May 21, 2019

Four ways for your business to benefit from API use

As we all get busier in our daily lives, at work or at home, we need to look at ways to achieve desired outcomes in less time.
We are also in a world of options. There are multiple ways to complete tasks, each with their own time ‘cost’. Completing a task using the wrong method will consume more time and other tasks will suffer as a result.
The Smartrak API Suite helps you access and leverage Smartrak data through automated methods to create solutions that provide more timely and low-effort solutions.

Harnessing the untapped power of the Smartrak API suite

Location:

Many businesses use GIS systems such as ArcGIS to visualise assets, boundaries, terrain, and much more. These businesses are updating information in these systems daily. A lot of effort goes into maintaining that information to make sure it is current. It makes sense to have your tracked vehicles and personnel shown on the same platform alongside all the other information. Most GIS systems are capable of automatically calling APIs and displaying the data on the platform.

Reporting

Smartrak has a comprehensive suite of reports that should cover most of your reporting requirements, but there is often something that you require which is unique to your business. You may want to change the way a report is displayed or add/remove specific data. Using software such as Microsoft Power BI or Crystal Reports in conjunction with the Smartrak API suite you can do exactly that. Using the built-in API tools, you can request specific, relevant data and have it populated in your own custom report.
Some of the APIs listed under the Periods category for use in this type of application are:

  • Geofence Periods – How much time has been spent within a geographic boundary?
  • Idle Periods – How long are the engines running in stationary vehicles?
  • Off-road Periods – Distance vehicles spend driving off-road
  • Overspeed Periods – Gather periods of time where vehicles exceeded the speed limit
  • Stop Periods – Find out how long vehicles were stopped for
  • Trip Periods – Gather vehicle trip information.

System Management

Another use of APIs is to avoid double management, whether it be updating user credentials or vehicle details. In the case of a user, you already have a process for creating new members of your business and entering all their credentials but have to repeat the process in other applications. This won’t be necessary if you were to automate the process by getting the Smartrak User Management API to do the work for you. The API allows you to create users, enter/update their credentials and even remove them if they no longer require access.

Application Integration

In a world where there’s an application for just about everything, it is quite common to find crossover in data needs. Here’s one such example accompanied by the solution.

You may think: “If only my lease or asset management software could automatically update the odometer readings for all vehicles as this information already exists within Smartrak”. Sure, you could export it from one and import into another but that may not be the quickest way to complete the task. It would be better if you didn’t have to do anything at all. Provided the lease or asset management software has the capability, your problem is as good as solved by making use of an API.

This is a lot quicker than walking around writing down odometer values. (For those of you thinking that this poor vehicle has a very high mileage, the reading is in metres.)

If you think there is a possibility you can claw back some of your precious time through the use of the Smartrak API Suite. get in touch with your local Customer Success Manager to discuss your options.

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