Case Studies
Our vehicle computers are being used in a wide range of applications, a small selection of which are detailed below. Some companies, such as Manchester Airport and Devon County Council, take advantage of both our hardware and our installation skills, whereas others, such as DSTL and Mirage, choose to install vehicle-based equipment themselves, and so only require our hardware.
Please click on the links below to jump to the appropriate case study:
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Client: Manchester Airport Industry: Transport |
Manchester Airport needed flexible on-board PC hardware for their fleet of airside buses so that data gathered by the driver of each bus could be recorded and uploaded to the airport’s servers in real-time. This data consisted of various events that occurred as each bus was allocated to an aircraft, such as the precise time and position of each bus when passengers started boarding and disembarking.
This information is needed to meet the airport’s agreed service level agreements with the airlines – if the agreed levels are not met then this can result in financial penalties for the airport. Prior to implementing a PC-based solution this information was recorded onto paper, so was not available to other airport staff until some time later, when it had been manually digitised at great administrative cost. The data was crucial to the airport, as it needed to be passed onto the airlines as soon as possible, in order to provide evidence that the service level agreements were met.
In-CarPC were one of two companies invited to install hardware for a pilot study that lasted several months. The superior reliability of our system made the airport’s decision an easy one, and the pilot study was concluded successfully, with an order being placed with In-CarPC to supply and install computers on the entire fleet.
With each of the vehicle-based PCs able to record precise time and GPS location information with every event, the PC-based solution dramatically enhanced the quality and reliability of the data, as well as the speed at which it was made available to airport staff.
In addition to recording data, the software running on each vehicle PC also provides instructions to the driver, such as which route the bus needs to take. Furthermore, because each PC is networked via 3G, jobs can be fed to each driver in real-time, and because the airport is using a PC-based system the possibilities for extended functionality are practically unlimited.
Christina Kelly, Operations Manager of the airport’s Bus Transport Department says “We piloted vehicle computers from two companies, one of which was In-CarPC. Their system was extremely reliable, and we found the company very quick to respond to our needs. The airport is currently working with In-CarPC on another project with different vehicles, and I would highly recommend both their product and their service.”
The Manchester Airports Group (MAG) is the largest British-owned airport operator in the UK, as the owner of Manchester, East Midlands, Humberside and Bournemouth Airports.
Client’s website: www.manairport.co.uk
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Client: DSTL Industry: Defence |
DSTL is part of the Ministry of Defence, and exists to ensure that the UK’s armed forces have access to the most advanced technology available.
We were approached by DSTL, who were looking for a vehicle PC system with a number of bespoke requirements. Due to commercial constraints we regret that we are unable to give specific details about this application. In order to meet DSTL’s requirements we made modifications to our standard PC model, and supply systems to DSTL on a regular basis.
Client’s website: www.dstl.gov.uk
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Client: Devon County Council Industry: Local Authority |
Devon County Council’s Environment, Economy & Culture Directorate is, amongst other things, responsible for ensuring that the roads in Devon are safe to drive on. One of the tools that it uses to do this is a piece of equipment called a Griptester, which is a trailer-mounted device that is towed behind a van.
This device has a PC interface capability so that data gathered by the Griptester can be recorded straight to a PC. Devon County Council were using a tablet PC to record this data, but contacted us because they needed a more effective solution. As well as recording data directly from the Griptester, the system also needed other complementary data to be entered by an operator, such as when a different type of road surface was encountered. Under the old system two people were required in the vehicle whenever the Griptester was used – one to drive the vehicle and the other to record occasional complementary data using the tablet PC.
Our solution was to install a dedicated PC in the vehicle, complete with a 10.2” touch sensitive display and a small remote control device that we mounted on the rear of the steering wheel. By liaising with the manufacturers of the Griptester we were able to set the system up so that human-generated data could be entered into the program by pressing on the steering wheel buttons, without having to interact with a display. Because the remote control buttons are very distinctive to the touch, the driver is now able to enter data by touch alone, without taking his eyes off the road or hands off the wheel.
Keith Grant, County Scientific Officer, says “Using In-CarPC’s built-in computer has been a far better way of doing things than using a tablet PC. I was pleased with the way that In-CarPC were prepared to experiment and develop their product so that it did exactly what we wanted. Using this system has improved the efficiency of using the Griptester because we now only need one person in the vehicle instead of two.”
Client’s website: www.devon.gov.uk
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Client: Mirage Industry: Luxury Car Manufacturing |
Mirage are a specialist luxury vehicle manufacturer whose flagship product is the Traveliner, a luxury limousine based on the Mercedes Viano platform. The Traveliner features a completely custom wooden and leather interior, a drinks cabinet, an electric fold out table, remote electric doors, and a wide range of optional extras. Before approaching In-CarPC, Mirage already offered several advanced in-car multimedia options, but wanted to take this one stage further by offering their customers a fully functional PC pre-installed in their vehicle.
After visiting Mirage, seeing one of their vehicles, and discussing their requirements, we designed a system that was well within the budget, and this was quickly accepted by the company. The Traveliner computer system includes up to 5 displays, which were chosen so that Mirage could mount them on motorised hydraulic poles, so that the screens are only visible when they are needed.
We continue to work with Mirage on an ongoing basis, allowing Mirage to offer their customers the most advanced multimedia and communications facilities available.
Client’s website: www.mirage.uk.com
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Client: Wessex Water Industry: Utilities |
This case study demonstrates our ability to provide solutions based on hardware other than our own computers.
We were approached by Bristol Wessex Billing Services Ltd (BWBSL, a company partly owned by Wessex Water) because Wessex Water needed a rapid solution to integrate their existing Panasonic Toughbook laptops into a number of their vans. The Toughbooks needed to be used to record data from wireless-enabled road-side water meters, which were able to transmit data over a long enough range such that the vans could collect data by driving slowly past the meters, without actually needing to stop.
Because the Toughbooks needed to record the data while the vehicle was moving they needed to be securely mounted to the vehicle’s chassis, and it was crucial that the solution did not distract the driver when the vehicle was moving.
While the Toughbooks were collecting data they required very little user input, so it was decided that the best place to mount them would be under the passenger seat. In the Ford Transit Connect vans used by Wessex Water, the passenger seats easily tilted forwards to provide access to the Toughbook if required.
After our initial meeting with Wessex Water we organised the manufacture of a custom mounting bracket to secure and power the Toughbooks underneath the passenger seat, and then installed the solution on-site at several of Wessex Water's depots across the South West.
Mounting the laptops under the seat provided several advantages:
- Because the system was inaccessible to the driver while the vehicle was moving it removed any temptation for the driver to attempt to use the system while the vehicle was moving.
- Because the system was completely hidden from view it ensured that the vans presented no extra target for thieves
- The existing seat mounting holes already present in the vehicle were used to secure the system, meaning that the docked Toughbooks were thoroughly secure, and wouldn’t cause injury or damage in the event of a road traffic accident.
Mike Paul, Head of Revenue Operations at BWBSL said:
"Before contacting In-CarPC we were unaware of what could be achieved using their built-in computers. However, because we already had the Toughbooks we didn’t go down that route right now, although we will certainly be considering this in the future.
"We are very happy with the Toughbook mounting solution provided by In-CarPC – they were a pleasure to work with, and the quality of both the equipment and their workmanship was very high indeed. I would have no hesitation in recommending their service to any organisation needing computer-related equipment installed into their fleet."
Client's Website: www.wessexwater.co.uk
