Context-Aware, Real-Time Fleet Management : Next-Generation Platforms for Emergency Services

This book examines how connected vehicle platforms - the technological backbone of modern fleet management - can be designed to meet the operational requirements of emergency services. By integrating vehicle and context data in real time these platforms enable faster and more consistent decision-making.

In an emergency, every second counts, and even a small mistake can cost lives. Yet emergency fleets - ambulances, fire trucks, and police vehicles - still rely on platforms that are unable to integrate the diverse data needed to support accurate, reliable, and timely decisions. Selecting which vehicle to dispatch to an emergency is one such decision - a task that is complex, stressful, and prone to error with conventional dispatch systems. This book examines how connected vehicle platforms - the technological backbone of modern fleet management - can be designed to meet the operational requirements of emergency services. By integrating vehicle and context data in real time - covering everything from vehicle status to staff availability, crew skills, shift schedules, traffic, and weather - these platforms enable faster and more consistent decision-making. Using the UK National Health Service ambulance fleet as a case study, the book presents a prototype system that automates ambulance dispatch, demonstrating how a thoughtfully designed platform can deliver performance and capabilities far beyond conventional fleet management systems. Features: Presents a comprehensive overview of fleet management with core principles and provides essential knowledge for understanding and improving fleet management. Highlights the value of custom-built data platforms, which enable more efficient and effective fleet management than conventional, off-the-shelf systems. Explains how to design fleet management systems from system requirements, offering a unique engineering approach not found in other books. Includes an end-to-end development process and covers the full process from design through testing, providing a practical, hands-on guide for creating effective fleet management solutions. Demonstrates how real-time integration of vehicle data and context data transforms the management of the UK NHS ambulance fleet. For fleet managers, emergency service professionals, researchers, and policymakers, this book provides a roadmap to improve fleet performance, reduce operational risk, and ultimately save lives - showing why every fleet needs a data platform tailored to its unique requirements.