Masternaut is a company that seems to keep on innovating when it comes to their front-facing telematics products, with the latest one, titled the Masternaut Pro, coming with a mix-up of telematics tracking hardware/software and satellite navigation, putting it all in one, neat, in-car package.
The plan is to provide drivers and fleet managers with a one-stop-shop solution for all of their navigation and telematics needs, without having to resort to multiple devices, from multiple providers that may not interact well together. By combining it all in to one piece of hardware, Masternaut not only saves on space, but also cuts back on data transmission requirements, making it more useful in poorly connected areas.
However since the Masternaut pro is designed as both an input and output piece of kit, it can also go much further than traditional telematics offerings. Beyond allowing fleet managers and insurers to keep an eye on what the driver in question is doing, how they are driving, their fuel economy, etc., it can also allow for two way messaging, which again cuts back on hardware. Why provide an enterprise smartphone, when you can just use the Masternaut Pro? It’s certainly far cheaper for fleet operators, and gives them a great way to send delivery information straight to the driver.
The operator can even send through information like a point of interest, an address, or a phone number, all of which the driver can then select – using the touchscreen display – for an automated function. In the case of a phone number, it could ring automatically or in the case of an address or point of interest, the navigation tool can immediately start telling them where to go.
The only worrying part of such a system would be if a driver happened to leave the vehicle for a long period of time, but if that was the case, the fleet manager would know what it was anyway.
Like other telematics solutions, the Masternaut Pro also provides on demand, real-time feedback for fleet managers and drivers about the quality of the driving, as well as vehicle statistics like fuel usage and CO2 emissions. These can be anaylsed over time to see when a vehicle might be in need of a service, or the driver in-need of training to improve their driving to make it safer, or more economical.
Some of the more advanced features of the Masternaut Pro include real-time, 3D map visualisation, which can help find some of the more hard to reach places out there. There’s also turn by turn voice instructions, and advanced route planning, which can let managers and drivers heavily customise any particular route, allowing for human intuition or other sources of information to help create the ideal route to a job site.
‘We’ve taken in-vehicle driver communication, navigation and telematics one step further with Pro. By taking some standard navigation and digital map technology, enhancing it, and then seamlessly integrating it into Masternaut Connect we believe we’ve created the most complete and integrated solution in the telematics industry,’ said Alex Rothwell, COO and CTO of Masternaut (via FleetWorld).
Anyone interested in making use of the advanced features available as part of the Masternaut Pro system, should contact Masternaut directly.
