Garmin enhances FMI functionality

Sharon

Sharon Gill

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14th October 2008

Garmin's FMI service is integrated with mobile resource management companies to enable fleet tracking, messaging, dispatch and navigation directly on Garmin's PNDs.

"By teaming with leading mobile resource management companies, we're able to replace existing mobile data terminals with Garmin navigation devices that will pinpoint the location of every asset and help ensure that vehicles are deployed and operated efficiently," said Charles Morse, Garmin's director of mobile & OEM marketing.

With Garmin's FMI, fleet dispatchers can send multiple destinations and other instructions directly to their drivers, who can then access detailed turn-by-turn, text-to-speech, voice prompted directions to their destinations.

The recently updated FMI specifications, v2, include enhanced options that will improve customer response and optimise fleet resources.

One of the most anticipated features of v2 is the ability to send up to 120 canned messages and 200 canned response, up to fifty of which may be selected by the fleet manager as allowed responses for any given message. This capability eliminates the need to re-type regularly recurring messages from the driver's GPS display.

Garmin has also added driver ID and driver status protocols to enable drivers to use the GPS device to log the vehicle they are using before starting their day, as well as communicate when a shift or break starts and stops. These enhancements also enable fleet managers to customise the GPS device's POI database, which is ideal for specialised tasks like cataloguing company-approved vendor locations or information about specific locations.

Garmin has numerous FMI partners, including Air-Trak, Beacon Wireless Solutions, Discrete Wireless, DQ Technologies, Enfora, GenXmobile, GPS Buddy, Insight USA, Mix Telematics, Pinpointers, Reltima, Tracking Solutions Corp, Universal Tracking Solutions and Webtech Wireless.

Garmin's business development director, Chad Sallman, will participate in a panel discussion on Immediate and 'on demand' fleet and cargo dispatch at the Logistics & Fleet Management Systems USA event, which takes place on 23-24 October in Atlanta.