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T here is hardly a segment within

Australia’s commercial road

transport industry that has

evolved more rapidly than

telematics: A mere decade after GPS

tracking was made more widely available

to a civilian audience, it has shaken off

the start-up vibe that once surrounded

it and is now firmly considered a big

ticket item. But, that doesn’t mean the

concept of telematics, or the vast and

fragmented marketplace it has created,

have reached maturity yet, according to

Transport Certification Australia (TCA), the

nation’s governing body for the telematics

community.

Established in 2005, TCA was created to

oversee the evolution of the young industry

and provide assurance to governments,

industry sectors and end-users that the

new technology would lead to “improved

surface transport outcomes in productivity,

safety and efficiency”, as the organisation

puts it. Since then, transport businesses

were able to observe the market grow

and mature in various stages, with TCA

providing regulatory guidance where

needed, but also encouraging industry-

driven course corrections in line with the

evolution of technology itself. As such,

the concept of telematics has evolved

dramatically over a very short period

of time, to a point where we can now

digitise a whole vehicle instead of just

tracking a dot on a map. But, there’s still

a lot of confusion around what a modern

telematics can and can’t do, and what it

should and shouldn’t be doing.

According to TCA Chief Executive Offer,

Chris Koniditsiotis, we’re only just

reaching a state where we fully appreciate

that complexity: “From a government

perspective, there has been a dramatic

increase in the level of interest, and a

realisation of opportunities available from,

the use of telematics to achieve improve

public outcomes,” he says. “This has

resulted in TCA becoming a cross-cutting

organisation that traverses a growing

number of policy areas and industry sectors

– not just limited to heavy vehicles per se.”

The reason for the confusion Chris is

seeing in the telematics space is not just

due to the interdisciplinary nature of the

technology, which is making it increasingly

complex to grasp, but also to an

unparalleled influx of businesses trying to

benefit on the boom, he says. “Telematics

has seen steady growth since the first in-

vehicle GPS devices have become available

to the general public after the turn of

the century,” he explains. “It basically

picked up where GPS left off and created a

service network around that basic tracking

function, and with it a whole new value

proposition.”

During what some describe as the first true

growth phase of telematics in Australia,

experts like Chris say there was a sense

of exploration in the air that led to a

chaotic, yet highly innovative environment

with high market entry barriers both on

a technological and financial level. But

with the technology slowly maturing

and hardware becoming less pricey at a

wholesale level, telematics quickly became

more mainstream. After 2010 – coinciding

with the rise of the smart phone – the

number of vendors in Australia virtually

exploded, marking a second stage of

extremely dynamic growth. Now we’re

reaching stage three, where both the

technology and those who sell and support

it actually have to prove a business case to

an increasingly literate market. It’s about

handling data now, not just accumulating

it. Chris says the comversation now

revolves around data and not just ‘black

boxes’ in vehicles.

WITH THE ADVENT OF THE ELECTRONIC WORK DIARY, BOTH GOVERNMENTS AND INDUSTRY STAKEHOLDERS ARE EXPECTING MORE FROM THE TELEMATICS SECTOR.

BUT IS IT READY FOR THE NEXT EVOLUTIONARILY LEAP?

W E L C O M E T O T H E

FUT UREStory by Sebastian Grote

FAST FACTIn what could be a game-changing development for the commercial road transport industry, 2017 will see the introduction of the Electronic Work Diary (EWD) as a voluntary alternative to traditional, written work diaries. “TCA and the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator are working together to implement government-related activities for the EWD, with the aim of opening the door for applicants seeking certification to become an EWD Service Provider during 2017,” says TCA CEO, Chris Koniditsiotis, pointing out that commercial fatigue management systems are typically co-located with other telematics-enabled services. “Telematics-based services ... enable transport operators to better manage the safety performance of heavy vehicles and drivers.”

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The organisation he heads up was formed in response to the emerging, yet previously unmet need by governments to establish a sustainable approach to the use of telematics in such a dynamic and fast-evolving business environment and is now needed “more than ever” to oversee the on-going maturation of the marketplace, he says. As such, TCA’s functions transcend policy streams, surface transport modes and government portfolios, he emphasises: “In the past, there has not always been clear, consumer-focussed information available, so we need to find a way to assure the market that data is handled responsibly, and put performance-based functional and technical guidelines in place for the hardware that processed it, without political agendas compromising the process.”Chris is acutely aware that any technology boom will ultimately disrupt the established ways of doing business and create a new complexity with a range of traps for the unweary. For that very reason, TCA has not opted for a traditional regulatory approach, but instead developed a National Telematics Framework, taking on a “pro-market perspective” eto nsure that there is competition and choice, and to enable continuous innovation and the adoption of the latest technology.“TCA’s approach has not been dissimilar to the approach adopted for Performance-Based Standards (PBS) vehicles,” he elaborates. “We focus on

outcomes rather than prescribing a technological masterplan. As such, some may be surprised to learn that we’re highly technology agnostic. That is, we don’t prescribe what kind of technology to use. We leave this to the market so it can drive competition and innovation from within.”According to Chris, each telematics provider has the opportunity to deliver what he calls a “functional and technical outcome” in different ways: “What the Framework provides is not a technical solution, but a new way for the telematics sector, governments and end-user of telematics to do business after going through such a rapid growth phase.”He adds, “The industry is not slowing down. We constantly see providers of telematics services here in Australia adopting leading edge technology and innovation, and we actively encourage it. We’re merely setting the scene for them and letting the end-user decide.”According to Chris, the telematics market has evolved much like the smart phone one, “with a steady stream of new functions being added to a point where we now theoretically have access to all our data, all of the time. Just like my phone is now able to track my health, for example, telematics is reaching a point where it can talk to the CANbus and predict an air leak – effectively facilitating a whole new form of preventative maintenance.”The TCA’s role is to ensure that core functionality is not impacted by any new

fatures that may be added by providers as technology advances, he explains. “Sometimes, new approaches to meeting functional and technical requirements can be challenging, especially if we’ve not had experience with them before. But we’re open to the challenge.”So what’s next for Australia’s telematics community? According to Chris, Australia is likely to take on a leading role internationally as previously separate technologies begin to merge as part of one In-Vehicle Unit (IVU) during the next phase of telematics evolution – which some say could be a direct result of TCA’s innovation-driven laissez-faire policy, even though actual performance outcomes still need to be assessed.

“Australia, due to its relatively small market size, was forced to go down a path, which enabled regulatory and non-regulatory services to be ‘co-located’ through a single in-vehicle device, and that’s where we’re headed now. This means that costs can be contained, and like a smartphone, you can use a telematics system for multiple purposes.”The imminent arrival of the Electronic Work Diary (EWD) in 2017 could sharpen the situation dramatically, he says. “We’re reaching a phase of consolidation where existing technologies will be merging quite rapidly, especially in the hardware space.

It has started in the automobile industry

and it will quickly spread into trucking,

too. I believe telematics, entertainment

and admin will soon be run via the same

interface.”

The challenge, Chris says, is in keeping the

one central interface “tamper-evident” and

accurate. “People often make the mistake of

thinking the technology we now have access

to, for example in the smart phone space, is

fool proof and unsusceptible to tampering

or interrogation, even though it is not. Next

gen IVUs with EWD functionality will be

able to overcome these shortcomings.”

Technically the framework for the next

step in telematics history already exists, he

points out. In late 2013, TCA released a

‘Functional and Technical Specification for

Telematics IVUs’. It responded to the notion

of telematics IVUs being used for tracking,

navigation, fleet management, safety and

the management of regulatory requirements

instead of just tracing alone, and sets out

the core requirements to ensure reliability,

integrity and security.

Using the Specification, Chris says

stakeholders were able go to market “with

far greater confidence”, and users were

empowered to make comparisons between

different IVU types. “But, the Specification

still relied on consumers taking the word of

the suppliers of Telematics IVUs, and lacked

the assurance that comes with independent

assessment, so we new had to go one step

further.”

In 2014, TCA subsequently responded to

calls to introduce a type-approval process

for telematics IVUs. Since then, a whole

range of suppliers have reportedly expressed

interest in submitting their telematics IVUs

for independent assessment against the

Functional and Technical Specification,

and Chris says a number of them now have

hardware in different stages of the type-

approval process.

“Over time, we expect to see a number of

different type-approved telematics IVUs

available in the marketplace. As a direct

result, the consumer will have more

influence on where progress is headed,

so the balance of power is shifting.”

According to Chris, TCA is effectively

acting as a consumer advocate in that

constellation to make sure users receive

the service they demand, within the legal

framework. “Everyone knows a war story

about telematics. Type-approved telematics

IVUs are meant to make these a thing of

the past. We’re effectively making sure

that each product out there is able to meet

certain minimum functional and technical

requirements, which is common practice in

a lot of areas. You wouldn’t want your child

to wear a bike helmet that hasn’t been crash

tested, right?”

While IVUs may be able to set a new

standard and lift technology to a new level

over the long-term, it may not be able

to fix any legacy issues stemming from

transport businesses being oversold on the

technology in the past, though. Responding

to industry’s concerns that existing hardware

may not be recognised for regulatory

telematics applications anymore, TCA

therefore also developed a so-called ‘Entry

Options’ initiative.

“The Entry Options initiative provides

transport operators with the opportunity to

gain an independent, unbiased assessment

of their existing technology against key

technical and functional requirements

demanded by Australian governments,”

Chris says, noting the 25,000 or so IVUs

already installed in Australian heavy

vehicles that meet the requirements of the

Intelligent Access Program (IAP) Functional

and Technical Specification may well be

suitable to pass the test – often with some

minor amendments only.

As such, the pathway for industry to break

into a new era of telematics literacy may

finally be cleared. “While not all transport

operators need regulatory telematics

applications, it is pleasing to see that

the industry is making IVU procurement

decisions with a focus on value for money

and performance,” says Chris, relaying

back to TCA’s competition-based approach

to regulating the market.

“A next gen IVU should be easily updatable

to be able to deal with new regulatory

provisions like On-Board Mass (OBM)

systems, Intelligent Speed Compliance

(ISC) and the much talked-about

Electronic Work Diary (EWD). Australia

is heading into a bright future with this

approach, and we’re curious to see how

the market will react.”

INTERVIEWWith telematics technology

developing in line with the

smartphone market, it’s hardly

surprising camera technology is also

in the spotlight. FleetSeek’s David

McIntosh on the next generation of

visual data management.

Q: The telematics market has gone through a remarkable maturation process since FleetSeek entered the Australian telematics market in 2008. In how far has the game changed?A: There has been massive change

over the past eight years, with

fleets now accepting and expecting

telematics technology in their

vehicles. Telematics has matured

and the resulting solutions offer a

lot more than just basic tracking,

as the hardware has improved and

interfaces are more streamlined and

integrated.

Q: How have you responded to that development?A: Luckily for FleetSeek we have our

own in-house hardware and software

developed, which has allowed us

to ensure we continued to innovate

and offer a point of difference. For

us, that point lies in reliability,

customer support, and being able

to offer what’s really useful to fleets.

There’s so much more than just GPS

tracking, and real-time video is one

of our core focus areas.

Q: How do you see the camera trend evolve going forward?A: We think it will continue to evolve

very quickly over next 12 months,

with fleets wanting to replace current

SD card-based cameras and moving

on to integrated solutions like what

we offer. It will be important that

fleets do their research and find

suppliers that really deliver on what

they promise.

FAST FACTAustralian start-up BIGmate is currently working on the launch of the first type-approved In-Vehicle Unit (IVU) by a company that is not already certified as an Intelligent Access Program (IAP) Service Provider by TCA. The IVU will integrate both current and future regulatory telematics applications such as IAP and the Electronic Work Diary (EWD). “This will be the first stage of many as BIGmate embarks on broader plans to obtain certification for regulatory telematics applications,” the company says.