GPS, Accelerometers and Inertial Sensors Plus Vehicle Black Box Data
What is telematics? The definition of telematics is the usage of a device to monitor and report the movement and actions taken in the course of operating a motorized vehicle. (In fact, telematics for bicycles is not far off with smartbike technology.) Telematics can be used in driverless cars to understand the road environment and make driving decisions, but it is most commonly used in devices like Progressive Snapshot which monitors factors like speed and behavior to offer better rates to conscientious drivers. In some nations it is not legal to use telematics to adjust insurance rates, so there are workarounds and discount schemes for better driving.
In the world of insurance, especially, telematics is a one-way street. The car tells the insurance company about you, but information is not sent back to the vehicle. In the future, it may be possible that the device tells your car to slow down and stop. The current model which involves usage based insurance gives discounts or calculates future rate increases based on driving habits. There are also some other models including "Pay as you drive" (alternatively "Pay how you drive") which may be prepaid plans for people who do a very limited amount of driving or who may only go between a few locations. For example, there is a plan for older people who drive less than 12,000 miles a year.
Telematics does not just cover cars and trucks. Bicycle rental services use them to keep track of their fleets and understand usage, while also billing users approprately. Cargo container trackers can use the same sensors and trackers to see where shipments are, and prepare to have enough people to receive goods. It is possible to adapt mobile devices for telematics retrieval, although the preferred method is a proprietary plug-in device that either uses phone networks, GPS, WiFi, or other techniques for uploading information back to the insurer or third party. Parents can even use such devices to see how well their kids are driving, or even where they go.
Vehicle Telematics - Informatics and Vehicle Telemetry
Telematics products don’t necessarily have to be offered for insurance or fleet tracking purposes. Some auto clubs provide telematics as part of their service to make members more mindful about vehicle usage and driving behavior. Alternatively, the devices can indicate vehicle health issues while indicating driving habits as a supplemental offering. Data on maintenance and operating specifications, over time, can show that a problem could be on the horizon, or that emissions are inching up to a point where the car would fail a test. Other indicators in the transmission, brakes, or deep in the engine could reveal an upcoming need for mechanical intervention, so users could schedule a check-up or diagnostic in order to head off breakdowns and much more expensive repairs.
When telematics data is displayed on a smartphone or desktop application, a virtual “vehicle X-Ray” is often shown to indicate where problems may exist. Typically, a dashboard-style display indicates vehicle alerts, service recommendations, and highlighted graphics indicating problem areas. Facts like mileage, average miles driven per day, and factoids like city versus highway mileage can explain why you aren’t getting the fuel efficiency you had hoped to see. Indicators for speeding, fast cornering, and braking are often shown graphically as good or bad so you can modify driving behavior. Furthermore, devices with an insurance component may also show you potential savings if you choose to purchase liability or collision insurance services.
Finally, vehicle location or “find my car” services often are embedded in telematics dongles containing cellular phone circuitry. For example, if you want to verify that your child has actually taken the Thunderbird down to the library (as opposed to drag racing down by the hamburger stand), then you had better hope you have one of the models made between 1996 and 2005 so you can use the location service. The potential for acrimony with such features is fairly high since you could potentially track spouses or users of your personal vehicle. In emergencies, the key benefit from tracking is that tow trucks and emergency vehicles may be better able to locate your car.
While insurers have only scratched the surface of the UBI marketplace, others in the logistics field have been using GPS and telematics for a number of years to make their drivers more efficient while preventing losses from various schemes undertaken by people who spend a lot of time driving. For example, GPS tattlers show that drivers may be spending an inordinate amount of time at bars of ill repute, or that company vehicles are being used after hours, or that the amount of fuel being purchased for cars and trucks does not match up even remotely with the mileage. Fleet maintenance companies have saved thousands of dollars, per driver, per year, by both utilizing technology to keep track of their drivers and also letting employees know that their trucks are being monitored. Delivery companies can also feed all of the information into computers to determine the most efficient delivery schedules, and simultaneously they can weed out drivers who may be found to be speeding, running stop signs, or starting or stopping too fast.