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Absolute Software > Case Studies > NetMotion Mobility® Improves Harbor Pilot Safety and Schedule Efficiency
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NetMotion Mobility® Improves Harbor Pilot Safety and Schedule Efficiency

Technology Category
  • Networks & Connectivity - Cellular
Applicable Industries
  • Transportation
Applicable Functions
  • Logistics & Transportation
Use Cases
  • Vehicle Telematics
  • Fleet Management
Services
  • System Integration
The Challenge
The Dutch Pilots’ Corporation (Nederlands Loodswezen) trains and furnishes skilled harbor pilots for guiding ships through busy waters, rivers and locks. Crews pilot and dock 100,000 ships every year in Dutch and Flemish harbors, working 24 hours a day regardless of weather conditions. The law requires that the ships carry an autonomous navigation system. However, since the satellite-based system could leave crews vulnerable to natural signal distortions, jamming and spoofing, Loodswezen selected NetMotion Mobility® to ensure a stable connection to land-based servers delivering mission-critical local position corrections. Mobility enhanced crew safety and scheduling efficiency while helping the organization meet governmentmandated precision requirements.
About The Customer
The Dutch Pilots’ Corporation (Nederlands Loodswezen) is a company that trains and provides skilled harbor pilots for guiding ships through busy waters, rivers, and locks. The crews pilot and dock 100,000 ships every year in Dutch and Flemish harbors, working 24 hours a day regardless of weather conditions. The law requires that the ships carry an autonomous navigation system. However, the satellite-based system could leave crews vulnerable to natural signal distortions, jamming, and spoofing. To ensure a stable connection to land-based servers delivering mission-critical local position corrections, Loodswezen selected NetMotion Mobility®. This solution enhanced crew safety and scheduling efficiency while helping the organization meet government-mandated precision requirements.
The Solution
Loodswezen contacted local mobile solution provider NetBoss BV for help. The team recommended NetMotion Mobility from NetMotion Wireless. A technical consultant from NetBoss conducted an on-board test: two Toughbooks running side-by-side; one with NetMotion Mobility and one with the existing solution. Within 30 minutes it became clear that the Toughbook with Mobility used 30 percent less bandwidth than the Toughbook without the software. While all applications ran smoothly on the Mobility-powered Toughbook, the Toughbook without NetMotion crashed twice during the trip. Mobility solved the longstanding connectivity challenges that Loodswezen pilots had been facing. While Toughbooks are known for outstanding connectivity, the pilots had been experiencing crashes due to signal quality issues in the area. Connections were not surviving the regular switches between GPRS, 3G and 4G networks. The restarts and reboots multiple times a day not only wasted time and frustrated the pilots, but also resulted in possibly dangerous situations when navigating big ships through narrow spaces.
Operational Impact
  • Ensured reliable connection to critical applications
  • Enhanced employee safety
  • Improved shipping schedule efficiency
Quantitative Benefit
  • The Toughbook with Mobility used 30 percent less bandwidth than the Toughbook without the software
  • The average time between updates is less than two seconds

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