- Telematics has evolved rapidly in the past decade from basic GPS tracking to digitizing entire vehicles and handling large amounts of data. However, confusion remains about what telematics can and should do. - The Transport Certification Australia (TCA) oversees the telematics industry and aims to provide assurance and guidance during its evolution. TCA sees increasing interest from governments and realization of opportunities from telematics. - The introduction of the Electronic Work Diary in 2017 could significantly impact the industry by consolidating technologies and merging hardware, with telematics handling tracking, entertainment, administration and more through a single interface. This may lead telematics into its next phase of evolution.

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SPECIAL REPORT
42 july 2016
T
here is hardly a segment within
Australia’s commercial road
transport industry that has
evolved more rapidly than
telematics: A mere decade after GPS
tracking was made more widely available
to a civilian audience, it has shaken off
the start-up vibe that once surrounded
it and is now firmly considered a big
ticket item. But, that doesn’t mean the
concept of telematics, or the vast and
fragmented marketplace it has created,
have reached maturity yet, according to
Transport Certification Australia (TCA), the
nation’s governing body for the telematics
community.
Established in 2005, TCA was created to
oversee the evolution of the young industry
and provide assurance to governments,
industry sectors and end-users that the
new technology would lead to “improved
surface transport outcomes in productivity,
safety and efficiency”, as the organisation
puts it. Since then, transport businesses
were able to observe the market grow
and mature in various stages, with TCA
providing regulatory guidance where
needed, but also encouraging industry-
driven course corrections in line with the
evolution of technology itself. As such,
the concept of telematics has evolved
dramatically over a very short period
of time, to a point where we can now
digitise a whole vehicle instead of just
tracking a dot on a map. But, there’s still
a lot of confusion around what a modern
telematics can and can’t do, and what it
should and shouldn’t be doing.
According to TCA Chief Executive Offer,
Chris Koniditsiotis, we’re only just
reaching a state where we fully appreciate
that complexity: “From a government
perspective, there has been a dramatic
increase in the level of interest, and a
realisation of opportunities available from,
the use of telematics to achieve improve
public outcomes,” he says. “This has
resulted in TCA becoming a cross-cutting
organisation that traverses a growing
number of policy areas and industry sectors
– not just limited to heavy vehicles per se.”
The reason for the confusion Chris is
seeing in the telematics space is not just
due to the interdisciplinary nature of the
technology, which is making it increasingly
complex to grasp, but also to an
unparalleled influx of businesses trying to
benefit on the boom, he says. “Telematics
has seen steady growth since the first in-
vehicle GPS devices have become available
to the general public after the turn of
the century,” he explains. “It basically
picked up where GPS left off and created a
service network around that basic tracking
function, and with it a whole new value
proposition.”
During what some describe as the first true
growth phase of telematics in Australia,
experts like Chris say there was a sense
of exploration in the air that led to a
chaotic, yet highly innovative environment
with high market entry barriers both on
a technological and financial level. But
with the technology slowly maturing
and hardware becoming less pricey at a
wholesale level, telematics quickly became
more mainstream. After 2010 – coinciding
with the rise of the smart phone – the
number of vendors in Australia virtually
exploded, marking a second stage of
extremely dynamic growth. Now we’re
reaching stage three, where both the
technology and those who sell and support
it actually have to prove a business case to
an increasingly literate market. It’s about
handling data now, not just accumulating
it. Chris says the comversation now
revolves around data and not just ‘black
boxes’ in vehicles.
WITHTHE ADVENT OFTHE ELECTRONIC WORK DIARY, BOTH GOVERNMENTS AND
INDUSTRY STAKEHOLDERS ARE EXPECTING MORE FROMTHETELEMATICS SECTOR.
BUT IS IT READY FORTHE NEXT EVOLUTIONARILY LEAP?
W E L C O M E T O T H E
FUT UREStory by Sebastian Grote
FAST FACT
In what could be a game-changing
development for the commercial
road transport industry, 2017 will see
the introduction of the Electronic
Work Diary (EWD) as a voluntary
alternative to traditional, written
work diaries.“TCA and the National
HeavyVehicle Regulator are working
together to implement government-
related activities for the EWD, with
the aim of opening the door for
applicants seeking certification to
become an EWD Service Provider
during 2017,” saysTCA CEO, Chris
Koniditsiotis, pointing out that
commercial fatigue management
systems are typically co-located with
other telematics-enabled services.
“Telematics-based services ... enable
transport operators to better
manage the safety performance of
heavy vehicles and drivers.”

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SPECIAL REPORT
44 july 2016
The organisation he heads up was
formed in response to the emerging, yet
previously unmet need by governments
to establish a sustainable approach to
the use of telematics in such a dynamic
and fast-evolving business environment
and is now needed “more than ever”
to oversee the on-going maturation
of the marketplace, he says. As such,
TCA’s functions transcend policy
streams, surface transport modes and
government portfolios, he emphasises:
“In the past, there has not always been
clear, consumer-focussed information
available, so we need to find a way to
assure the market that data is handled
responsibly, and put performance-based
functional and technical guidelines in
place for the hardware that processed it,
without political agendas compromising
the process.”
Chris is acutely aware that any
technology boom will ultimately disrupt
the established ways of doing business
and create a new complexity with a
range of traps for the unweary. For that
very reason, TCA has not opted for a
traditional regulatory approach, but
instead developed a National Telematics
Framework, taking on a “pro-market
perspective” eto nsure that there is
competition and choice, and to enable
continuous innovation and the adoption
of the latest technology.
“TCA’s approach has not been
dissimilar to the approach adopted for
Performance-Based Standards (PBS)
vehicles,” he elaborates. “We focus on
outcomes rather than prescribing a
technological masterplan. As such, some
may be surprised to learn that we’re
highly technology agnostic. That is, we
don’t prescribe what kind of technology
to use. We leave this to the market so it
can drive competition and innovation
from within.”
According to Chris, each telematics
provider has the opportunity to deliver
what he calls a “functional and technical
outcome” in different ways: “What the
Framework provides is not a technical
solution, but a new way for the telematics
sector, governments and end-user of
telematics to do business after going
through such a rapid growth phase.”
He adds, “The industry is not slowing
down. We constantly see providers of
telematics services here in Australia
adopting leading edge technology and
innovation, and we actively encourage it.
We’re merely setting the scene for them
and letting the end-user decide.”
According to Chris, the telematics
market has evolved much like the smart
phone one, “with a steady stream of new
functions being added to a point where
we now theoretically have access to all
our data, all of the time. Just like my
phone is now able to track my health,
for example, telematics is reaching a
point where it can talk to the CANbus
and predict an air leak – effectively
facilitating a whole new form of
preventative maintenance.”
The TCA’s role is to ensure that core
functionality is not impacted by any new
fatures that may be added by providers
as technology advances, he explains.
“Sometimes, new approaches to meeting
functional and technical requirements
can be challenging, especially if we’ve
not had experience with them before.
But we’re open to the challenge.”
So what’s next for Australia’s telematics
community? According to Chris,
Australia is likely to take on a leading
role internationally as previously
separate technologies begin to merge as
part of one In-Vehicle Unit (IVU) during
the next phase of telematics evolution –
which some say could be a direct result
of TCA’s innovation-driven laissez-faire
policy, even though actual performance
outcomes still need to be assessed.
“Australia, due to its relatively small
market size, was forced to go down a
path, which enabled regulatory and
non-regulatory services to be ‘co-located’
through a single in-vehicle device, and
that’s where we’re headed now. This
means that costs can be contained,
and like a smartphone, you can use a
telematics system for multiple purposes.”
The imminent arrival of the Electronic
Work Diary (EWD) in 2017 could
sharpen the situation dramatically,
he says. “We’re reaching a phase
of consolidation where existing
technologies will be merging quite
rapidly, especially in the hardware space.
It has started in the automobile industry
and it will quickly spread into trucking,
too. I believe telematics, entertainment
and admin will soon be run via the same
interface.”
The challenge, Chris says, is in keeping the
one central interface “tamper-evident” and
accurate. “People often make the mistake of
thinking the technology we now have access
to, for example in the smart phone space, is
fool proof and unsusceptible to tampering
or interrogation, even though it is not. Next
gen IVUs with EWD functionality will be
able to overcome these shortcomings.”
Technically the framework for the next
step in telematics history already exists, he
points out. In late 2013, TCA released a
‘Functional and Technical Specification for
Telematics IVUs’. It responded to the notion
of telematics IVUs being used for tracking,
navigation, fleet management, safety and
the management of regulatory requirements
instead of just tracing alone, and sets out
the core requirements to ensure reliability,
integrity and security.
Using the Specification, Chris says
stakeholders were able go to market “with
far greater confidence”, and users were
empowered to make comparisons between
different IVU types. “But, the Specification
still relied on consumers taking the word of
the suppliers of Telematics IVUs, and lacked
the assurance that comes with independent
assessment, so we new had to go one step
further.”
In 2014, TCA subsequently responded to
calls to introduce a type-approval process
for telematics IVUs. Since then, a whole
range of suppliers have reportedly expressed
interest in submitting their telematics IVUs
for independent assessment against the
Functional and Technical Specification,
and Chris says a number of them now have
hardware in different stages of the type-
approval process.
“Over time, we expect to see a number of
different type-approved telematics IVUs
available in the marketplace. As a direct
result, the consumer will have more
influence on where progress is headed,
so the balance of power is shifting.”
According to Chris, TCA is effectively
acting as a consumer advocate in that
constellation to make sure users receive
the service they demand, within the legal
framework. “Everyone knows a war story
about telematics. Type-approved telematics
IVUs are meant to make these a thing of
the past. We’re effectively making sure
that each product out there is able to meet
certain minimum functional and technical
requirements, which is common practice in
a lot of areas. You wouldn’t want your child
to wear a bike helmet that hasn’t been crash
tested, right?”
While IVUs may be able to set a new
standard and lift technology to a new level
over the long-term, it may not be able
to fix any legacy issues stemming from
transport businesses being oversold on the
technology in the past, though. Responding
to industry’s concerns that existing hardware
may not be recognised for regulatory
telematics applications anymore, TCA
therefore also developed a so-called ‘Entry
Options’ initiative.
“The Entry Options initiative provides
transport operators with the opportunity to
gain an independent, unbiased assessment
of their existing technology against key
technical and functional requirements
demanded by Australian governments,”
Chris says, noting the 25,000 or so IVUs
already installed in Australian heavy
vehicles that meet the requirements of the
Intelligent Access Program (IAP) Functional
and Technical Specification may well be
suitable to pass the test – often with some
minor amendments only.
As such, the pathway for industry to break
into a new era of telematics literacy may
finally be cleared. “While not all transport
operators need regulatory telematics
applications, it is pleasing to see that
the industry is making IVU procurement
decisions with a focus on value for money
and performance,” says Chris, relaying
back to TCA’s competition-based approach
to regulating the market.
“A next gen IVU should be easily updatable
to be able to deal with new regulatory
provisions like On-Board Mass (OBM)
systems, Intelligent Speed Compliance
(ISC) and the much talked-about
Electronic Work Diary (EWD). Australia
is heading into a bright future with this
approach, and we’re curious to see how
the market will react.”
INTERVIEW
With telematics technology
developing in line with the
smartphone market, it’s hardly
surprising camera technology is also
in the spotlight. FleetSeek’s David
McIntosh on the next generation of
visual data management.
Q: The telematics market has gone
through a remarkable maturation
process since FleetSeek entered
the Australian telematics market
in 2008. In how far has the game
changed?
A: There has been massive change
over the past eight years, with
fleets now accepting and expecting
telematics technology in their
vehicles. Telematics has matured
and the resulting solutions offer a
lot more than just basic tracking,
as the hardware has improved and
interfaces are more streamlined and
integrated.
Q: How have you responded to that
development?
A: Luckily for FleetSeek we have our
own in-house hardware and software
developed, which has allowed us
to ensure we continued to innovate
and offer a point of difference. For
us, that point lies in reliability,
customer support, and being able
to offer what’s really useful to fleets.
There’s so much more than just GPS
tracking, and real-time video is one
of our core focus areas.
Q: How do you see the camera
trend evolve going forward?
A: We think it will continue to evolve
very quickly over next 12 months,
with fleets wanting to replace current
SD card-based cameras and moving
on to integrated solutions like what
we offer. It will be important that
fleets do their research and find
suppliers that really deliver on what
they promise.
FAST FACT
Australian start-up BIGmate is
currently working on the launch of
the first type-approved In-Vehicle
Unit (IVU) by a company that is not
already certified as an Intelligent
Access Program (IAP) Service
Provider byTCA.The IVU will
integrate both current and future
regulatory telematics applications
such as IAP and the Electronic
Work Diary (EWD).“This will be
the first stage of many as BIGmate
embarks on broader plans to obtain
certification for regulatory telematics
applications,” the company says.