York-based Locasys plugs a knowledge gap in business intelligence (BI) platforms, according to Howard Bedford, Chief Commercial Officer, who puts a spotlight on how resellers can profit from the integration of location-awareness technology into BI solutions.
The convergence of BI with mobile and big data has shifted data to the core of most organisations, yet even the best BI platforms may be lacking important 'location' information. The good news is that this gap can be bridged by the integration of Real Time Location Systems (RTLS). "Location Intelligence (LI) complements a company's metrics of who, what and when with real-time knowledge of 'where'," stated Bedford.
Locasys has patented ultrasonic RTLS systems and RFID products that communicate wirelessly with its application software, providing real-time LI information. All data can be stored, retrieved, reviewed and exported as required. The company's family of smart device apps also provide real-time information, status reports and push notifications to site personnel.
On-site RTLS is designed to operate with consistent accuracy indoors as well as outdoors across offices, factories and plants. "In such environments GPS and other location technologies become unreliable," said Bedford. "On-site reliability is best achieved by using active ultrasound and RFID technologies."
In a simple example of the Locasys system in operation, a network of locator beacons are installed on-site and active tags are attached to assets, or worn on badges by personnel (employees, visitors, contractors etc). The locations of the tags are monitored in real-time by the beacons and the location information is transmitted to a database. By applying business rules, the RTLS can be configured to provide operational efficiencies and improve safety for organisations.
"For example, when an asset is moved its travel route and destination are known in real-time," said Bedford. "If the asset is moved off-site the system can issue an alert. Also, in a data centre the RTLS can be configured so that a visitor is paired with a chaperone. If the two are separated an alert is raised."
The relevance and benefits of such applications, explained Bedford, are wide ranging and include operational efficiencies, improved asset utilisation, better decision making and workflow management, and improved safety in the workplace. Not surprisingly, in certain RTLS applications LI has become mission critical.
"In prisons and casinos, for example, the management of keys is core to operational success," added Bedford. "In these organisations, if a key leaves a room without the due procedures being completed, or leaves a building the entire operation can be jeopardised. If a key is not returned the RTLS provides the locational information of its movement and whereabouts in real-time. This prevents the expense of having to change all of the locks and keys."
RTLS offers 3D positioning, orientation, line of travel and within-room accuracy. "The LI data generated by an on-site RTLS is used to great effect in standard off-the-shelf offerings as well as bespoke solutions," added Bedford.
Open APIs allow third parties to seamlessly integrate location-awareness technology into their solutions. "The increasing performance requirements and expectations of all businesses and organisations in the private and public sectors, along with the insatiable need to control infrastructure costs, and the ease of use of real-time social connectivity are playing a vital role in shaping the future of the indoor real-time location market," Bedford explained.
Bedford joined Locasys in September this year and was previously a founder of DBAM Systems, the provider of bandwidth shaping and network acceleration products that was sold to Dell in 2010. His previous commercial experience includes over five years in senior sales positions; and as a qualified Chartered Engineer with a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering and a Master's degree in Business Administration, Bedford clearly knows his stuff and readers should be attentive to his viewpoints on RTLS as a big opportunity for resellers.
According to a report from Marketsandmarkets, the global indoor location market is forecast to grow from $935.05 million in 2014 to over $4,424 million by 2019, at an estimated CAGR of 36.5 per cent during the period. The indoor location market in Europe is also expected to see traction from new industries. "The benefits of location awareness and auto-identification at the enterprise level will continue to grow as the integration of analytical and visualisation software tools, maps and navigation applications enhance the power of RTLS-based solutions and make on-site LI commonplace," stated Bedford.
The healthcare, industrial manufacturing, Government and defence, process industries, as well as transportation and logistics sectors, have an increasing appetite and need to deploy RTLS applications to solve problems around the location of staff, contractors, site visitors and other assets in everyday operations and in emergencies. Bedford commented: "The growing appetite for location intelligence is fuelling significant growth in RTLS-based solutions across these and many other sectors."