eocomm

General Overview

GEOCOMM General Overview

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05/11/99

GEOCOMM service infrastructure has been developed by Telespazio to fulfil the main goal to set up a complete hardware and software standard platform to ensure easily and with a unique interface remote mobile satellite terminals with their respective Users Control Centre. GEOCOMM basic concept is to enable customers (in transportation, monitoring and personal communication market segments) to access different mobile communication networks (EUTELTRACS, ORBCOMM, EMSAT, INMARSAT satellite networks and the GSM terrestrial network) through a single user application interface, using electronic mail features to exchange messages, geographic data, reports and commands with the remote terminals. The main difference and improvement for GEOCOMM with respect to other existing products can be depicted as in the following scenario. At present a final user can acquire a fleet management system based on a single communication technology. These services are usually proprietary system based on a closed architecture. User can manage only Mobile Terminals (MT) of the same type. But if he has the needs in using different MTs, i.e. a GSM terminal for data transmission, he is obliged to use additional software, to be placed side by side with the already existing one, to handle it. Meanwhile, GEOCOMM Service enables the user in managing different technologies Mobile Terminals through the same user application platform. This means that user can add to his fleet Mobile Terminals of different technologies without affecting his application software. Through the GEOCOMM the remote user is able to: 1. Integrate his already existing different MTs (for examples EUTELTRACS and GSM) and manage them through the same user application platform. 2. Add new MTs choosing the most appropriate technologies to better fulfil his requirements without any needs in changing his user application platform: for example by choosing EUTELTRACS and GSM MTs on the trucks for free messages communication; ORBCOMM, which offers smaller and battery supplied MTs, on trailers and containers for
This document discloses subject matter in which Telespazio S.p.A. has proprietary rights. Recipients of this document shall not duplicate, use or disclosed, in whole or in part, information disclosed hereon except for or on behalf of Telespazio S.p.A. to fulfil the purpose for which the document was delivered to him

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monitoring and control applications (on board sensors status, remote command activation) etc. This approach is the most suitable and flexible and it gives the final user the possibility to work in a standardized environment using the most recent hardware and software technologies (Internet, E-mail, Windows). GEOCOMM overall architecture is simply described in fig. 1. In this figure it is well indicated that the GEOCOMM service operates as smart interface between final users and different mobile communication networks. It could act as special mail server inside the final user local area network or within an external application. The selected solution depends on final user information system structure and on the target network infrastructure accessibility. The GEOCOMM infrastructure can be implemented configurations, depending on the operational context. in different

It could be used by the customer for remote monitoring & control operations in a single stand alone configuration (small companies), in a local area networks (small/medium-sized companies) or distributed along wide area networks for (large-sized companies). It could also be installed directly to the target network control centres (GEOCOMM Engine Service Centre - Telespazio Lario Ground Station for Italy) as well as service provider centres (National, Regional or Local providers of transport tailored services).

This document discloses subject matter in which Telespazio S.p.A. has proprietary rights. Recipients of this document shall not duplicate, use or disclosed, in whole or in part, information disclosed hereon except for or on behalf of Telespazio S.p.A. to fulfil the purpose for which the document was delivered to him

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LAN /WAN Customer Site

GeoComm clients and Customer Information System clients

Application Center Site (e.g. Security Control)

GeoComm client

GEOCOMM Engine Service Center

Alarm Mailbox

Connection Manager

LAN / WAN

Customer Information System server

GeoComm server

GeoComm or User Defined Prot. ORBCOMM Gateway Access SMTP/POP3/HTTP TCP/Ip PPP/PPTP PSTN/ISDN Internet

Custom. Mail boxes

Monitor &

Web Pages

Control DBMS Network Parser Comm. modules

Web Browser (Explorer, Netscape)

Web Customer Site

GeoComm client

GSM ORBCOMM Euteltracs EMSAT

INMARSAT

Stand alone Customer Site

User Data Terminals

Fig. 1 GEOCOMM Overall Architecture

The interconnection between GEOCOMM Engine services and GEOCOMM end-users application software at the Customer site can be made by Internet or through direct connections over digital and analog lines using internetworking protocol, mail protocols for data and message transfer or specific application protocols. Referring to fig.1, the GEOCOMM Engine Service Center is mainly in charge of: - allowing the bi-directional communication between remote user using standard POP3/SMTP clients and the remote mobile terminals belonging to the specific TLC networks; - allowing to manage the authorised user to log into the system and to use its services; While the GEOCOMM end-users application software at the Customer Site is mainly in charge of: - sending and receiving communications to remote terminals through GEOCOMM Engine using standard POP3/SMTP E-mail protocols;
This document discloses subject matter in which Telespazio S.p.A. has proprietary rights. Recipients of this document shall not duplicate, use or disclosed, in whole or in part, information disclosed hereon except for or on behalf of Telespazio S.p.A. to fulfil the purpose for which the document was delivered to him

GEOCOMM General Overview

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- managing, typically in a LAN environment, the authorised user handling and configuration; - displaying the geographical positions contained in the received communications onto a digital user predefined map. Telespazio has followed the following standard in developing the GEOCOMM service infrastructure: Software development: Object oriented and visual programming languages (C++, Java, Visual Basic...) Hardware (minimum configuration): Intel processor-based Servers and Personal Computers Operating systems: Microsoft Windows NT Microsoft Windows 95/98 Internetworking protocols and mechanisms: TCP/IP POP3/SMTP for mailing HTTP for web accessibility Sockets Client-server architecture Cartographic data management: ESRI MapObjects Database Management System Microsoft Access Microsoft SQL Server Communication Modules EUTELTRACS ORBCOMM EMSAT INMARSAT-C

This document discloses subject matter in which Telespazio S.p.A. has proprietary rights. Recipients of this document shall not duplicate, use or disclosed, in whole or in part, information disclosed hereon except for or on behalf of Telespazio S.p.A. to fulfil the purpose for which the document was delivered to him

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GSM (at the moment only the VIASAT system is supported; VIASAT is a service offered through a Telespazio partecipated company for cars/trucks location mainly for anti-theft purposes using GSM/GPS technology). In the following figures, some relevant features of GEOCOMM v. 2 application at the Customer site are shown.

Fig. 2 GEOCOMM Position Displaying

In fig. 2 some geographic positions received from a mobile terminal are shown. In this GEOCOMM operator view, vector road and main places maps from AND Data B.V. are used.

This document discloses subject matter in which Telespazio S.p.A. has proprietary rights. Recipients of this document shall not duplicate, use or disclosed, in whole or in part, information disclosed hereon except for or on behalf of Telespazio S.p.A. to fulfil the purpose for which the document was delivered to him

GEOCOMM General Overview

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Fig. 3 GEOCOMM Cartographic Database Configuration DeAgostini Italian RoadAtlas

In fig. 3 and 4 some examples of additional raster maps, respectively from DeAgostini Italian Road Atlas and Hamburg Map, are shown. Through this GEOCOMM administrator view, is possible to configure all cartographic database, specifically related to the scope or the geographic area of interest of the services operated by the Customer.

This document discloses subject matter in which Telespazio S.p.A. has proprietary rights. Recipients of this document shall not duplicate, use or disclosed, in whole or in part, information disclosed hereon except for or on behalf of Telespazio S.p.A. to fulfil the purpose for which the document was delivered to him

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Fig. 4 GEOCOMM Cartographic Database Configuration Hamburg Harbour Map

The following figures 5 and 6 show how to compose and read communications exchanged between the Customer Control Center and the Mobile Terminals. Criteria used to design and implement these features are based on the conventional electronic mailing. As described, every Mobile Terminal is addressable as a simple e-mail recipient, minimizing cost of the training to the operators and virtually extending the Customer Information System also to the remote assets.

This document discloses subject matter in which Telespazio S.p.A. has proprietary rights. Recipients of this document shall not duplicate, use or disclosed, in whole or in part, information disclosed hereon except for or on behalf of Telespazio S.p.A. to fulfil the purpose for which the document was delivered to him

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Fig. 5 GEOCOMM Message Composing

Fig. 6 GEOCOMM Message Reading

This document discloses subject matter in which Telespazio S.p.A. has proprietary rights. Recipients of this document shall not duplicate, use or disclosed, in whole or in part, information disclosed hereon except for or on behalf of Telespazio S.p.A. to fulfil the purpose for which the document was delivered to him

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For more information on GEOCOMM: TELESPAZIO SpA Mobile Satellite Services 71, Via Stanislao Cannizzaro I-00156 Rome (Italy) Phone: +39-06-4079-3641 +39-06-4079-3365 +39-0344-93-243 Fax: +39-06-4079-3894 E-mail: sem @ telespazio.it Web: www.telespazio.it GEOCOMM and GEOCOMM logos are registered trade marks of Telespazio in the European Union. Telespazio SpA 2000 - All Rights Reserved

This document discloses subject matter in which Telespazio S.p.A. has proprietary rights. Recipients of this document shall not duplicate, use or disclosed, in whole or in part, information disclosed hereon except for or on behalf of Telespazio S.p.A. to fulfil the purpose for which the document was delivered to him