LESSON 15

TELECOMMUNICATION

Telecommunication is the transmission of information by various types of technologies

over wire, radio, optical or other electromagnetic systems. It has its origin in the desire of humans
for communication over a distance greater than that feasible with the human voice, but with a
similar scale of expediency; thus, slow systems (such as postal mail) are excluded from the field.

The transmission media in telecommunication have evolved through numerous stages of

technology, from beacons and other visual signals (such as smoke signals, semaphore
telegraphs, signal flags, and optical heliographs), to electrical cable and electromagnetic radiation,
including light. Such transmission paths are often divided into communication channels, which
afford the advantages of multiplexing multiple concurrent communication
sessions. Telecommunication is often used in its plural form, because it involves many different
technologies.

Other examples of pre-modern long-distance communication included audio messages, such as

coded drumbeats, lung-blown horns, and loud whistles. 20th- and 21st-century technologies for
long-distance communication usually involve electrical and electromagnetic technologies, such
as telegraph, telephone, television and teleprinter, networks, radio, microwave
transmission, optical fiber, and communications satellites.

A revolution in wireless communication began in the first decade of the 20th century with the
pioneering developments in radio communications by Guglielmo Marconi, who won the Nobel
Prize in Physics in 1909, and other notable pioneering inventors and developers in the field of
electrical and electronic telecommunications. These included Charles Wheatstone and Samuel
Morse (inventors of the telegraph),

Antonio Meucci and Alexander Graham Bell (some of the inventors and developers of the
telephone, see Invention of the telephone), Edwin Armstrong and Lee de Forest (inventors of
radio), as well as Vladimir K. Zworykin, John Logie Baird and Philo Farnsworth (some of the
inventors of television).

According to Article 1.3 of the Radio Regulations (RR), telecommunication is defined

as « Any transmission, emission or reception of signs, signals, writings, images and sounds or
intelligence of any nature by wire, radio, optical or other electromagnetic systems. This definition
is identical to those contained in the Annex to the Constitution and Convention of the International
Telecommunication Union (Geneva, 1992).

TELEMATICS

Telematics is an interdisciplinary field that encompasses telecommunications, vehicular

technologies (road transport, road safety, etc.), electrical engineering (sensors,
instrumentation, wireless communications, etc.), and computer science (multimedia, Internet,
etc.). Telematics can involve any of the following:

Lexus Gen V navigation system

 The technology of sending, receiving and storing information using telecommunication

devices to control remote objects
 The integrated use of telecommunications and informatics for application in vehicles and
to control vehicles on the move
 Global navigation satellite system technology integrated with computers and mobile
communications technology in automotive navigation systems
 (Most narrowly) the use of such systems within road vehicles, also called vehicle
telematics

History
Telematics is a translation of the French word télématique which was first coined by Simon
Nora and Alain Minc in a 1978 report to the French government on the computerization of society.
It referred to the transfer of information over telecommunications and was a portmanteau blending
the French words télécommunications ("telecommunications") and informatique ("computing
science"). The original broad meaning of telematics continues to be used in academic fields but in
commerce it now generally means vehicle telematics.

Vehicle Telematics

The convergence of telecommunications and information processing, the term later evolved to
refer to automation in automobiles, such as the invention of the emergency warning system for
vehicles. GPS navigation, integrated hands-free cell phones, wireless safety communications and
automatic driving assistance systems all are covered under the telematics umbrella.

The science of telecommunications and informatics applied in wireless technologies and

computational systems. 802.11p, the IEEE standard in the 802.11 family and also referred to
as Wireless Access for the Vehicular Environment (WAVE), is the primary standard that addresses
and enhances Intelligent Transport System.

Vehicle Tracking

Vehicle tracking is monitoring the location, movements, status and behaviour of a vehicle or fleet
of vehicles. This is achieved through a combination of a GPS (GNSS) receiver and an electronic
device (usually comprising a GSM GPRS modem or SMS sender) installed in each vehicle,
communicating with the user (dispatching, emergency or co-ordinating unit) and PC-based or web-
based software. The data is turned into information by management reporting tools in conjunction
with a visual display on computerised mapping software. Vehicle tracking systems may also
use odometry or dead reckoning as an alternative or complementary means of navigation.

GPS tracking is usually accurate to around 10–20 metres, but the European Space Agency has
developed the EGNOS technology to provide accuracy to 1.5 metres.

Trailer Tracking

Trailer tracking is tracking the movements and position of an articulated vehicle's trailer unit,
through the use of a location unit fitted to the trailer and a method of returning the position data
via mobile communication network, IOT (Internet of things) or geostationary satellite
communications, for use through either PC- or web-based software.

Cold-store freight trailers that deliver fresh or frozen foods are increasingly incorporating
telematics to gather time-series data on the temperature inside the cargo container, both to trigger
alarms and record an audit trail for business purposes. An increasingly sophisticated array of
sensors, many incorporating RFID technology, is being used to ensure the cold chain.

Container Tracking

Freight containers can be tracked by GPS using a similar approach to that used for trailer tracking
i.e. a battery-powered GPS device communicating its position via mobile phone or satellite
communications. Benefits of this approach include increased security and the possibility to
reschedule the container transport movements based on accurate information about its location.

According to Berg Insight the installed base of tracking units in the intermodal shipping container
segment reached 190,000 at the end of 2013. Growing at a compound annual growth rate of 38.2
percent, the installed base will reach 960,000 units at the end of 2018.

Fleet Management

Fleet management is the management of a company's fleet. Fleet management includes the
management of ships and or motor vehicles such as cars, vans and trucks. Fleet (vehicle)
Management can include a range of functions, such as vehicle financing, vehicle maintenance,
vehicle telematics (tracking and diagnostics), driver management, fuel management, health and
safety management and dynamic vehicle scheduling.

Fleet Management is a function which allows companies that rely on transport in their business to
remove or minimize the risks associated with vehicle investment, improving efficiency,
productivity and reducing their overall transport costs, providing 100% compliance with
government legislation and Duty of Care obligations. These functions can either be dealt with by
an in-house Fleet Management department or an outsourced Fleet Management provider.

Satellite Navigation

Satellite navigation in the context of vehicle telematics is the technology of using a GPS and
electronic mapping tool to enable the driver of a vehicle to locate a position, plan a route and
navigate a journey.

Mobile Data

Mobile data is the use of wireless data communications using radio waves to send and receive real
time computer data to, from and between devices used by field based personnel. These devices can
be fitted solely for use while in the vehicle (Fixed Data Terminal) or for use in and out of the
vehicle (Mobile Data Terminal). See mobile Internet.

The common methods for mobile data communication for telematics was based on private vendors
RF communication infrastructure. During the early 2000, manufacturers of mobile data
terminals/AVL devices, moved to try cellular data communication in order to offer cheaper ways
to transmit telematics information and wider range based on the country full coverage of cellular
providers. Ever since then, thanks to the cellular providers that offered low GPRS (2.5G) and later
UMTS (3G) rates, mobile data is almost totally offered to telematics customers by cellular
communication.
 LESSON 16

ENTERPRISE INFORMATION SYSTEM

An Enterprise Information System (EIS) is any kind of information system which improves the
functions of enterprise business processes by integration. This means typically offering high
quality of service, dealing with large volumes of data and capable of supporting some large and
possibly complex organization or enterprise. An EIS must be able to be used by all parts and all
levels of an enterprise.

The word enterprise can have various connotations. Frequently the term is used only to refer to
very large organizations such as multi-national companies or public-sector organizations.
However, the term may be used to mean virtually anything, by virtue of it having become a
corporate-speak buzzword.

Purpose

Enterprise information systems provide a technology platform that enables organizations

to integrate and coordinate their business processes on a robust foundation. An EIS is currently
used in conjunction with customer relationship management and supply chain management to
automate business processes.

An enterprise information system provides a single system that is central to the organization that
ensures information can be shared across all functional levels and management hierarchies.

An EIS can be used to increase business productivity and reduce service cycles, product
development cycles and marketing life cycles. It may be used to amalgamate existing applications.
Other outcomes include higher operational efficiency and cost savings.

Financial value is not usually a direct outcome from the implementation of an enterprise
information system.

Design stage

At the design stage the main characteristic of EIS efficiency evaluation is the probability of timely
delivery of various messages such as command, service, etc.

OFFICE AUTOMATION

Office automation refers to the varied computer machinery and software used to digitally create,
collect, store, manipulate, and relay office information needed for accomplishing basic tasks. Raw
data storage, electronic transfer, and the management of electronic business information comprise
the basic activities of an office automation system. Office automation helps in optimizing or
automating existing office procedures.

The backbone of office automation is a LAN, which allows users to transfer data, mail and even
voice across the network. All office functions, including dictation, typing, filing,
copying, fax, Telex, microfilm and records management, telephone and telephone switchboard
operations, fall into this category. Office automation was a popular term in the 1970s and 1980s
as the desktop computer exploded onto the scene.

Advantages are:

 Office automation can get many tasks accomplished faster.

 It eliminates the need for a large staff.
 Less storage is required to store data.
 Multiple people can update data simultaneously in the event of changes in schedule.

Outline
Businesses can easily purchase and stock their wares with the aid of technology. Many of the
manual tasks that used to be done by hand can now be done through hand held devices
and UPC and SKU coding. In the retail setting, automation also increases choice. Customers can
easily process their payments through automated credit card machines and no longer have to wait
in line for an employee to process and manually type in the credit card numbers.

Office payrolls have been automated which means no one has to manually cut checks, and those
checks that are cut can be printed through computer programs. Direct deposit can be automatically
set up and this further reduces the manual process and most employees who participate in direct
deposit often find their paychecks come earlier than if they'd have to wait for their checks to be
written and then cleared by the bank.

Other ways automation has reduced employee manpower on tasks is automated voice direction.
Through the use of prompts, automated phone menus and directed calls, the need for employees
to be dedicated to answer the phones has been reduced, and in some cases, eliminated.