This paper describes a PC-based Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL) system which has been developed for the control of freight and fleet operations. The system configuration is described. It consists of dead-reckoning, map matching, Global Positioning System (GPS), Differential GPS (DGPS) and Radio Frequency (RF) communication. Based on given equipment and users' budget, the system can be readily configured into a basic AVL (dead-reckoning with or without map matching), a GPS-based AVL, a DGPS-based AVL, a hybrid (ground and satellites based) AVL with GPS, and a hybrid AVL with DGPS. Since the system is implemented on a personal computer, it is easy for users to use readily available computers. Furthermore, this system has been implemented and tested in real environments. Brief details of the test results are also provided. (A)
Samenvatting