Industry Pulse: Telematics takes control of construction job sites

Telematics, the branch of information technology that deals with long-distance transmission of computerized information is taking over job sites.

The technology has until recently remained brand-specific (CAT, Case, John Deere, Komatsu, et al.), requiring contractors to use proprietary software systems provided by each of the manufactures to access data for operational decision-making.

But after a mixed-fleet telematics protocol had been adopted in July 2016 by AEM and AEMP members and approved by the International Standards Organization (ISO) as a global standard, platforms the likes of Uptake, SAMCRO Technologies, EquipmentShare and others have now full access to telematics across mixed fleets.

What began as a simple GPS systems has turned into one of the deepest applications of the Internet of Things in the construction industry that will allow for geolocation, run and maintenance status, engine stress, fuel consumption, and temperatures and pressures.