Connecting the mobility ecosystem with custom software solutions

The solution uses Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and machine learning to determine the best routes based on different mobility use cases.

The solution caters to diverse users including those under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and veterans, through features that are accessible and easy to use. It also incorporates Interactive Voice Response (IVR) systems and provides both web and mobile options which can be employed in a Mobility Hub or Kiosk.

For security, Etch has experience handling projects for United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) as well as Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT), with a robust understanding of the regulations and requirements.

The Etch Mobility Platform is based on open source software which offers several benefits, including:

Customization: Open source allows users to modify the code to suit their specific needs, allowing for a high level of customization that isn't usually possible with proprietary software.

Transparency and Trust: Because the source code is open, users can inspect it for security flaws or other issues. This transparency builds trust in the software, as it allows the users to know exactly what the software is doing.

Innovation and Rapid Development: Open source software often has a large community of developers contributing to its development. This can lead to faster innovation and quicker fixes to problems than with proprietary software.

Interoperability: Open source software is typically built with standards that ensure it can work with other software. This is particularly beneficial in mobility applications where integration with other systems (like GPS, traffic data systems, payment gateways etc.) is often necessary.

Vendor Independence: Using open source software reduces dependence on a single vendor, as the software can be maintained and modified by anyone with the necessary skills, allowing for continuity even if the original developers stop supporting it.

Community Support: Open source software often comes with community support where developers and users come together to share their knowledge and help solve each other's issues.

Sustainability: Open source projects often have longevity because they are not tied to the financial success of a single company.

Automated Vehicle Location (AVL) Solutions. Ohio: Columbus, Dayton, Dublin, Westerville, and Newark. Michigan: Saginaw County, Monroe County Road Commission. Illinois: Moline. Colorado: Commerce City, Aurora.

Using our experience with delivering custom on-premises AVL solutions for several cities in Ohio, the Etch developers built a common AVL cloud platform based on free and open-source technologies. This platform was designed to be run in decentralized microservices that communicate with a service mesh architecture. All counties and cities use the same site for the employee-facing tools, while the public users access the site through a custom- branded site with a unique style and domain name. The team had to design highly-scalable infrastructure to manage multiple organizations nationally, with different fleet sizes, data separation, and highly variable demand.

During snow events peak winter months, there are millions of daily ingested sensor messages. Each organization has certain unique requirements, so web-based tools for managing account settings had to be created. These tools allow administrators to manage vehicle fleets, snow and leaf events, and user access. A custom processing engine was also developed.

The AVL connectors ingest GPS fleet messages and a flexible set of vehicle-dependent sensor messages, which indicate state changes such as a plow being down, a spreader being on, a mower deck actively cutting, a sweeper actively cleaning, and so forth. These states must be tracked and dynamically united with the GPS data, and then dynamically joined with the roadway segments to know if a section of street is actively receiving service or if the vehicle is simply making a deadhead traversal of the segment.

Etch had to design an ingestion process that works with a variety of fleet telematics providers, each with different data formats, procedures, and sensor arrangements. When a sensor message leaves a county or city vehicle, it is pushed to the AVL connectors or pulled on a seven-second interval, depending on the telematics provider. The message must be standardized for downstream processors, which do not concern themselves with the specifics of the provider being used by an agency fleet. To date, Etch has integrated numerous data streams: Verizon;

Etch provides clients with an AVL/CVE management platform based on free and open-source technologies. The software-as-a-service (SaaS) provides internal operational tools and an external site for the public. The existing SaaS manages multiple organizations nationally, with different fleet sizes, data separation, and highly variable demand. During the peak winter months, there are millions of daily ingested sensor messages from snow plow activity. Each organization has certain unique requirements and can use web-based tools for managing account settings. These tools allow administrators to manage vehicle fleets, snow, mowing, and leaf events, and user access.