One of Microbus’s longest standing Value Added Partners (VAP) has seen huge developments within its market and, thanks to groundbreaking work within its own software engineering, has emerged as one of Europe’s premier mobile data providers.
PerformIT, an independent vehicle installation and software house, joined Microbus in 2005, and has carried out a range of comprehensive installations in the emergency service sector across the whole of Sweden. By 2007, Saab, with whom the company was already working in partnership, invested in the company to help it expand into further export markets, and together they merged as Saab Performit AB.
Saab Performit AB originally chose the Microbus M-PC2 computer as the platform for their fixed in-vehicle mobile data system, the Paratus Mobile System. The M-PC2 combined with their suite of applications specifically developed for emergency service users including navigation, callout handling, status notifications and patient registration has been a great success within ambulance and fire markets.
Rune Jarpsten, one of the company’s founders and Sales Manager says. “Our success highlights what Value Added Partners can achieve with Microbus’s flexible and proven mobile data solution. The M-PC2 has demonstrated excellent reliability within the mobile data market and we wanted to build on that quality with our own proprietary software to provide a complete solution for our public safety officers.”
“What separates the M-PC2 from other products in the market is the extensive functionality and connectivity that emergency services organisations need. For instance, the M-PC2’s multi-bearer flexibility allows users to send and receive data over any radio network from 3G/GPRS to TETRA. Another useful feature supported by the system is dual screen technology. This is ideally suited to fire and ambulance installations where a second monitor can be installed in the back of the vehicle and used by another person for simultaneous access to different parts of the system.”
In the case of ambulance workers, the Paratus Mobile Data system provides navigation instructions for the driver through its digital mapping system. As soon as the ambulance reaches its callout destination, the M-PC2 sends a status report back to the command & control centre. This includes an update of the GPS coordinates, so the system can, if necessary, be revised to help any other emergency vehicles on their way to go straight to the precise location, thereby saving vital time.
Given the sensitive nature of the data being transferred, all transmissions between the in-vehicle computers and base stations are seamlessly encrypted for security without the users having to stop and think about the transmission method.
Rune and his team have worked tirelessly over the years developing the solution for various vehicle types and have even gained special approval for the M-PC2’s use in helicopters. The Paratus Mobile System in conjunction with the M-PC2 in-vehicle computer has also gained government approval for use over Sweden’s Rakel TETRA network.
Saab Performit AB has its headquarters in Karlstad, with development centres in Stockholm and Linköping and sales offices in Stenungsund and Alingsås, Sweden.