Honeywell recently announced a new satellite-based connected solution to help governments, companies and other organizations monitor the location and safety of workers in remote locations.
Honeywell’s Personal Tracker utilizes Iridium’s low-earth orbit satellite network, a satellite constellation that provides pole-to-pole coverage, which is necessary for remote asset and personnel tracking. The mobile device allows companies to communicate with their workers or track assets anywhere in the world– across oceans, airways and even polar regions.
The Personal Tracker is exclusive to the Iridium network. With Iridium’s two-way communication capabilities, even when used as a stand-alone alerting and tracking beacon, the Personal Tracker can receive current location requests and configuration updates over the air.
Honeywell’s Personal Tracker is ideal for workers and teams who need a dependable communications solution in challenging environments. Drawing on the reliability of Iridium’s LEO satellite architecture, it transforms a smartphone into a tracking and messaging device that improves lone worker safety by providing GPS location, interactive SOS and two-way text messaging when standard means of communication are not available.
“We are proud to work with Honeywell in enabling their connected worker technology, and support their commitment to lone worker safety,” said Bryan Hartin, executive vice president of sales and marketing at Iridium. “This partnership comes at an exciting time for us as we are launching our next-generation global constellation, Iridium NEXT, and continue to expand our growing portfolio of satellite-based solutions for the Internet of Things. The unique architecture of our constellation makes it a natural fit over other providers for mobile applications, especially where safety is concerned. Providing reliable coverage is critical for companies tracking employees and assets located in remote areas, and Honeywell’s new Personal Tracker will make that possible.”
The mobile device supports Honeywell’s ViewPoint software, a web-based platform that provides organizations with real-time visibility for tracking and monitoring high-value assets such as vehicle fleets and cargo containers. The ViewPoint platform offers organizations and government users advanced features, such as a 90-day tracking history, geofencing, scheduling reports, alert management and messaging.
Honeywell Safety and Productivity Solutions (SPS) provides products, software and connected solutions that improve productivity, workplace safety and asset performance for customers. The company also delivers on this promise through mobile devices, software, cloud technology and automation solutions, the broadest range of personal protective equipment and gas detection technology, and custom-engineered sensors, switches and controls. Honeywell also manufactures and sells a range of footwear for work, play and outdoor activities, including XtraTuf and Muck Boot brand footwear.
“Those responsible for employees in remote locations, especially lone workers who may be performing risky work, increasingly need a reliable method to stay connected to those workers to keep them safe and secure,” said Taylor Smith, president of Honeywell’s Workflow Solutions business. “Honeywell’s connected worker technology and Iridium’s proven platform enable satellite communications from anywhere on Earth. This offers remote workers, such as workers on offshore oil platforms or forestry service workers, peace-of-mind and provides their employers with a valuable communication and search-and-rescue tool for emergency situations.”
Emergency services, maritime, military and oil and gas workers can share their location with GPS coordinates and send text messages using the enterprise-grade, ultra-rugged device, which is certified to function in hazardous environments where explosions or a fire may occur due to flammable liquids or vapors.
It can be used as a stand-alone, two-way communications device or can be clipped to a backpack to serve as a tracking beacon. It can also be paired with an iPhone so that users can access a Honeywell mobile app that offers features such as interactive SOS, messaging, push notifications, trip information and situational awareness.
For example, in the event of an emergency, an organization can send push notifications to alert its workers – regardless of their location – and then track their locations and provide updates as they seek shelter.
