when required - Intelligent Alerts.
Q: What can OverSight monitor and report ?
A: New SmartTag sensor capabilities are being added all the time. Most commonly we detect and report: location, trip details, temperature, engine hours, fuel use, movement and security (based on door open or geographic boundaries).
Q: Can I monitor and report multiple things on one vessel, shipment or piece of equipment?
A: You can absolutely monitor and get information on multiple conditions. A fairly typical example is location, trip details, temperature, security and fuel use. Other data points can be derived from these including unauthorized use, fuel theft, excessive dwell and travel to an unauthorized location.
Q: How hard is it to change what I choose to monitor?
A: It’s very easy to change what you monitor. Our SmartTraxx equipment supports over-the-air programming. There is no need to revisit the vessel or equipment you are monitoring unless you want to add new SmartTag sensor capabilities.
Q: How frequently is the information sent?
A: Information is sent as frequently as you want it. This can be every minute, daily or anything in between.
Q: What can I do with all that data?
A: To make sure you are not overwhelmed with data, Locus Traxx inspects the incoming data for any readings that fall outside the settings you established. For example, if a ship enters a restricted area, you will get an Intelligent Alert. Intelligent Alerts are sent as text or email messages when a reading indicates the need for action. All the data collected are available online through the OverSight DashBoard for quick review, reporting or to support reasearch.
Q: What information is included in an Intelligent Alert message?
A: The information contained in an Intelligent Alert is unique for each customer but usually contains:
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Date and time the alert is issued,
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Information about the device being tracked such as vessel ID and type,
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Captain information (when relevant) such as name and cell phone number,
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Type of alert (such as vessel located in unauthorized area), and
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Details about the current reading such as an identifier of the unauthorized area and time there.
Q: What happens when an Intelligent Alert is sent?
A: Each Intelligent Alert needs to be cleared through some action. For a vessel in an unauthorized area, this might be a call to the captain to verify the need to be in that location.
Once the Intelligent Alert is cleared, the alert will be removed from the alerts displayed on the online OverSight Dashboard.
The OverSight system will record the action that was taken to clear the alert, when the action was taken and who took the action. This record can be a very helpful diagnostic tool to eliminate the cause of repeated alerts.
Q: What if I want to change an Intelligent Alert setting?
A: Intelligent Alert settings can be easily changed online through the OverSight DashBoard. The only requirement is that your user ID has the rights to make the change.
Q: How do I get access to online reports?
A: Online reports are available through the OverSight DashBoard to anyone with a valid user ID and password. You can log into the reports from [identifier]/locustraxx.com. If you need a user ID and password you can contact your program administrator or Locus Traxx support at 561-665-5560.
Q: What happens if the system stops working or I have a problem?
A: Locus Traxx provides 24 hour phone support and online text support during normal business hours.
Q: What is the phone support number?
A: The phone number for technical support is 561-665-5560.
Q: Where does power for the SmartTraxx units come from?
A: Our wireless SmartTag sensors are battery powered. For the SmartTraxx GPS location and communication modules we offer both wireless, solar power, and wired power options. The selection is based on your needs and the type of installation.