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A new approach A reliable and streamlined method of data collection was needed in the Road and Rail Infrastructure Industry. Paper based collection, analysis and reporting had always been the standard way to do things. Inspectors and Patrolmen would handwrite road defects into their logbook, or onto pre-printed sheets of paper, to be later entered into a spreadsheet manually by an office person. Not only was this method time consuming and tedious, but mistakes could easily be made.
All across Australia , Downer EDI Works is now using a custom developed data collection and reporting system called MobileWorks. With a field force of nearly one hundred Pocket PC devices, and over two hundred Web users, Works is providing their clients with up to the minute information related to the condition and maintenance of thousands of kilometres of road. Extensive collaboration between Works and SyncIT has shaped MobileWorks into becoming a highly intuitive and easy to use system, without compromising performance or flexibility. Now in its third generation, MobileWorks has never looked better. Mobile devices contain client software which is used by field operators to log inspections, routine maintenance and generate work orders. The devices store a subset of the main AMS database, and will not require live access to the system, meaning uninterrupted operation in remote areas that lack cellular coverage. Synchronisation of data can occur automatically throughout the day using available mobile phone networks, or once the operator arrives back at a depot or office and physically connects to the network. |
At a glance Downer EDI Works is a fully owned subsidary of Downer EDI Limited, an Australian listed company. |
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The main purpose of the Pocket PC software is to log new jobs, and close off existing ones. The average time to log a new job is just 15 seconds. Synchronisation of information is available through a variety of connectivity options, such as GPRS, Dial up modem, LAN and USB cradle. During synchronisation, the newly captured jobs are uploaded to the central MobileWorks database server. Open jobs are retained on the Pocket PC for later completion, and are also download onto the Pocket PC's of other MobileWorks users within the same geographical location. This means all allocated users in that area have the option to complete the job during their next patrol. Once a job is closed, it will be removed from all Pocket PC's and will only be accessible via the MobileWorks Website. The MobileWorks Website is used to review and report on the captured data, as well as allows clients to approve jobs that fall outside of general maintenance contracts. A major component of the website is for clients to login and approve certain jobs. When jobs of this nature are created, an email is automatically sent to the client to let them know about it. The latest release of MobileWorks allows pictures, videos and sounds to be tagged to jobs using the multimedia capabilities of certain Windows Mobile devices. These job “attachments” are viewable using the MobileWorks website, which can help clients to determine approval without needing to do a physical on-site audit of the job. To approve the job, the client enters an order number and the job is sent back out into the field for completion. Web users can also perform the same job creation and updating functionality as available on the Pocket PC, as well as create and customise data exports into Excel, to perform further analysis.
For more information on Downer EDI Works, please visit www.downerediworks.com.au . |
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