LOGISTICAL MANAGEMENT OF FIELD WORK

• US 20130093604A1
• Filed: 10/13/2011
• Published: 04/18/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Highstrom, Matthew M., Grost, Timothy J., Gellatly, Andrew W.
• Application Number:
  US13/272,549
• Publication Number:
  US 20130093604A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/990
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/202 Dispatching vehicles on the basis of a location, e.g. taxi dispatching

Abstract

Implementing a resource tracking service includes searching a database in response to a request for a resource from a first vehicle, retrieving a record from the database that is identified with the resource, the record mapped to a second vehicle. Implementing a resource tracking service also includes determining a geographic location of the second vehicle, and populating a navigation system map at the first vehicle with an icon reflecting the geographic location of the second vehicle.

Claims

1. A system for implementing resource tracking services, comprising:

a computer processor; and

logic executable by the computer processor, the logic configured to implement a method, the method comprising;

searching a database in response to a request for a resource, the request received from a first vehicle;

retrieving a record from the database that is identified with the resource, the record mapped to a second vehicle;

determining a geographic location of the second vehicle; and

populating a navigation system map at the first vehicle with an icon reflecting the geographic location of the second vehicle.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

automatically initiating a communication between the first vehicle and the second vehicle.

3. The system of claim 2, further comprising:

building the database, comprising;

receiving vehicle information for the first vehicle and the second vehicle, the vehicle information including a vehicle identifier and a communication address of each of the first vehicle and the second vehicle;

receiving inventory information for the first vehicle and the second vehicle; and

populating the database with the vehicle information and the inventory information;

wherein automatically initiating the communication is implemented by retrieving the communication address from the record and executing the communication using the communication address.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the inventory information includes equipment loaded into and disposed within the first vehicle and the second vehicle.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the resource includes at least one of the second vehicle and the equipment of the second vehicle.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein building the database further includes:

receiving a vehicle type associated with each of the first vehicle and the second vehicle, wherein the request for the resource comprises a request for a vehicle having the vehicle type.

7. The system of claim 3, wherein receiving inventory information for the first vehicle and the second vehicle includes receiving encoded data representing the inventory information via a scanning device, the encoded data affixed to corresponding inventory items.

8. A method for implementing resource tracking services, comprising:

searching a database in response to a request for a resource, the request received from a first vehicle;

retrieving a record from the database that is identified with the resource, the record mapped to a second vehicle;

determining a geographic location of the second vehicle; and

populating a navigation system map at the first vehicle with an icon reflecting the geographic location of the second vehicle.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

automatically initiating a communication between the first vehicle and the second vehicle.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

building the database, comprising;

receiving vehicle information for the first vehicle and the second vehicle, the vehicle information including a vehicle identifier and a communication address of each of the first vehicle and the second vehicle;

receiving inventory information for the first vehicle and the second vehicle; and

populating the database with the vehicle information and the inventory information;

wherein automatically initiating the communication is implemented by retrieving the communication address from the record and executing the communication using the communication address.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the inventory information includes equipment loaded into and disposed within the first vehicle and the second vehicle.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the resource includes at least one of the second vehicle and the equipment of the second vehicle.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein building the database further includes:

receiving a vehicle type associated with each of the first vehicle and the second vehicle, wherein the request for the resource comprises a request for a vehicle having the vehicle type.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein receiving inventory information for the first vehicle and the second vehicle includes receiving encoded data representing the inventory information via a scanning device, the encoded data affixed to corresponding inventory items.

15. A computer program product for implementing resource tracking services, the computer program product comprising a storage medium embodied with computer-readable program instructions, which when executed by a computer, cause the computer to implement a method, the method comprising:

searching a database in response to a request for a resource, the request received from a first vehicle;

retrieving a record from the database that is identified with the resource, the record mapped to a second vehicle;

determining a geographic location of the second vehicle; and

populating a navigation system map at the first vehicle with an icon reflecting the geographic location of the second vehicle.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the method further comprises:

automatically initiating a communication between the first vehicle and the second vehicle.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, further comprising:

building the database, comprising;

receiving vehicle information for the first vehicle and the second vehicle, the vehicle information including a vehicle identifier and a communication address of each of the first vehicle and the second vehicle;

receiving inventory information for the first vehicle and the second vehicle; and

populating the database with the vehicle information and the inventory information;

wherein automatically initiating the communication is implemented by retrieving the communication address from the record and executing the communication using the communication address.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the inventory information includes equipment loaded into and disposed within the first vehicle and the second vehicle.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein the resource includes at least one of the second vehicle and the equipment of the second vehicle.

20. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein building the database further includes:

receiving a vehicle type associated with each of the first vehicle and the second vehicle, wherein the request for the resource comprises a request for a vehicle having the vehicle type.