Cell phones, dispatch software combine

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Nextel and Motorola have created new fleet management solutions by partnering with providers of web-based dispatch software and tracking/mapping tools.

Nextel announced an agreement with Dynamic Mobile Data Systems Inc. (www.dmdsys.com) to co-market MobileDispatch, a wireless messaging system that enables dispatch and fleet personnel to synchronize information in real-time, virtually eliminating voice and hand written errors. MobileDispatch can be used with any Nextel Internet-capable mobile phone.

Motorola and Data Burst Technologies announced an automatic vehicle location (AVL) system called iTRAK. The service combines a Motorola Internet-capable iDEN phone, an in-vehicle module and a browser-based service called NavView. The iTRAK system uses an integrated GPS receiver and interface module to continually report, through the iDEN phone, each vehicle’s location to the NavView website. When subscribers log on to www.navview.com, they can view, map and maintain historical data about a fleet or even a single vehicle from their office or home computer.

In addition to real-time vehicle positioning, other critical data, such as vehicle speed and arrival/departure time, is recorded and can be used in fleet scheduling to provide faster response time. The iTRAK also can be permanently mounted.