Job Site Manager is essentially an IT tool for Superintendents and GPS managers. We of course won't market it that way but it gives the responsible parties control over what operators use and see on their screens as well as giving them information on job productivity (stats). The first application is for SmartTrack but this will also extend to any Machine Control product since there is major effort involved in managing RTK on job sites.

See Smartsuite Configuration for more information on the details of format of a configuration file.

Because these capabilities have quite a bit of power to do damage, this is keyed separately.

This story is about setting up jobs/projects for SmartTrack. We're laying the underpinnings of support for RTK but the MC product doesn't exist yet. It's also primarily focused on dirt hauling although we'd like to measure other construction activity in the future.

Story 1 needs to do this:

• Login for key and Access
• Select the desired file via Local or Access and load file
• Enable entry of:
  • Cycle lines via super input with main screen control
  • Haul paths via tap or track
  • Warning areas via track or tap entry
• Configure Settings on remote machines (what they can see, what they can change)
• Upload the configuration package to the Access Server for distribution to the designated machines
  • Give feedback to super on whether machine has received configuration
  • Editing individual machines
  • Adding machines
  • Deleting machines

Story 1 has two primary layouts, Main and Machine. There are other supporting layouts like File, Machine Add and Edit but they are peripheral to Main and Machine. I expect we will add layouts to support statistics and other modes in future stories.

The File screen is very close to our existing implementation. The only addition are icons to designate files that have been used before in the management tool and files that have an RTK alignment (for machine control).

This is the main screen where cycle lines are entered, haul paths designated, and warning areas declared. The concept here is what you see is what you get. In the upper right there are two options Upload (machine list) and statistics. At this point there are no statistics and it is not part of story 1.

Cycle line entry is very similar to cycle line entry in SmartTrack. When pressed the button shows as down and tap on the screens become points connected by lines. Pressing and holding on an existing point puts the program into an edit point state. Pressing backspace removes the last point. Multiple cycle lines may be appended on to existing ones by closing the Cycle line mode (tapping on the icon) and then opening it again to add a subsequent line.

Haul paths can be entered two ways, via Track or by tapping in the path. Via track is done by turning on tracking and moving (usually driving) over the planned route. When Track is turned off the program prompts “Use for suggested haul path?” and a Yes/No. Pressing yes closes the path drawn (last point to first point) and designates the track as a suggested haul path.

To tap in a track, press the track button and begin tapping in points on screen. Like measure in Smartdirt, show the closing line after three points so the user knows where the line between first and last point is. Points are removed by backspace, edited by press and hold. At this time I don't plan on having menu items like clear.

Warning areas are a new idea. The thought is a method for letting site management designate visible locations where the operator should take extra care not to hit something. It may be powerlines, existing manholes, survey control. (TBD)

Pressing Upload take the user to the machine list page. Here we pick the machines that we're going to send the configuration package from the main screen. We pick the desired machines with checkboxes and press the Send button at the top of the screen. We can also add machines, edit machines, and copy settings from a machine. We also get feedback on which machines we've sent configuration packages an which have acknowledged receiving then (green arrow = success, red arrow = sent but no acknowledgement, no arrow = nothing sent.

Settings are a little different the rest of the configuration package in that they aren't necessarily job/project related but are more likely to be based on company policy. The settable items that I can think of right now are these and they are broken down into what a user can do and what a user sees.

• Allow Settings - Allowing the user to edit Settings at all. Grayed in SmartTrack if checkbox is off.
  • File List - Showing the File list tab at all and allowing user interaction. Typically defaulted off if SmartTrack is being used with management software.
  • GPS - Whether the GPS tab is shown. Defaulted off
    • Use Compass Direction-whether the user can change this setting - defaulted off
    • North Up
  • Preferences
    • Screen - Show section, or not
      • Show Cut/Fill numbers on screen
      • Track Cycles displayed
      • Display units Imperial(MPH)/Metric(KPH)
    • Machine (these setting values correspond to the Vehicle entry in the Access Server).
    • Login - Defaulted off as dangerous

• Screen blanking over XXX mph - Blanking the screen when the machine exceeds a mph threshhold.
• Statistics - Which statistics are available (if any) and the default layout used.

Load from Server, Color, Name, Yards, Clear settings, Customize Settings

This the first use case we want to accommodate. This is very similar to what we'll need to do for Machine Control as well

At the start of a new project, the project manager/engineer/superintendent needs to create a configuration package to be used on the job. My expectation is that the minimum he does is select the correct job file to work from and push it to the assigned machines. The configuration package can also include features like cycle lines, warning areas, suggested haul paths, and default screen views/options for Smarttrack and machine control. Note, we may wish the default screen views/options to be separate from the job features. I could see a company policy setting default views and options globally while the job portions are really specific to that particular site. Here's the steps from program start as I imagine them.

Question (mja): I see 3 levels of hierarchy for settings; company, job (file), vehicle. Would it be correct to assume that settings not specified in a sub-level (e.g. vehicle) would be inherited from the super set (job, then company)?

Question (mja): If settings are inherited from higher levels, is this inheritance dynamic (at the time of retrieval) or semi-static (at the time the jobsite user presses “save”).

Question (mja): When superceding a set of directives (company/project-file/vehicle) does this override the directive file or does it simply replace. (I believe based on discussion in this page, it replaces it).

Question (mja): When project files are deleted, directives will also be deleted if there are no more versions of the deleted project file. This is the only way to delete directives.

Simplest configuration package

1. Start program
2. Get Key
3. Show File listing (do we have previous configuration data assigned to the file?) and pick file
4. Load the file. This allows the user to do some simple verification that this is the file he wants. We show him on the site if he's there but default the panning to off.
5. After verifying it's what he wants, He presses the upload button (top, action bar) and goes to the machine screen.
6. The machine screen is all the equipment listed for the company that is not flagged as inactive (we may have a historical machine that was sold for example and is marked inactive). On this list we sort by type (would a tree be appropriate here with type and enlarged to individual machines?)
7. Machines to be sent configuration packages are picked here and the package pushed to the server. A red arrow displays next to machines with packages pushed but no acknowledgment of reception. A green arrow represents a pushed and received package. Pressing and holding an individual machine shows the defaults of what what pushed. Perhaps a load button on that screen allows the recall of the settings and file used?

Concept: We display on screen what is being sent. For visual confirmation and error detection. We back that with textual info.

Question (mja): Would like to see mock up screen shots for these steps, particularly the one with the machine list and what the settings page looks like.

1. Start program
2. Get Key
3. Show File listing with the last job set. (Last configuration is saved to the file and include indicator on file list showing presence of config data. MC to develop indicator) and pick file.
4. Load the file with last configuration package settings.
5. Pressing Upload shows the current machine state. Configurations can be changed, checked, added to new machines.
6. Push any changes to machines

I think we need a menu item to load configurations from previous files. For example:

1. Load the new file and it loads.
2. A menu item called “Import Configuration” (?) exists and when pressed shows the file list window.
3. Picking a file with configuration data reads that data and displays a checkbox list of the items it contains (cycle line, haul path, warning areas. It also contains what machines it has written to before but that doesn't need to show them on the list for selection.
4. Pressing Import brings the selected configurations into the new file.
5. The user can change and desired items ans when he goes to the machine screen, any machines set by this configuration previously are automatically selected but can be overridden by the user.
6. The changes can then be pushed to any designated machines.

Statistics will be both graphical and numerical derived from server data. In fact it may make sense to make this a web view so it can easily used by any computer and tablet without an app.

Measure Progress features - Pipelines, paving, etc.

Truck Boss - near real-time tracking of non-owned trucks measurement of variation in truck times. Superintendent can adjust work to truck flows quickly.

• Set a combination of Files, Cycle lines, Warning areas, and settings (the configuration) and export them to a list of designated equipment
• Give the super a way to verify the configuration has been received by the machine.
• Edit, add or delete a machine from the list

• Designate the ADF file used by the operators with SmartTrack. We don't want operators selecting their own Job files so this is one of the SmartTrack Management functions.
• Designating Cycle Lines for SmartTrack operators. The cycle line is used to calculate the number of cycles a machine makes (it counts the number of times the vehicle crosses the line). While operators can create this line. The Superintendent's line is a way of minimizing operator effort and standardizing statistics.
• Designating haul paths. The super has the capability of driving the path (or tap in?) for the machines. This will appear on Operator screens as different colored line than their path.
• Designating warning areas. Simply a track with the word “Warning” in the label. Extra characters ok like “Warning - Overhead Power lines. Show Warning areas in SmartDirt as a way of confirming they were designated.
• Assign,Add, Edit Machines - An interface for machine management. This may start out as simply text entry to be saved up on Access but could very easily be extended to support bar code scanning.

SmartDirt will also gain simplified Trackwork statistical capabilities like these:

• Get simple (hourly & total) statistics from equipment
• Show job site summaries (reports) for site equipment
  • Moving hours
  • Avg. Cycle
  • Total Yards
  • Moving minutes per hour

More questionable but probably possible is to be able to drill down for specific pieces of equipment and show their tracks and statistics. Showing the tracks could be difficult due to the sheer number of points. The chief advantage would be being able to add cycle lines in hindsight.

(Many images and interface explanations to come)