Map-a-Route Cloud:
Supporting remote working this winter season

With local authorities not fully transitioning back to offices from remote working environments until early 2021, and social distancing procedures becoming common practice within the workplace, now more than ever there is a huge requirement for simplified remote working practices.

As the winter season approaches, we’ve launched an upgrade to our route management software, Map-A-Route, which supports remote working while streamlining gritting operations for local authorities during this winter season.

Map-a-Route Cloud streamlines route creation

Through Map-A-Route’s cloud-based portal, local authorities and term maintenance contractors were already creating and managing their entire network of winter maintenance routes wherever they had access to the web. However, our recent upgrade has streamlined the process even further.

Now with Map-A-Route Cloud our users can directly transfer new or amended routes to vehicles via the cloud. The process is instant and has completely removed the need to manually upload routes to gritting vehicles.

Supporting remote working

The timing of the upgrade couldn’t be better. Not only does it further support the remote working practices that local authorities have been used to since  March, it also adds an extra level of safety for workers by minimising human contact during the vehicle navigation route upload process.

Throughout the winter season while remote working will most certainly continue, our customers can continue to manage their gritting fleet through Map-A-Route’s web portal which allows users to create and manage unlimited routes under a new vehicle-based licence.

Dynamic route management

Thanks to the UK’s unpredictable winter weather conditions, local authorities can react instantly to changes and amend routes accordingly. For example, adjusting the spreading attributes through the gritter’s automated spreading control to account for changes in temperature, or amending the directions on a route to account for an unplanned diversion or road closure.

Mitigating risk

With risk management another important factor this winter season, Map-A-Route Cloud gives users the ability to accurately forecast resources such as single manned cabs, fuel and salt, by analysing key data outputs from the system to ensure there will be sufficient resources to complete all routes.

Map-A-Route Cloud can also be used to create routes for a full range of local authority fleet applications, including gully emptiers, waste and recycling vehicles, grit bin filling, school buses and road sweepers.

“We’re continually working with user groups across our customer base to ensure any developments we make are a direct benefit to them. This upgrade to our Map-A-Route system not only streamlines the route management process for our customers, but also helps support social distancing by minimising human intervention during the route upload process”
Mark Wilcox, Telematics Manager, Exactrak