Organizations tend to buy expensive equipment because they believe it helps their employees work more efficiently. Yet they don’t keep track of those assets. Maintaining costly assets is just as important for keeping them efficient. Neglecting these tasks can lead to major asset failures, more downtime, misplaced assets, theft and so on. No organization wants to be in that situation.
That is why asset tracking matters, outdoors and indoors. Asset tracking software is an excellent investment. Imagine not knowing where your asset is; a situation like that can create a lot of problems for a business. That is why outdoor asset tracking is essential.
This article explains what an outdoor asset tracking system is and the best technologies for the job.
What Is Outdoor Asset Tracking?
An outdoor asset tracking system is a way for an organization to know where its assets are at any given time. It makes it easy to see where each asset is.
Asset tracking relies on different techniques, because assets differ in nature.
- For hardware, an organization relies on QR codes, RFID, barcodes and GPS trackers. These can be fixed to the device so it can be tracked wherever it goes. This is not an easy job: you must understand the industry and the assets involved, and then choose the right hardware trackers.
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- Software tracking keeps track of assets indirectly. For example, an organization that wants to track the mobile devices it issues to its staff can use GPS, which sends location data to cloud-based software in real time, so the organization knows where each device is.
What Is the Benefit of Tracking Assets?
1. Real-Time Tracking
Asset management software helps a company track its assets in real time. Cloud-based software saves all the data as it comes in. To check an asset’s location, condition or history, the company can look it up from anywhere in the world.
2. Higher Productivity
When a company tags all its assets, it can track them from anywhere. Manual work is reduced, and with less human effort there is less chance of human error. Hospitals use this technique to track their supplies, and large factories use it to keep a record of everything in their warehouses.
3. Lower Maintenance Costs
The software stores very important information, because it lets us track assets down and know everything about them. Once we know the condition of our assets, we can budget for maintenance and repair them before small problems grow.
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What Is GPS and How Does It Help in Tracking Assets?
An outdoor asset tracking system needs technology that works anywhere. One such technology is GPS tracking. GPS trackers are devices, often battery-backed, that are attached to vehicles and equipment.
They serve two purposes. First, they give the vehicle its own identity. Second, they send the vehicle’s location to the tracking software at regular intervals.
Other tracking methods need input: with RFID and barcodes, someone or something has to scan the tag to get the information. With GPS, you can see the latest location of an asset at any time.
Best Outdoor Tracker: Which Is It?
There is no single best outdoor tracker, because the best choice depends on the situation. When you need live locations, a GPS tracker is the best option. For scanning, the barcode scanner has long been the standard, while RFID reads more reliably than barcodes.
Barcodes do have one drawback: they need to be lined up directly with the scanner to be read.
So the best choice for you depends on a few factors:
- Cost: Barcode and QR labels cost very little, RFID tags cost more, and GPS trackers cost the most because each one is a powered device with a cellular connection.
- Asset mobility: Assets that travel between sites, such as vehicles and mobile plant, suit GPS. Assets that stay inside a yard or building suit RFID or barcodes.
- Location accuracy: GPS works well in the open air but not reliably indoors, where RFID readers or BLE tags do a better job.
- Tracking frequency: If you only need to confirm assets during a periodic count, scanning labels is enough. If you need to know where an asset is throughout the day, choose a technology that reports on its own.
To learn more about what will suit you better, read 7 Most Common Types of Asset Tracking Techniques [Infographic].
Choosing an Outdoor Tracking System
Every organization wants something that travels with its valuable assets and tells it where they are. That is the moment to invest in an outdoor asset tracking system that reports each asset’s location and condition at regular intervals.
Also Read: What Are the Various Industries Implementing Indoor Location Tracking Technology?
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q.1 - What Is the Benefit When You Track an Asset?
You know the condition, location and movement history of your valuable assets, which helps you make decisions and keep work flowing smoothly across the organization.
Q.2 - How Does Outdoor Asset Tracking Make You More Accountable?
Say a shipment is due and the customer asks where their order is. You know it is out for delivery, and outdoor asset tracking shows you exactly where it is.
Q.3 - Can Asset Tracking Be Customized?
Yes. You can choose the tracking technology, the details recorded for each asset and how often it reports, to suit your needs.