Microsoft Virtual Earth
Move Ahead with Virtual Earth Fleet Solutions
Microsoft Virtual Earth
Table of Contents
Introduction 3
Increase Fleet and Workforce Efficiency 5
Organizations use Virtual Earth to manage operations 5
Reduce Costs and Environmental Impact 7
Improve Customer and Constituent Services 9
Fleet management in the public sector 10
Deploying Solutions with the Virtual Earth Platform 11
Conclusion 12
Learn More 12
Microsoft Virtual Earth
Introduction
In a challenging economy, managing a fleet efficiently is more important than ever to reduce costs and
improve fleet utilization. Virtually every successful organization relies on fleets and mobile workforces—from
transportation companies and manufacturing enterprises with field engineers, to retail companies providing
home deliveries, to local governments tracking city service and emergency vehicles and personnel.
Leading organizations have justified investing in fleet management software solutions as a result of
the annual savings in operating costs alone, which can amount to an average of $1,100 per vehicle.1
Organizations using such solutions have realized a 12 percent increase in service profitability, 13 percent
improvement in vehicle utilization, and 27.9 percent increase in operator compliance.2 The Microsoft®
Virtual Earth™ platform helps reduce operating costs, as well as fuel and training expenses, by supporting
software solutions for tracking, monitoring, and maintaining fleets and mobile workforces.
Minimize mileage, save fuel, and provide accurate point-to-point directions. (www.maps.live.com)
Many organizations that use dispatchers to communicate with drivers are relying on Virtual Earth for
improved productivity and more intelligent dispatch. Dispatchers see accurate location data right on their
computer screens, with updates every few minutes. As the cost of fuel rises, Virtual Earth provides the
information fleet managers need to optimize field operations and reduce vehicle idling time, so
organizations can achieve fuel usage and carbon emission goals.
As a result, businesses are able to improve customer service, government agencies can better serve
constituents, and managers can visualize a wealth of location data. With this information, they can analyze
organizational operations, make better decisions, and deploy resources quickly and effectively.
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Microsoft Virtual Earth
Whether you need a cost-effective solution to manage a fleet of vehicles, or your mobile employees
need a more productive system to locate and make sales and customer service visits on the go, you
can use Virtual Earth to:
Increase fleet and workforce efficiency•
Reduce costs and environmental impact•
Improve customer and constituent services•
View trip history and monitor driving behavior to ensure safety. (www.onterrasys.com)
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Microsoft Virtual Earth
Increase Fleet and Workforce Efficiency
Some organizations have no integrated software solutions for fleet tracking, monitoring, and maintenance.
Without a method for keeping track of vehicles and workforces, managers can only infer where fleets and
personnel are, based on scheduled deliveries. With a Virtual Earth fleet management solution, you have
near real-time visibility into the location of your workers and assets.
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Virtual Earth integrates GPS data gathered from mobile assets with other data layers on a map.
GPS location captured and sent to server
Virtual Earth is a powerful data
visualization tool that you can use to
overlay location-based data on a map
to facilitate fleet planning and routing.
You can add near real-time weather and
traffic data on a map, as well as your
own data, to guide decision making
about routes. The visual representation
can help your organization better
identify fleet assets when deploying to
locations. It also allows fleets to be more
responsive to schedule changes or route
disruptions, reducing their downtime
and making them more efficient.
Organizations use Virtual Earth to manage operations
Arkansas-based J.B. Hunt Transport Services, for example, uses
Virtual Earth to consolidate data from various systems into a single
interface that helps operators quickly see downed equipment in
relation to repair facilities. As a result, the company cut driver wait times
by more than 6,000 hours, decreased repair rework, and expects to
save hundreds of thousands of dollars annually by getting use of its
data and operators’ knowledge.
User loads a fleet tracking Web application
Virtual Earth data and results requested, and returned to Web application
“Our drivers spend less time waiting—when our operators pick up the phone, they can say, ‘Hey, Raymond, I see that you’re scheduled to go to Texas, but you’re sitting in Arkansas—what is going on?’”3
Shane Garner, Developer, J.B. Hunt Transport Services
Microsoft Virtual Earth
Virtual Earth features bird’s eye4 imagery, which depicts cities and points of interest at a 45-degree-angle
view for a realistic visual tour of major cities and landmarks. Mark Brewer, IT services manager at J.B. Hunt,
says, “When people realized that they could get views from an airplane—not from a satellite—of company
and customer assets, that helped us choose Virtual Earth.”5
With real-time location visible in Virtual Earth, fleet managers
can ensure that their workforce and assets remain within a preset
boundary or on a planned route, and that they follow the appropriate
time parameters for a delivery or service. Since this visibility is made
possible by GPS, managers can determine the direction and speed
of an asset, as well as monitor personnel driving behavior. These
capabilities help increase operator compliance with company and
regulatory guidelines, allowing operations to run more smoothly and
improving service workforce productivity.
Britain’s largest bed manufacturer, Silentnight, has gained round-the-
clock visibility of its delivery operations by introducing a system that links
its digital tachographs with Masternaut Three X’s vehicle tracking service,
which uses Virtual Earth. Silentnight can instantly see who is in transit,
idling, taking a break, or making a delivery.
View fleet status—driving, idling, or stopped—to improve planning and increase efficiency. (www.masternaut3x.com)
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“[The solution] gives us a full and complete view of the fleet, with precise location and movement details. It’s also extremely convenient, as the system is activated as soon as the driver inserts the tacho card into the tachograph, which means there is no need for a driver ID key.”6 Nick Dacey, Distribution Director, Silentnight
Microsoft Virtual Earth 7
Reduce Costs and Environmental Impact
Initiating a fleet management plan using Virtual Earth may lead to major operational and financial
improvements for your organization. Without an integrated fleet software solution to increase operational
efficiency, vehicles often burn more fuel and cover more mileage than necessary. In addition to absorbing
the high cost of fuel, organizations that manage fleets must pay carbon emission, state, and cross-border
taxes related to the amount of fuel consumption. Therefore, not only does fuel and mileage conservation
save money and reduce negative environmental effects, but it also cuts tax requirements.
Driving behavior has a significant impact on business profitability and customer satisfaction. For instance,
unsafe and unskilled drivers can negatively affect the insurance premiums and the accident costs the
company incurs both financially and to its reputation. Additionally, these drivers cause more vehicle wear
and tear, leading to higher maintenance and repair costs.
Rather than hire extra drivers and fleet dispatch staff, you
can deploy a software solution that integrates Virtual Earth
for fleet tracking, monitoring, and maintenance to help save
money. For example, United Biscuits, a leading European
manufacturer of biscuits and snacks, implemented a fleet-
tracking solution based on Virtual Earth to help employees
locate and direct their transport vehicles efficiently in real
time. As a result, the company improved its fuel economy by
7 percent. Employees can analyze report data and educate
drivers to reduce their fuel consumption, saving £80,000
(U.S. $110,000) per year. Direct routes and improved driving
skills reduced fleet mileage by 3 million miles in four years,
decreasing emissions by 19.2 percent—a total of 4,700 tons of
carbon dioxide. Overall, United Biscuits saves £200,000 (U.S.
$275,000) per year using a fleet management solution that
integrates Virtual Earth.
“With Virtual Earth we know exactly where our vehicles are—and where they should be. We have improved efficiency, decreased working capital, and dramatically increased green benefits.”7
Rob Wright, National Logistics Controller, United Biscuits
Microsoft Virtual Earth
Similarly, Bombardier Transportation has deployed a Virtual Earth solution developed by Virtual Earth
partner Shoothill to visualize location information about its fleet of trains, making it easier for managers to
decide where to place resources for maximum cost-efficiency. With service engineers able to react more
quickly to problems, such as signal failures and vehicle breakdowns, the company has significantly reduced
maintenance costs. Locating trains, directing them, and realizing issues in real time also lower the amount of
money Bombardier spends on fuel.
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Bombardier Transportation uses a heat map to view where incidents are occurring. (www.bombardier.com)
“With Virtual Earth we can see exactly what we need. It’s popular with our engineers, helping them diagnose and solve problems quickly. We also manage our engineering resources better, reducing costs.”8
Robert Cain, Requirements Manager, Bombardier
Microsoft Virtual Earth
Improve Customer and Constituent Services
Despite today’s advances in cellular technology,
organizations that manage fleet and mobile workforces
need more than Nextel radios, mobile phones, or two-
way direct-connect to quickly and efficiently communicate
and receive location status and information. Relying on
these devices can lead to delays, which compromise the
level and quality of service to customers and constituents.
Also, phones often lose power, drivers may turn them off,
or drivers may be unable to respond in a crisis, leaving
dispatchers unable to locate or contact them and, therefore,
delaying service. Integrated help-features can alert
dispatchers to requests for assistance.
Using a Virtual Earth integrated fleet management
system, you can see on a map where the nearest drivers
are located relative to customers, helping create more
efficient use of your organization’s resources, minimizing
mileage, ensuring service level agreement compliance,
and ultimately increasing customer satisfaction with more
on-time deliveries. You can also link real-time tracking with
customer service systems, so those employees can provide
accurate status information directly to anyone who calls to
inquire about a delivery.
Malin, one of the largest Raymond electric forklift dealerships, for example, decided to add GPS
tracking capabilities to its fleet of service vehicles, using Microsoft MapPoint Fleet Edition, a Virtual
Earth product. The company created a centralized dispatch operation to control assignments and
manage tracking of its entire fleet, across nine different Malin office locations. Its fleet mapping solu-
tion captures data that helps Malin clarify discrepancies between a service engineer’s time card and a
customer’s service report.
After seeing a noticeable improvement in customer service since deploying its new tracking solution,
Malin plans to introduce a Web-based customer module. The company will be able to provide
customers with direct access to accurate estimates on service truck arrival time, reducing dispatcher
time on customer calls and enabling customers to better self-serve.
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“FleetTracker [with Virtual Earth] helps our dispatchers and service engineers focus their time on what’s most important—our customers.”9
Gavin Rick, IT Manager, Malin
Improve delivery accuracy and customer service.
Microsoft Virtual Earth
Fleet management in the public sector
The public sector also benefits greatly from an
integrated fleet management solution with Microsoft
Virtual Earth. Such fleets include emergency services
(police, fire, EMS), non-emergency services (garbage,
snow plows, inspectors), and city transit. For example,
the City of Anaheim, California, needed an easy-to-
use business application that would consolidate and
display data collectively from all the city’s computer
systems. With partner EDS, the city developed the
Virtual Earth–based Enterprise Virtual Operations
Center (EVOC) portal, which layers the city’s GIS data
on top of Virtual Earth, providing users with the ability
to visualize city assets, resources, and live incident
reporting. This system merges information from the fire departments of seven cities and from the police
departments of two of those cities. The City of Anaheim can also display critical public locations such as
hospitals, fire stations, police stations, and schools.10
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), a charity that provides a 24-hour lifesaving service in the
United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland, represents another example of how an integrated fleet solution
using Virtual Earth addresses and improves public safety. AWS developed a mapping application for the
RNLI that uses Virtual Earth to track vessel speed and GPS position. The tracking system, MOB Guardian,
can determine that a boat or crew member is in
danger within minutes and automatically alert coast
guard officials, who will dispatch the appropriate
rescue vessel. By improving the detection of distressed
boaters, the solution reduces response time to crises
and contributes to saving more lives.11
Virtual Earth mapping technology also has reverse
geocoding functionality for locating fleets, mobile
employees, and delivery sites more quickly and
easily. Managers and drivers can find the closest
street address based only on latitude and longitude
coordinates from a GPS or other geospatial device.
10
Improve response time and facilitate better communication. (City of Anaheim, California, internal application)
View your mobile assets in near real time. (www.portmetrovancouver.com)
Microsoft Virtual Earth
Deploying Solutions with the Virtual Earth Platform
The ease and speed of development of a Virtual Earth solution helps organizations of any size
save precious time and development money. IT developers can use their existing HTML and
JavaScript skills to add Virtual Earth to applications. Virtual Earth also offers development tools in its
interactive SDK, which shows the code needed, depending on desired functionality. These features
support rapid prototyping and ease of application development.
In two days, a developer at J.B. Hunt created a workable proof of concept (POC) of a new solution based
on Virtual Earth. Though it was not yet integrated with company databases, it displayed maps using
layers and features of Virtual Earth, such as the maps and photo imagery, along with company asset
locations on the same interface. IT services manager Mark Brewer found the POC very valuable for
convincing the company’s Request for Information committee to select Virtual Earth—both as a dynamic
introduction to the graphical user interface and features, and because of its short development time.
The development team was able to work easily with Virtual Earth. “You can customize the map to
show what you want and zoom to whatever level you want,” says Brewer. “You control what data feeds
into your application and how users interact with it. With MSDN®, if a developer had a question that I
couldn’t answer, they could quickly go find the answer for themselves.” 12
Additionally, Virtual Earth works well with many products that organizations are already
using, including Microsoft SQL Server® 2008 data management software, Microsoft Office
PerformancePoint™ Server 2007 business intelligence software, Microsoft SharePoint® Products and
Technologies, Microsoft Commerce Server 2009, and Microsoft Dynamics® business management
solutions, as well as non-Microsoft software.
The interactive SDK supports rapid prototyping.
Microsoft Virtual Earth has a
set of partners with specific
expertise in the development
and deployment of fleet
solutions that can assist you with
your fleet management needs.
To find a partner, visit the
Virtual Earth partner showcase.
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Microsoft Virtual Earth
Conclusion
Whether you need to manage local service vehicles or a nationwide mobile workforce, you can help
increase efficiency, reduce costs, and improve customer and constituent service by using Microsoft
Virtual Earth in a software solution for fleet and asset tracking and management.
An integrated fleet solution with Virtual Earth helps your organization:
Focus on your fleet, not on managing base maps and imagery•
Visualize fleet and asset information, quickly and easily•
Avoid complex automated solutions, so dispatchers can optimize routes by visualizing vehicles and stops•
Accurately pinpoint customer and constituent locations•
Provide precise routing and driving directions in real time•
Work toward meeting cost saving objectives•
Minimize environmental impact•
Virtual Earth is a platform of integrated services providing quality geospatial and mapping data,
rich imagery, and cutting-edge technology that can integrate with many existing business systems
to provide unique views of data. Using the Virtual Earth platform, companies and government
organizations can create an immersive online mapping and search experience that helps customers
and constituents easily discover, search, explore, share, and visualize business location data and locally
relevant information.
Learn More
To learn more about Virtual Earth, read case studies, and view Web sites of companies mentioned in
this paper, go to www.microsoft.com/virtualearth.
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Microsoft Virtual Earth
References1 Aberdeen Group, “Field Service on the Move: Driving Profitability via Fleet Management,” March 2007.
2 Ibid.
3 Microsoft case study: “Transportation Provider to Save Hundreds of Thousands Annually with Mapping Solution,” October 1, 2008. http://www.microsoft.com/casestudies/casestudy.aspx?casestudyid=4000002775
4 Available in many metropolitan areas. Not available for government customers.
5 Microsoft case study: “Transportation Provider to Save Hundreds of Thousands Annually with Mapping Solution,” October 1, 2008. http://www.microsoft.com/casestudies/casestudy.aspx?casestudyid=4000002775
6 Case study: “Silentnight beds in live tracking for delivery fleet,” February 16, 2009. http://www.masternaut.co.uk/press-release.aspx?id=187
7 Microsoft case study: “Manufacturer Saves £200,000 a Year with Satellite Tracking System,” February 25, 2009. http://www.microsoft.com/casestudies/casestudy.aspx?casestudyid=4000003777
8 Microsoft case study: “Train Engineers Rejuvenate Fleet Management with Visual Mapping Technology,” January 27,2009. http://www.microsoft.com/casestudies/casestudy.aspx?casestudyid=4000003521
9 OnTerra Systems LLC case reference: “Improved Service and Productivity through Location Intelligence,” September 20, 2006.
10 EDS; Jerry Skaw, blog: “Virtual Earth for the Public Sector,” May 31, 2008. http://virtualearth4gov.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!369B39F890CE30C1!377.entry
11 Microsoft case study: “Search and Rescue Organisation Deploys Intelligent Mapping System to Save Lives at Sea,” May 3, 2006. http://www.microsoft.com/casestudies/casestudy.aspx?casestudyid=49727
12 Microsoft case study: “Transportation Provider to Save Hundreds of Thousands Annually with Mapping Solution,” October 1, 2008. http://www.microsoft.com/casestudies/casestudy.aspx?casestudyid=4000002775
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