not warranted by the nature of the illness or injury. The duplex
connection also enables two-way texting, as well as on-demand
location/status queries.
Users in the field can pair the inReach wirelessly via Bluetooth
with a smartphone or tablet using DeLorme’s free Earthmate
mobile app. Through the Earthmate app, the user can fully
control the inReach unit, which can be located up to 30 ft away.
Topographic map data and US NOAA charts can also be loaded
onto the mobile device using the Earthmate app. Text messaging
can be done directly from the mobile device, using the user’s own
address book.
The inReach devices weigh just 6.7 ounces. They are MIL STD
810F compliant and IP67 water rated. They consistently achieve
GPS accuracy within 5 m and 99.9% successful transmission rates,
even under dense tree cover, in valleys and other locations where
satellite visibility is restricted.
The first inReach products made their debut in late 2011. Since
then, over 70 000 units have been sold, primarily to retailers
serving the camping, hiking, climbing, hunting, fishing, boating and
flying consumer market segments. More than 40 million messages
and track points have been sent through the network. During the
peak season of 2014, inReach-assisted rescues averaged five per
week around the world.
Enterprise solutions
Buoyed by the proven success of inReach in the consumer
marketplace and surging demand from safety and security
managers in the corporate and government sectors, who are
requesting reliable, convenient and affordable solutions, DeLorme
is now focusing on enterprise solutions in vertical markets like oil/
gas, utilities, mining, forestry and telecommunications, as well as
disaster relief, law enforcement, medical teams and government
agencies with operations over wide areas beyond cellular coverage.
Earlier this year, the company announced the availability of
new enterprise plans and services, including a secure dedicated
enterprise portal for centralised management of deployed inReach
devices.
Using the DeLorme enterprise portal, the pipeline’s operation
centre can view, track and manage hundreds of inReach users
simultaneously from different locations, organise groups of users,
initiate or switch off remote tracking for any unit, adjust response
intervals, ping device locations, communicate via two-way text
messaging with individuals or teams and record tracks, locations
and messages. With team tracking, users in the field can monitor
each other’s locations and communicate directly via two-way
texting. Encrypted messaging is available as an option.
Each device can be preloaded with three canned messages,
such as ‘arrived on station’, ‘leaving site now’, ‘checking in, all
OK’, and the user can easily send and receive free-form text
messages. The operations centre can dynamically change GPS
tracking intervals for units in the field to as low as one minute, or
reset to longer intervals to conserve battery life. At standard 10
min. tracking intervals, an inReach will operate for about 100 hrs
between recharges. They can provide up to 30 days of battery
life when placed in a 30 min. extended tracking mode under
ideal conditions, and can be recharged in the field through a mini
USB port. DeLorme has tested and recommends Goal Zero solar
chargers when access to power is not available for extended
periods of time.
The DeLorme enterprise portal also enables easy integration
of inReach with the organisation’s existing command systems.
DeLorme offers an API tool for enterprise software developers,
allowing each organisation to customise the solution for its
specific needs. The company can create custom forms that can
be downloaded to mobile phones or tablets for data collection
in GIS applications, and integration with existing DeLorme XMap
enterprise applications.
SOS messages can be routed directly to the organisation’s
response centre, or to the GEOS international search-and-rescue
co-ordination centre, which has worldwide service capabilities.
Importantly, the two-way connection allows responders to
communicate via text messaging with the sender and see the
latest updated location of the worker or team throughout the
emergency.
DeLorme has created a range of flexible enterprise service
plans with use-based pricing. A system administrator can manage
groups, customise user IDs and monitor data usage for each group
or device.
In short, the inReach two-way satellite communicator with
DeLorme’s enterprise platform provides a powerful combination to
enhance safety and security of pipeline workers when beyond the
reach of cellular networks – at an affordable price.
Figure 3.
The control centre can monitor multiple teams
simultaneously. Teams in the field can see other teams’
movements and communicate with them via text messages.
Figure 4.
In the event of an emergency, inReach provides
two-way text messaging with search and rescue responders.
JULY 2015
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World Pipelines
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