Realization data is the information about actually driven trips / transported loads as shown in the Control Tower. So, among other things: GPS points, sensor data such as temperature, starting the engine, stop and start times, timeliness compared to the planning, exceptions and completion of trips. It covers active trips (or should be active) as well as trips from the past. This data is also used for analysis of results achieved (Insights). You can read more about how this works on this page.
How does it work?
Realization data can therefore end up on the Simacan platform in various forms. The most important of these is GPS data. GPS data is sent from the on-board computer or driver app to the platform. Based on this, the current and historical location of the driver is shown and it is registered where the driver has been and at what times. The GPS data is the basis of all other logic on the platform.
The Simacan platform makes contact with the on-board computer or driver app via the so-called Fleet Management System (FMS). The Control Tower then shows the measurement points and uses them to calculate ETAs and show exceptions, among other things.
Also read the article ''How stop detection works''
Analysis of the GPS registration
As a user of the Control Tower, you can easily conduct your own research into the route actually driven by a driver. This can be done by selecting the 'Crumb trail' checkbox in the trip details screen. If this is selected, all GPS positions that we have received from the on-board computer or driver app will be visible.
As a user you can click on such a dot on the map. The bottom left will then show the exact time when the vehicle was at that location and the status of the vehicle at that time, for example:
Problem solving
Below are explanations for problems that may occur with the GPS data in your Control Tower.
Problem: There is no or far too little GPS data (anymore) visible in the Control Tower
From the start of the trip, the trip never started according to the CT: this points to connection problems. Either the driver has turned off his internet connection, is not logged in to the BoCo, or there is a technical problem with the BoCo. It may also be due to the connection between BoCo and Simacan. Therefore, first check whether the driver is properly logged in and whether GPS data is present in his app. During the time that the trip should have been active, he has the following status:
Afterwards this status is converted to:
At the bottom of the Vehicle tab there is no time when a GPS point was last received, because nothing was received:
Somewhere during the ride the data is lost: see above. What also sometimes happens is that a driver only has WiFi switched on and no mobile data. Then we see a single dot appear, usually from a hub where a strong WiFi network is present. And nothing for the rest of the way. At the bottom of the Vehicle tab is the time when a GPS point was last received:
At the top of the trip, you may see this status:
The last stop was (incorrectly) registered too early. The Control Tower then concludes that the entire trip has been completed and stops processing GPS data. The route will be complete in the app in this case. If this occurs regularly, we will be happy to discuss with you how to improve this situation.
There may be a problem with the registration of the vehicle and/or BoCo, especially if it is driving for the first time. In some cases this requires additional configuration. Check whether this has been done in accordance with the agreements with the app supplier and Simacan. If this check does not provide the solution, the problem can be reported to Simacan Support.
The vehicle's previous trip has not yet been completed, as its last stop(s) have not been recorded. The solution is to manually cancel that previous trip, then the data will be processed afterwards and the active trip will 'recover' (there is a time limit here, which is 4 hours by default).
Note: The Control Tower can still process data received afterwards, with one exception: older data points will no longer be processed if there are also newer ones. The way in which data is sent afterwards depends on the app used. For example: Logi app sends the latest known dots first after a malfunction. That leaves gaps at Simacan but not at Logi-app.
Problem: The GPS points are far from the actual location of the vehicle
This indicates a problem with the on-board computer or the app on it, please submit it to your app supplier.
Two extreme examples:
1) a location with lat 0, long 0. This is a point somewhere below Africa. In this case, restarting the BoCo might help.
2) lat/lung reversal. This is a point somewhere in the sea next to Madagascar (assuming an actual location in the Netherlands). This may indicate a problem in the integration with the Fleet Management System or, in rare cases, a bug in the software; report this to Simacan Support.
Problem: Points of conflict, or the vehicle appears to be in two (or more) places at the same time
In this case, two (or more) different drivers are logged in to the same ride, so at least one of them has the wrong ride ahead of them.