Spark IOT ( Internet of Things)
BUSINESS COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY TODAY IS AN ONGOING SERIES OF IMPROVEMENTS AS MORE AND MORE BUSINESSES SHARE THEIR NEEDS WITH TELECOMMUNICATIONS EXPERTS, WHO CAN TAILOR APPROPRIATE AND EFFECTIVE SOLUTIONS.
Spark is one such company and is regarded as a leading telecommunications provider and innovator here in New Zealand.
Within Spark there is a business division known as Spark Internet of Things – Spark IOT for short.
It’s mission is to interconnect any aspect of a business’ information and/or data to other elements within that business – that is people to equipment, equipment to networks – to ensure sustainability, improve efficiency and maximise productivity.
Spark IOT has a country-wide footprint, using business hubs at strategic locations to ensure the IOT applications are made widely available to the vast and diverse number of businesses making up the New Zealand economy.
Spark IOT has business and technology experts, ready to meet with you and tailor solutions specifically to your requirements.
What you need may be something relatively simple but needs someone else to make it all happen while you work on your business.
It may be something considerably more complex, where you have the ‘big picture’ idea of what is needed but you need innovative technical guidance to bring it all together in the real world using the latest technology.
To demonstrate the national nature of Spark Iot’s business model, we ventured out of Auckland and spoke to Jack Grabham, Territory Manager for central and northern Wairarapa, and asked him to point us in the direction of someone using a Spark
IOT solution to improve their business’ performance.
One of the Wairarapa region’s most dramatic IOT solutions is seen in the whakapapa (story/history) of Whaiora which dates back to 1996.
Fundamental to the Kaupapa (principles) of Whaiora is a ‘by Maori, for Maori’ community-based health service – as laid down by Dr Janice Wenn and Kim Workman – for the Wairarapa region.
Whaiora is a registered Charitable Trust, which oversees a range of community health and social services. Whaiora also has a Medical Centre – Wairarapa’s only Very Low-cost Access ( VLCA) General Practice and is for Masterton residents only.
Whaiora also promotes the development of the region’s ongoing clinical and social service workforce, hosting student placements (medical and dental) and gaining recognition as a teaching centre for Registrars and is part of the Wairarapa
There is a well-defined structure to Whaiora, whose strategic goals include; Whaiora’s interests, expanding relationships and networks with relevant key stakeholders, Whaiora,
And while it is true that Spark Masterton
Hub has been able to assist Whaiora in the contributing to those goals, what has been implemented has solved a number of prosaic considerations in Whaiora’s day-to-day operations.
Whaiora operates over a large geographical area, from Mt Bruce in the north and the Remutaka ranges in the south.
It’s a beautiful part of the country, but somewhat isolated in terms of healthcare provision, which is where Whaiora steps in to provide quality health and social services from caring and friendly professionals.
It is challenging however, as the caring and friendly professionals from Whaiora often find themselves in remote locations and away for considerable periods of time.
The 13-strong fleet of ‘Whaiora blue’ cars has just been upgraded to a 13-strong fleet of Whaiora blue Nissan Qashqai SUVS – largely because the new Honda Jazz was not available when the leases came due on the Whaiora fleet.
Still, it was no problem to equip the Nissans with a Spark IOT Fleet Tracking solution and the results have been far greater than Whaiora anticipated.
The system is remarkably simple: a small device is connected to the vehicle and transmits to a ‘base station’ which can be accessed easily by any number of Whaiora management. This way someone knows where any operational vehicle is and can ‘get in touch’ or send assistance if there is any need to do so.
“Most fleets require quite sophisticated fleet tracking solutions,” explains Whaiora’s Human Resources management assistant Anita Roberts.
“When we spoke to Jack of Spark – which made sense since we are Spark users anyway – and explained that we needed to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our field personnel, he introduced us to the fleet tracking solution.
“It can do much more than we need it to do in terms of reporting and easing administration requirements, but for our purposes – to make sure our people are where they should be and safe – the system is awesome.
“It’s easy to connect to, affordable to manage and is reliable in areas where conventional cellphone coverage is less than perfect, and our people are comfortable with it, which helps.
“Even if we can’t see our famous blue cars, we know where they are when they’re out looking after the health and wellbeing of our people.”
Whaiora is just one example of how
Spark IOT is providing useful, reliable and affordable fleet solutions. If this sounds like something which suits your business requirements, go online and check out www.spark.co.nz/iot/fleet.