Laptop GPS Software for EMS Service

**edikp** · 02-02-2006, 09:12 PM

I was going to suggest the same. When I toured the facility for our EMS in my city, the dispatcher showed me the computer screens that she used to do her job. There were three screens if I remembered correctly. One showed where the respond units were currently located, one for computer aided dispatching, and one for something else. Do you have similar setup at your facility? Maybe the provider of the dispatching station software has products available for the respond units?

**awraynor** · 02-02-2006, 09:34 PM

Our response units are dispatched through the center at the hospital for which we work. The 911 units, even though they also work for the hospital (they used to be part of a county system), are dispatched by the communications center at the County Sheriff's department. I am sure they use a proprietary system which probably carries a hefty fee per install and probably only covers our county. Our service routinely responds within a 150 mile radius of our primary hospital. iGuidance and S&T should list all hospitals in our part of North and South Carolina which is our primary concern. Street level directions in the county will be great, but of secondary importance.

**PURDooM** · 02-02-2006, 09:54 PM

If your primary concern is Points of interest, go streets and trips hands down. iGuidance has an ok POI database, but it is not always up to date (may be a hospital in the DB that no longer exsists in real life, or a new location isn't in the POI DB). S&T on the other hand has every location for every business you might want, and includes phone numbers.

**Wiredwrx** · 02-03-2006, 01:22 AM

Originally Posted by awraynor

I work for a Critical Care Transport service in Wilmington, NC that wants to add GPS tracking software to our Panasonic CF-73 semi-rugged Touchscreen notebooks. Some of the requirements are present position indicator, street level directions and solid coverage of North Carolina, especially the Wilmington area (one hour north of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina). Any recommendations for software or features is greatly appreciated.

What/how do you currently use the notebooks for.

**Marvin Hlavac** · 02-03-2006, 03:12 AM

Additional benefit of S&T is that you can place you own pushpins on the map. So, for example, you don't need to even worry if all your hospitals are already in the POI (Points of Interest) database, because you can add them as pushpins.

The S&T built-in drawing features may come handy, too. You may draw directly on the map to indicate a new street, or you may add text on the map if needed.

Keep in mind that maps in consumer navigation products are usually about 2 to 3 years behind printed maps which you can buy in your local bookstores. But if you use GPS navigation as a tool (as opposed to thinking of it as autopilot) it will indeed benefit you greatly.

Beside the above mentioned question "What/how do you currently use the notebooks for", I would also be interested to find out how you find your way to your destinations at the present time. Is it mostly the combination of local knowledge and printed maps?

**awraynor** · 02-03-2006, 03:34 PM

We use a semi-rugged Panasonic notebook for electronic patient charting. This company (PinPoint Technologies) produces a suite of products for EMS to include dispatch, billing, trip scheduling and patient charting. We thought that since we already have the laptops why not add the GPS software. Yes, we use a combination of map books and personal knowledge to navigate our area. If we encounter a hospital we have never been to, we call them and say, "hey, how do you get to your hospital". On the 911 backups in the city we rely on the central dispatch center to refine the directions.

**Wiredwrx** · 02-03-2006, 06:53 PM

Originally Posted by awraynor

We use a semi-rugged Panasonic notebook for electronic patient charting. This company (PinPoint Technologies) produces a suite of products for EMS to include dispatch, billing, trip scheduling and patient charting. We thought that since we already have the laptops why not add the GPS software. Yes, we use a combination of map books and personal knowledge to navigate our area. If we encounter a hospital we have never been to, we call them and say, "hey, how do you get to your hospital". On the 911 backups in the city we rely on the central dispatch center to refine the directions.

Not sure how rural your area is, and how quickly things are changing there, but I think IG would be perfect for what you need. Yes, the POI may not be as up to date, but what you are essentially doing in inputing addresses and trying to find them. IG is less cluttered in my opinion then ST. As for Hospitals, they don't change all that often. Most likely they will be in the IG POI list anyway.

Michael

**awraynor** · 02-03-2006, 07:39 PM

Our base is located in Wilmington, NC which is a relatively congested city which occupies almost the entirety of our county. Almost everything surrounding it is rural, so we have both areas. It pretty much seems we will have to try both products and see what works best for us. Thanks for all the help everyone.

**Marvin Hlavac** · 02-03-2006, 08:06 PM

Yes, try them both and see what works for you. It seems the current version of iGuidance has newer version NavTeq map data than S&T, even though S&T was just released about 3 months ago and iGuidance almost a year ago ;-)

iGuidance allows you to save favorite addresses so you could enter locations of hospitals there for quick access.

Yes, since you already have a laptop installed in the vehicle it would be shame not to use it also for GPS navigation. Is the laptop positioned to face the driver or the passenger? Is the driver able to operate the laptop?

**awraynor** · 02-03-2006, 09:27 PM

We have a center console between the two front seats on which the laptop can sit. Our ambulances are four cab doors, two patient capable Freightliners which are about thirty feet long. Here is a picture in front of Air Force One ( http://www.nhhn.org/body.cfm?id=864 ). We have not had a need for a rigid mount option yet, but this may change with a GPS capable scenario.