Overview#
Dispatch centres rarely inherit one clean vehicle-tracking standard. One fleet may emit NMEA sentences, another may rely on legacy telematics, and specialist assets may arrive through a different provider again. The operational problem is not the existence of those feeds. It is turning them into one trustworthy, current picture for dispatch and command.
The Multi-Protocol AVL module gives the platform that translation layer. It ingests mixed position feeds, normalises them into one responder-location model, and makes those observations usable across dispatch, mapping, and command workflows without forcing an agency to replace existing hardware first.
Last Reviewed: 2026-04-22 Last Updated: 2026-04-22
Key Features#
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Multi-Protocol AVL Ingestion: Accept mixed legacy and modern location feeds without requiring a single fleet-wide hardware replacement.
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Normalised Location Model: Translate different wire formats into one consistent view of object type, position, heading, timing, and quality.
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Live Operational Fan-Out: Make fresh observations available to dispatch and monitoring workflows as soon as they arrive.
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Proximity and Radius Queries: Support operational questions such as which units are nearest to a call right now.
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Cross-Fleet Continuity: Keep services operational while different providers and tracking generations coexist.
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Observation History for Review: Preserve a normalised record of what was received and when, supporting later operational review.
Use Cases#
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Mixed Fleet Dispatch: A service with several AVL vendors works from one dispatch picture instead of separate tracking consoles.
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Gradual Fleet Modernisation: Legacy hardware can remain in service while new providers are introduced into the same operational model.
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Nearest Appropriate Unit Selection: Dispatchers use one normalised position view to support proximity and capability decisions.
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Supervisory Playback: Supervisors review a coherent location history rather than replaying multiple proprietary tools.
Integration#
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Real-Time Dispatch and CAD: Normalised positions support unit recommendation, dispatch review, and incident monitoring.
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Mapping and GIS Workflows: The same position model can drive live maps and operational overlays across the platform.
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Vehicle Telemetry and Resource Tracking: AVL observations become part of the wider operational awareness picture used by command and supervisors.
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Field and Command Dashboards: Dispatchers and commanders consume the same location context rather than vendor-specific interpretations.
Open Standards#
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NMEA 0183: supports one of the most common open GPS and AVL wire formats used by vehicle and device trackers.
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SAE J2540: supports emergency and fleet telematics environments that exchange tracking data using the J2540 format.
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ETSI TS 102 708: supports standards-based location and telematics ingestion from European-style tracking environments.
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TAIP: supports legacy telematics deployments that still report position using the Trimble ASCII Interface Protocol.
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OGC SensorThings API: compatible publication of normalised observations supports open geospatial and sensor-fusion workflows.
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WGS 84 / EPSG:4326: all normalised positions use the common latitude and longitude reference model expected by modern mapping systems.