NTT-AT C to launch location information display software Posimile (provisional name)

In recent years, intense competition and globalization in business have made it imperative to be able respond to customers' requests and make sales decisions quickly. It has therefore become a key to improved business efficiency for a company to optimize the effectiveness and the geographical allocation of its human and hardware resources.
An effective tool to achieve this is the use of a location information service for the geographical allocation of personnel and vehicles. The service enables a company to monitor the locations of its salespersons and maintenance staff serving a number of customers, thus making it possible to prevent delayed responses to customers or the missing of opportunities to visit them. The software can be used not only to manage personnel but also vehicles, and, for example, can display an alarm when a vehicle goes out of a predefined zone.

Background and history

 The NTT-AT group has been developing and selling software programs that use the location information service (Imadoko service) available on PHS (Personal Handyphone System) offered by NTT DoCoMo. Recently, there has been a demand for highly precise location information of cellular phones, whose service area is much wider than that of PHS. At the same time, a DLP (DoCoMo Location Platform) service, a common platform independent of the manufacturers of NTT DoCoMo's mobile terminals, has been provided. In response to these developments, NTT-AT C has developed Posimile (provisional name), a location information display program showing the locations of GPS-equipped cellular phone terminals on an electronic map. This can cover a much wider area and is more useful than the conventional location information service based on PHS.
 Being packaged specifically for the DLP service, this program can be introduced more easily and at lower cost than conventional systems dedicated to specific business purposes.

Main features

1. Display of current and previous locations of the registered user terminals
   The program retrieves the latest location information of registered users (terminals) from the DLP center and displays it on an electronic map. It also tracks the movement of registered users (terminals) within a predefined zone on the map.
2. Acquisition of location information at a predefined interval
   The program can retrieve location information at a predefined interval, which can be set between 2 minutes and 24 hours.
3. Zone setting and monitoring of the entry and exit from the zone
   An arbitrary zone can be set on an electronic map, and the registered users (terminals) leaving or entering the zone can be monitored.
4. Setting of the way location information is displayed on a map
   It is possible to select how the location information is displayed: latest location information display, movement history display, multi-view display, and animation display.
   (Application example) Using the multi-view display, the locations of salespersons in different areas can be displayed on individual sub-windows on a single screen. (See the figure on the previous page.)
5. Registration, change and deletion of information relating to a group or an individual (user management)
   Up to 100 users (terminals) can be registered. (However, the recommended maximum number depends on the functions used.) Users (terminals) can be divided into groups and managed in groups.
   (Application example) Users (terminals) within a sales department can be divided into those associated with particular sections or groups and managed accordingly.
6. Display of icons on a map (landmarks)
   Icons can be displayed on any location on a map.
   (Application example) Customer companies' locations can be displayed on a map.
7. Display of a specific part of a map based on a selected address (address-based search)
   The appropriate part of a map can be displayed, based on the selected address.
8. Support of client-server systems
   Location information can be viewed by multiple PCs. (However, it is necessary to install as many location information display programs and sets of map data as there are PCs.)
9. Location notification from users (terminals)
   If NTT DoCoMo's PosiseekR is used as the user terminal, the user terminal can send its current location information to record a specific event.
   (Application example) As data for entry into a daily sales activity report, the date and time of visiting a particular customer can be notified.

Specification

Supported OS

Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional ^{Note 1)}
Microsoft Windows XP Professional, Home Edition ^{Note 1)}

*The software requires Internet Explorer 6.0

Price

198,000 yen (consumption tax not included)

Map data ^{Note 2)} is included.
A connection from the terminal to the Internet is required.

Starting date of sales

January 2003 (planned)

Glossary

*1:DLP (DoCoMo Location Platform)

A common platform for the use of location information studied by the DLP Consortium, which consists of NTT DoCoMo and more than 200 other member companies. With mobile terminals using either GPS (Global Positioning System) or PHS, which are based on entirely different location acquisition technology from each other, the user can manage and exchange location information. For example, the user can identify and store his or her or a third party's current location. LISAP (Location Information Service Application Protocol) is used as the communication protocol.

Note 1)

Microsoft Windows2000 Professional, Microsoft Windows XP Professional and Home Edition are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the US and/or other countries.

Note 2)

The maps used in the product and this document have been produced by Zenrin Co., Ltd.