COMPUTERS
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LOCATION SYSTEM • The vehicle location system market — currently dominated by BT's Pinpoint product — looks set to receive a boost with the launch of Datatrack by Wimpey and Securicor.
The electronic system, with recorded accuracies in London of 10 metres, is due for launch this coming July, at a cost of between £1,000 and £1,200 for the vehicle based equipment, though this price will fall with volume production.
Wimpol, Wimpey's electronic subsidiary and Securicor have developed Datatrack so far, but Wimpol's Ken Banks says he will be looking for third party production of the custom-built chips and the in-vehicle radio hyperbolic device in the future.
Datatrack uses a series of aerials placed at 100 mile intervals to send multiplex signals at low frequencies (in the 130-140 kHz range).
The multiplexing allows the radio hyperbolic device in the vehicle to assess its location simply by comparing two of the signals.
The device automatically converts this information into Ordnance Survey coordinates, and then transmits the information to one of 75 base stations scattered around Britain.
In the base stations the information is plotted onto a computerised map. Customers can opt to receive the vehicle location information by telephone, by direct line, or indi
rectly onto an individual computer map.
Securicor and Wirnpey are considering offering the transmissions between vehicle and base station on Band Ill frequencies, for which Securicor is a franchise holder. Banks says, however, that these transmissions can be made on customers' existing mobile radio frequencies.
Trials of the system are already underway, and a number of customers will be offered the system on a trial basis before the official launch in July. Nationwide coverage for the system is currently scheduled for next year.
A new company called Datatrack will be marketing the product, which is expected to appeal to fleet operators, those transporting valuable loads, security services and taxi firms. The system could even operate on containers and trailers, though a small supplementary power supply such as a battery may be necessary.