Srinagar, Mar 17: Ever thought of keeping track of a vehicle’s status— about its location, speed and fuel level— right from your home or any place in the globe? Well, the J&K government has taken a leap in using a sophisticated technology which can give real time information about a selected vehicle.
 To start with, the government has installed modified version of Black Boxes linked with Global Positioning System, originally used in aeroplanes, to keep track of the buses of J&K Tourism Development Corporation (JKTDC) which usually caters to the high-end tourists.
 Officials said the move has been made to provide better facilities at any place and anytime in the state especially to the tourists who avail the services of JKTDC.
 The status of the corporation’s fleet is being monitored by its senior officials through a real time website trackmaster.in, which provides basic details including speed, gear change location braking pattern fuel and engine oil status of a particular vehicle. The information gets recorded in the black boxes which simultaneously transmit it through GPS.
  “We take pride in being the first tourism corporation to use black boxes in the buses. Our endeavor is to reach our valued tourists at the earliest in case of breakdown of buses or other exigencies. There are several places in the State which don’t have mobile connectivity. However, the connectivity of black boxes with GPS will enable us to keep track of our fleet,” Managing Director, JKTDC Satish Nehru, told Greater Kashmir.
 Officials said the technology will enable the JKTDC to reduce the risk of road accidents and track driving habits in order to improve Corporation’s safety records.
 “The black box vehicle management system is a GPS based system that allows an authorized person to observe their entire fleet in real time by giving them access to customized productivity reports and helping them maintain constant contact with their vehicles to optimize efficiency. The black boxes as in case of aeroplanes, can provide vital information in case of any mishap involving our vehicles. Besides, we can check the misuse of our fleet and check fuel utilization to ensure transparency” said JKTDC’s General Manager (Administration and Travel Division), Shamim Ahmad.
 He said in case of any emergency, the alarm will be received by the officials who are designated to keep a track on the vehicles. “The black boxes have a unique feature which is called geo-fencing. This feature which directly control the engine, allows the vehicle to move only on a programmed route or particular area. If a driver tries to move off the designated area, the vehicle will automatically stop,” Shamim said.

Lastupdate on : Thu, 17 Mar 2011 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Thu, 17 Mar 2011 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Fri, 18 Mar 2011 00:00:00 IST