Transmittal Letter

Letter of transmittal

Date: 27 October, 2016
From: L.I.V.E (Ian, Wei Sheng, Sheryl)
To: Brad Blackstone
Cc. Mitchelle Waaras
Subject: Letter of Transmittal

Dear Brad,

With reference to the letter of authorization, we thank you for having the opportunity to submit this report on the telematics product, Hum by Verizon. The report provides information about the product, possible improvements on it, and benefits of the improved product.

The product lacks important features such as navigation and voice control.

Once again, we are grateful for this opportunity to further assist in maximizing the industrial capacity by improving a telematics solution product.

Yours sincerely,
Wei Sheng on behalf of L.I.V.E

Executive Summary

This report provides a summary of the current product Hum, drawbacks, and an evaluation of the proposed solution. It explains the current features and functions of Hum and also discusses its lacking features and functions as an ideal Telematics product. The report also presents information about the three main components of Hum and how these work as a diagnostic telematics solution. Solutions to improve Hum are proposed and elaborated in the solution section, where the analysis is discussed. The analysis includes benefits and possible challenges that the solution may encounter. The report concludes that by improving Hum, the product will be able to improve user experience, safety and convenience.

Reflection

The first trimester of has finally ended. I have gone through about 20 hours of Technical Communication class. Before the trimester started, I felt that Communication class was not necessary. I went through a few communications classes back in poly. Those classes were mainly a waste of time to me, therefore I was reluctant to go to this class every Friday afternoon. Now that the lessons are over, my views have changed.

I realised that communication class is very important, especially to an engineer. This class has taught me proper ways to write a design report, product summary and analysis, and proper presentation skills. Working with different group of people throughout the module was very useful, as networking could be useful in the future. After going through this module, my technical writing and presentation skills has improved greatly.

There are however, much to improve on. My language skills are still not perfect. To improve my language, I would have to practice using it. I can start by taking up the habit of reading. I love to read online articles about technological news, and that could be a great place to pick this habit up.

Overall, I felt that this module was extremely useful. I am thankful my teacher Brad for guiding us throughout this module, making it fun and enjoyable. I am grateful to my peers for giving my valuable feedback as I was drafting through various assignments.

Product Description Summary & Analysis (Draft 3)

The article “Geotab GO7” (Geotab,2016) presents the benefits, features and function of GO7. The GO7 is a telematics device designed and built by Geotab, used for GPS vehicle tracking. It has features like cellular modem, GPS with built in antennas, an accelerometer. Another feature would be real time tracking and transmission of highly detailed information from the vehicle with a GO7 plugged in. Information regarding the engine, drivetrain, on-board instruments, and other subsystems. It is compatible with most types of vehicles from manufacturers around the world. The device can be easily installed by plugging it into the vehicle’s OBDII port or adapter. In addition, the GO7 can notify the driver if the vehicle requires maintenance. It can also collect information about driving habits and guide the driver if it's deem unsafe. The device can send notification and forensic data if an accident is detected. The GO7 has an expansion port, allowing peripherals to be added if needed.

The GO7 is an advanced GPS telematics product that help users increase their fleet efficiency and satisfy their need of functionality or convenience when compared to another similar product like the TomTom Link410.

The GO7 is able utilise its GPS tracking ability to provide alternate course to routes that are affected by traffic or weather, reducing fuel and time wastage. Its ability to transmit data about the vehicle will allows for timely maintenance of the fleet, reducing down time of vehicle. The article “Aberdeen Group's GPS tracking study key facts” (Cullen, 2016) mentions numerous benefits of a GPS tracking system. An average decrease of 13.2% and 13.4% in fuel expenditure and overtime could be achieved by using location intelligence. The article also states that the operating cost of a vehicle can be cut by 10.4%.

Similar device to the GO7, like the TomTom Link410, shares features like built in cellular, GPS and insights to driving habits. The Link410 however requires a Link105 add-on devices to monitor engine information. The Link105 also does not transmit real time data, as compared to the GO7. These differences prove that the GO7 is able to better integrate multiple feature into a single device, compared to its competitors.

All in all, the GO7 is able to deliver a product that is comprehensive, fully featured, and able to help users increase fleet efficiency by reducing operating cost.

Reference list

Mark Cullen. (2016). Aberdeen Group's GPS tracking study key facts. Retrieved October 6, 2016 from: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/aberdeen-groups-gps-tracking-study-key-facts-mark-cullen

 

Geotab. (2016). Geotab GO7 brochure. Retrieved October 6, 2016 from: https://www.geotab.com/wp-content/themes/geotab-template/resources/doc/Geotab-Brochure.pdf

 

TomTom. (N.D). Retrieved October 6, 2016 from: https://telematics.tomtom.com/en_gb/webfleet/products/link/

Product Description Summary & Analysis (Draft 2)

The article (Geotab, 2016) “Geotab GO7” presents the benefits, features and function of GO7. The GO7 is a telematics device designed and built by Geotab. It has features like cellular modem, GPS with built in antennas, an accelerometer, and is able to transmit highly detailed information from the vehicle regarding the engine, drivetrain, on-board instruments, and other subsystems. It is compatible with most types of vehicles from manufacturers around the world. The device can be easily installed by plugging it into the vehicle’s OBDII port or adapter. Tracking and real time data will be transmitted when the vehicle transits. It can notify the driver if the vehicle requires maintenance, collects information driving habits, and guide the driver if it's deem unsafe. The device can send notification and forensic data if an accident is detected. The GO7 has an expansion port, allowing peripherals to be added if needed.

The GO7 is an advanced technology product that will satisfy user compared to other similar product regardless of functionality or convenience, and help users increase their fleet efficiency.

The GO7 could utilise its GPS tracking ability to provide alternate course to routes that are affected by traffic or weather, reducing fuel and time wastage. Its ability to transmit data about the vehicle will allows for timely maintenance of the fleet, reducing down time of vehicle. The article “Aberdeen Group's GPS tracking study key facts” (Mark, 2016) mentions numerous benefits of a GPS tracking system. An average decrease of 13.2% and 13.4% in fuel expenditure and overtime could be achieved by using location intelligence. The article also states that the operating cost of a vehicle can be cut by 10.4%.

There are other telematics products available on the market, one being the TomTom Link 410. The features of the Link 410 are similar to the GO7. The Link 410 however, requires a Link 105 add-on devices to monitor engine information. The link 105 does not transmit real time data, as compared to the GO7. The GO7 is able to better integrate multiple feature into a single device, compared to its competitors.

All in all,the GO7 is able to deliver a product that is comprehensive, fully featured, and able to help user increase fleet efficiency by reducing operating cost.

Mark Cullen (2016). Aberdeen Group's GPS tracking study key facts. Retrieved October 6, 2016 from: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/aberdeen-groups-gps-tracking-study-key-facts-mark-cullen

Geotab (2016). Geotab GO7 brochure. Retrieved October 6, 2016 from: https://www.geotab.com/wp-content/themes/geotab-template/resources/doc/Geotab-Brochure.pdf

TomTom(N.D). Retrieved October 6 2016 from: https://telematics.tomtom.com/en_gb/webfleet/products/link/

Product Description Summary & Analysis (Draft 1)

The article by Geotab Inc “Geotab GO7” presents the benefits, features and function of GO7. The GO7 is a telematics device designed and built by Geotab. It has features like cellular modem, GPS with built in antennas, and an accelerometer. It is able to transmit highly detailed information from the vehicle regarding the engine, drivetrain, on-board instruments, and other subsystems. It is compatible with most types of vehicles from manufactures around the world. The device is easily installed by plugging into the vehicle’s OBDII port or adapter. Tracking and real time data will be transmitted when the vehicle transits. It can notify the driver if the vehicle requires maintenance. The GO7 also collects information driving habits, guiding the driver if it's deem unsafe. The device can send notification and forensic data if an accident is detected. The GO7 has an expansion port, allowing peripherals to be added if needed. I feel that the GO7 is an advanced solution that could help businesses increase its fleet efficiency.

The GO7 could utilise its GPS tracking ability to provide alternate course to routes that are affected by traffic or weather, reducing fuel and time wastage. Its ability to transmit data about the vehicle will allows for timely maintenance of the fleet, reducing down time of vehicle. The article “Aberdeen Group's GPS tracking study key facts” (Mark, 2016) mentions numerous benefits of a GPS tracking system. An average decrease of 13.2% and 13.4% in fuel expenditure and overtime could be achieved by using “location intelligence”. The article also states that the operating cost of a vehicle can be cut by 10.4%. The average operating cost per vehicle was 33 cents a mile and with a yearly mileage of 33243, savings of $1100 per vehicle per annum could be achieved. These savings would justify the investment in the telematics device. There are other telematics products available on the market, one being the TomTom Link 410. The features of the Link 410 are similar to the GO7. The Link 410 however, requires a Link 105 add-on devices to monitor engine information. The GO7 is able to better integrate multiple feature into a single device, compared to its competitors. Therefore, the GO7 is an advanced telematics device that helps improves efficiency.

References:

Mark Cullen (2016). Aberdeen Group's GPS tracking study key facts. Retrieved October 6, 2016 from: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/aberdeen-groups-gps-tracking-study-key-facts-mark-cullen

Geotab (2016). Geotab GO7 brochure. Retrieved October 6, 2016 from: https://www.geotab.com/wp-content/themes/geotab-template/resources/doc/Geotab-Brochure.pdf

TomTom(2016). Retrieved October 6 2016 from: https://telematics.tomtom.com/en_gb/webfleet/products/link/

Product Summary Draft

The GO7 made by Geotab has features like cellular modem and GPS with built in antennas, and an accelerometer. It is able to transmit highly detailed information from the vehicle regarding the engine, drivetrain, on-board instruments, and other subsystems. It is compatible with most types of vehicles from manufactured around the world. It is easy to install; just plug it directly into the vehicle’s OBDII port or adapter. A mount also allows other vehicle types to be connected. Once you start driving, real time data will be transmitted to you. Geotab GO7 collect data of driving habits and collects information of the vehicle and update the driver if it requires any maintenance. Other than collecting data, Geotab GO7 also guides the driver with feedback on their driving if it's deem unsafe. Notification through email or desktop alert can be set if Geotab GO7 detect an accident. Forensic data will be sent on suspected accident, including reverse collision. I feel that his product is useful for fleet managers to mange their vehicle.

Geotab Inc(2016)Geotab GO7. Available from https://www.geotab.com/wp-content/themes/geotab-template/resources/doc/Geotab-Brochure.pdf