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Cloud-based fleet and driver management

Graphic Image Technologies (GIT) has announced the availability of the latest version of SurfSite, a cloud-based dashcam (dashboard camera) designed to improve on-the-road behaviour and assist in improving fleet management. The SurfSite product is equipped with forward and backwards facing cameras, smart sensors and GPS tracking. It enables companies to obtain live or recorded video footage of both the driver and passengers in the vehicle, as well as external footage of the road.

Laurence Smith, director of GIT, explains that SurfSite was designed to offer the latest in fleet management capabilities in a small dashcam form factor, and at a reasonable price point. As noted, the system can record video inside and external to the vehicle, but its sensors offer more pertinent information to fleet supervisors and managers.

For example, the system will record and report on issues such as hard braking, swerving, violent turning, rapid acceleration and other factors. The information, along with the footage is stored on the device’s SD card and uploaded to the company’s cloud-based server, from where managers can view their fleet’s activities – either in real time or after an event.

To better manage drivers in real time, the latest SurfSite software includes artificial intelligence (AI) functionality to monitor the driver and provide in-vehicle alerts in various situations. Smith says drivers’ eyes are monitored and the system will raise an alarm if a driver is distracted, drowsy or their attention wanders off the road. If this continues, the system will use cellular communications to send the same alert to the cloud and an email can be sent to the driver’s supervisor.

Laurence Smith.

There are products on the market that make use of dashcams to monitor the road and warn if a vehicle moves into another lane. Smith explains that SurfSite takes this a step further by warning the driver as soon as they lose focus on the road, preventing the action from occurring. The analytical engine is built into the device and does not require any additional equipment or technical expertise.

A Wi-Fi hotspot is also built into the SurfSite device, allowing other devices to be connected to it. As an example, four additional cameras in or around the vehicle can be wirelessly added to the solution, all of which can be monitored. All data, including the video footage, is saved in the cloud and is immediately available to management on any computer or mobile device via a browser.

As can be expected, the GPS module allows companies to see exactly where their vehicles are in real time, as well as call up historical data to see the route taken on a particular day. Smith adds that the performance of drivers can be compared to identify who may need additional training or to reward safe and efficient driving.

Once the device or devices have been purchased, there will be no further costs for the hardware, but the cloud service is paid for on a per-month basis, based on the number of vehicles being monitored and the number of cameras in each vehicle. The cloud system is run on Amazon Web Services (AWS), which guarantees almost perfect uptime. SurfSite has also obtained ICASA approval for the product.

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