Client Profile.
The company is the world’s largest express transportation organization providing intercontinental and international express delivery Services to U.S. and more than 220 countries and territories. They use a global air-and-ground network to speed delivery of time-sensitive shipments, usually in one to two business days with the delivery time guaranteed.
Business Need.
The client was using “HERE Map Creator”, a routing tool to create navigation maps to provide accurate street data, details on distance, and estimations for travel time to help agents deliver parcels more efficiently.
They were struggling to clear a backlog of 6,500 driver GPS breadcrumb data files, The files needed to be processed to be used as a frame of reference for creating missing road maps that would streamline delivery operations.
HitechDigital was approached to add missing streets/segments on the map creator tool.
Challenges.
The project threw up multiple challenges especially since there was no readily available training material for this one-of-a-kind project. Some of these included:
- Hiring and training staff on domain specific knowledge such as GPS terminologies, address data, street names and segments used by courier delivery services
- Working with satellite imagery posed difficulty in identification of trees vs buildings vs a personal yard
- Identifying region names from zoning files, and entering the GPS data according to region, street and building names
- Creating accurate map layers that can navigate routes that bypass private areas such as yards
- Creating maps that can define specific speed limits and restrictions for delivery trucks to enable drivers to see a version of the map tailored for their needs.
- Identifying and calibrating information such as construction works on a particular road, traffic details during rush hour, and other temporary changes that impact trip times.
Solution.
Delivered detailed navigational maps with enhanced search and routing capabilities to improve the efficiency of courier delivery operations. Our satellite imagery powered maps offered granular visibility to delivery trucks into the layout of each route.
Approach.
A structured and scalable workflow was set up to take into account the need for high volume data file processing at speed.
Hiring and Training
- Screened a 15-member data processing team with good comprehension skills. They were trained to understand domain specific information related to GPS data, vehicle sensor data, real-time traffic data etc. and plot the information in the map creation tool
- 5 members from the above team were additionally trained to map private sites like personal yards, warehouses etc. and enrich maps with custom attributes
Information plotting
- The input files received over email were in the form of “Shape files” with raw route information and navigational details
- These were classified according to regions and routed to designated members of the map creation team.
- When the shape files were uploaded in the map creator tool, map plotters could see “missing segments highlighted in form of dots spread across an area of approx. 100 miles of a specific region/area in the USA. These dots represented locations frequented by delivery executives. However, they did not have accurate positioning and precise delivery location,
- Designated team members then plotted/added roads to the missing points to create a route map in and around commercial buildings, warehouses, mines, private yards, farms, ports, etc. to provide easy directions to delivery trucks.
Quality Check and Audit
- Client monitored project progress in real time by reviewing navigation routes prepared by the HitechDigital team on Here.com
- The map routes were then quality checked and verified by experts at Here.com
- The ones that qualified were made live by map making team at Here.com
- Maps that were disqualified by the QC team were routed back to the HitechDigital team for re-plotting missing information in the maps
Technology Used:
- Map making tool “HERE Map Creator”
