Hand held computers for traffic control: a special cooperation

Seen in traffic shows on television now also used for traffic control: hand held computers for traffic tickets. And these are not just ordinary hand held computers. The traffic team that uses them has been involved in developing, producing and testing the computers for two years. Traffic officers Frans van Son  and Jan Willems discusses the special cooperation with their supplier Simac.

 “When we decided to purchase the hand held computers we did not make a hasty decision” Project coordinator Frans van Son says. “We investigated all available options and investigated how reliable and user friendly the available software was. Our supplier offered to jointly develop the hand held application, kind of inviting us to share knowledge. The advantage of this was that we had a large say in what the hand held would be able to do. Harry Tonk had some ideas about what the application should be able to do. There was a basic idea of what we wanted. We met with our supplier several times to discuss specific supplementary wishes. The company really listened and accordingly altered the software.”

The implementation team of Gelderland Zuid

 Partner

“The project became even more unique when Motorola offered to make our team pilot testers for their hand held computer.” Frans continues. “Their engineers came all the way over to the Netherlands especially for us.  They explained how to use the device and we gave them feedback about the controls and design. After that, the device was further developed and taken into production. Of course we were the customer of a product, but the production process felt more like a partnership to us.

 His colleague Jan continues: “We chose to invest in a new application because we wanted our colleagues to have good tools, so it took a while before we start using the hand held computers.

We started using the handheld’s and I think it has been worth waiting for. The device can handle what I would like to call all types of daily police work. It scans driver’s license barcodes and license plates, it also can take color pictures and has a built in GPS. GPS makes it possible for the device to identify the position of where the misdemeanor occurred.

 It requires users to type in a complete fact book. The device contains all necessary databases, it is connected with the Dutch NHTSA called RDW, a PO Box database and we're planning to connect it to the Social Security Number database, which makes it easy to check personal information.”

 Positive

“We were very curious about how our colleagues would respond,” Frans says, “Within a week we had four or five instruction sessions. We passed on tips from colleagues to our software supplier.  They altered the device for more practical use. Similar improvements were made after we started using the computers and we will keep improving it from time to time. We're keeping in touch with our person in contact.” Jan: “The device turned out to be very easy in use, we're very happy with it. Even colleagues who believe computers are 'magic boxes' know how to use it and are happy with it.”

 Profit

“The advantage of the device is not just that data is processed more quickly, it also helps us to avoid writing out incomplete tickets. You can only print out a ticket after you complete all the required information for a ticket. You can also add images of the misdemeanor. Figural speaking, a single picture is worth a thousand words.”

Frans adds: “The real advantage is captured in the process after the tickets have been written. As soon as the officer puts the hand held computer in the cradle he is done. The computer synchronizes with the network and tickets are checked and sent off to the General District Courts. We don't have to decipher illegible handwriting or send tickets back and fourth to request supplementary information.”

 The team recently received a 17^th hand held computer as a token of appreciation. Both companies are very happy about the cooperation. “Good to hear, especially since this came from their employees,” chief of traffic Frans van Haalen responds, “A specialized magazine has contacted us for an interview and the Americans are sending over a film crew.  Both in America and in Europe they call our department a text book example for the development of hand held technology through development and implementation.”