Air-Trak, Inc., developer of the Cloudberry GPS tracking and communications system, announced today that it is offering a Web service application programming interface (API) to allow customers and partners at no additional cost to easily integrate location, routing or telemetry data with enterprise, office or third-party software. A Web service is an application that accepts requests from other systems across the Internet, making it easy for programs to exchange information.

Using the Air-Trak Web service, software developers and customer IT departments can incorporate Cloudberry functions into other programs. Examples include locating utility service trucks during power outages, tracking the amount of home heating oil carried by delivery vehicles, and responding to customer requests for newspaper re-delivery in real time. All of these were achieved by simple integration of the functions of Air-Trak's system with one or more business applications.

"In the evolution of mobile resource management systems, Air-Trak has moved beyond a stand-alone solution to provide customers and partners with access to the data and functions they need to support their existing business processes," said Greg White, CEO of Air-Trak. "It is not enough to run separate, side-by-side systems. Critical business information must be shared across multiple systems so that businesses can make decisions quickly and efficiently."

An application program interface, or API, provides the building blocks for developing software applications using familiar user interfaces. Air-Trak's Cloudberry API is a Web service that provides everything needed to exchange information with other applications easily over an Internet connection. The Web service uses XML, a standard plain text language, to make open communications possible, regardless of the machine or operating system. Any Internet-enabled system can easily access the functions and display the desired information in a familiar format.

Customer/Partner Examples

Integrator/Developer: Electrical Systems Consultants, Inc. (ESC) Geographic Technology Group provides Geospatial systems and software development for the electric power industry. ESC uses the Cloudberry Web service API to integrate vehicle tracking information into its ESRI's ArcMAP Geographic Information System (GIS). This automates the process of locating line and service trucks during power outages and assists in shortening the outage time through faster identification of trouble spots.

"Air-Trak's unique Web service API allowed ESC to develop an over-the-Internet interface with ESRI ArcGIS(TM) software. This brings live location data into an ESRI geodatabase, allowing both real-time views and post-year analysis," said Erik Potter, Manager Geographic Technology Department at ECS. "Air-Trak is about location information, and they do an excellent job of making it accessible."

Application Provider: Vertrax, an application provider for the retail petroleum industry, integrates Cloudberry location and tracking functions with its SmartTrax(TM) software so that fleets delivering heating oil and propane can track the amount of oil or gas that delivery vehicles are carrying and choose the best routing.

Corporate IT Department: A major newspaper uses Air-Trak's Web services to integrate vehicle tracking and communications into its call center application. When customers call for missed delivery, the call center operator activates the automated process of dispatching a re-delivery vehicle and confirming delivery status from within the application.

About Air-Trak, Inc.

Air-Trak helps companies with mobile resources use location information to make informed business decisions. Based in San Diego, the company's Cloudberry GPS tracking and communications system offers unique advantages in scalability, versatility, and functionality not found in other commercial products. These include the ability to develop custom applications, integrate real-time tracking data into enterprise and third-party software, and operate over a variety of networks and mobile devices. Additional information is available at www.air-trak.com.