South Carolina County Using GPS to Make Public Works Vehicles More Efficient

Richland County, S.C., has gone live with a new GPS-based Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL) system to provide county-wide GPS tracking of its vehicles, concentrating on its public works fleets. The RSI AVL system, from Radio Satellite Integrators Inc., combines GPS, two-way radio and customized mapping software to provide real-time vehicle fleet location data to dispatchers and administrators.

Richland County is home to the state capitol of Columbia and is the second most populous county in South Carolina with approximately 340,000 people. RSI and the county implemented a successful pilot system on several heavy duty vehicles and they are now in the process of equipping additional vehicles for an eventual full roll out.

The AVL project was spearheaded by the county's GIS (Geographic Information Systems) Department. The mapping software allows the county to view vehicle locations and status integrated with highly detailed maps and copious amounts of the county's existing geographic and infrastructure data.