Hanhaa want you to put their hardware through a real-world use case - for free!

I've written before about Symbisa Brings Physical IoT Sensing and Tracking to the Office , SymbisaSymbisa being the hardware at the heart of the ParceLive system by Hanhaa. Since then it has been used by a number of different companies, including John Lewis to benefit their transport of goods, products and services.

Though it's not only small parcels that have been transported with ParceLive, automobiles have also been sent across the country with the hardware.

Hanhaa now want you to give your ideas for how the ParceLive system could be used in other ways, and if you can show it, you'll be sent the hardware to trial your use-cases, demonstrating how it's been used for free!

Before we get into detail about existing use cases, let's remind ourselves of how ParceLive works.

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It tracks its state, and lets you know where it is

ParceLive provides data through its 7 tracking sensors – location, temperature, humidity, free fall, shock, tilt and light - which are transmitted at a time interval that the user can determine.

These are activated as soon as the button is pushed to initiate tracking and report to the customer portal every hour. An alert event, such as a drop, will trigger an additional data transmission to notify that the parcel has been dropped, shocked, opened or tilted. All alerts will come with a time and location stamp. Alerts of exceptional events are triggered – such as a shipment being dropped, opened, tilted or exposed to temperature or humidity outside of defined parameters – and transmitted via the Hanhaa XG network to the ParceLive portal or directly into users’ systems via integrated API’s. ParceLive offers tracking of shipments up to 22 days in length. The tracker sends data to the customer portal by connecting through Hanhaa’s global 2G mobile network Hanhaa Mobile.

ParceLive also has an E-ink display embedded in each tracker along with an international returns postal license on each trackers packaging. This ensures that after use the receiver of a shipment simply removes the tracker and places it into a mailbox where it is returned to Hanhaa for charging and re-use without the need for stamps or packaging

Wherever possible ParceLive will report back the GPS location of the parcel that it is inside. GPS is widely available however in some cases where there is weak signal ParceLive will report back its location via cell tower ID. A GSM signal will show the location of the parcel in relation to the nearest mobile phone tower and will therefore be less accurate. Information on whether your parcel is reporting back via GPS or GSM location at each data point is displayed in the ParceLive web portal.

Information is collected by ParceLive trackers that are currently contracted on a leasing model; they receive and transmit multiple data points about the assets they monitor. ParceLive is available via third party logistics providers, channel partners, or contracted directly to end-users wanting more security assurance over their assets.

What does it report exactly?

ParceLive will report back on its temperature from anywhere between -15 centigrade and +50 centigrade. Parcels which hit the extremes of these ranges may see failure in their tracker caused by battery & electronic failure. Humidity will be displayed in the ranges of 0-100% relative humidity, Temperature & Humidity are displayed in 3 places in the ParceLive portal. The most recent readings can be seen in the main dashboard. While also being displayed in the raw data stream and on any location icon in the map section. Temperature and humidity readings are accurate within +/- 1.5 degrees.

The triggering of any of the following alerts will appear as a red marker on the dashboard map, as well as being flagged in the raw data feed.

Tilt - An alert will be triggered with a TRUE or YES reading to tilt when the parcel is tilted 35 degrees or more from its original position. Any further tilt of 35 degrees or more from the new position will also be recorded as a True or YES to tilt.

Free fall - (Dropped) ParceLive will send an alert for a TRUE or YES reading to drop when the tracker detects a free fall of more than 0.4 seconds.

Shock – ParceLive will send an alert for a TRUE or YES reading to shock when the tracker detects a shock greater than 4.0g. Each alert will also display the g force value between 4 and 16 g’s.

Light - (Opened) An alert will be triggered for a TRUE or YES to box being opened when the device is exposed to more than 5.11 LUX.

Temperature - identifies the range of temperatures that the shipment has been exposed to throughout the supply chain;

Humidity - identifies the range of humidity that the shipment has been exposed to;

Shipment breaches - are triggered by light-sensing events such as a parcel being opened.

Orientation - relays real time information on the orientation of the tracker, i.e. which way it is facing up.

So, where would I put it?

As an example, in order to receive correct data from their tracker, users should ensure that it is secured on the inside of the parcel.

Trackers should be placed either on the interior side of the box or the interior flap of the box top, with the screen facing the inside of the parcel. To ensure correct light readings are taken, the contents of the parcel should not block the front of the tracker. The movement of a tracker that is unsecured inside a parcel may lead to incorrect sensor readings and therefore data.

This is obviously a limited example, but it shows how you would put the light sensor to an accurate use. If the parcel was opened or severely damaged, you'd be notified that it can see the light of day before it was meant to.

At the end of its journey, typically you would push the button on the ParceLive and it will then use the e-ink display to show its return address, and the recipient can put it in the post for return.

Integrating with the Data

Integrating ParceLive tracker data into existing systems is seamless. ParceLive’s application programming interface (API) displays data in a way that is easy for customers to adopt and integrate with, whether it’s an app, a web portal or a direct-link into logistics management systems. Hanhaa’s development team used the ParceLive API to integrate with Amazon’s Alexa allowing users to track parcels and monitor ParceLive inventory with voice commands. This illustrates how easily ParceLive can be connected to other complementary systems. Hanhaa can offer this via their partner opportunities.

If you're not one for using the API then you can very easily use the dashboard to track each device individually, finding out its status along its journey.

What do you think of ParceLive? How would you use it? Do you want to put your ideas to the test?

Hanhaa would like to send you the monitoring hardware and give you access to ParceLive, and the dashboard(s) for free if you can tell us about a new and unique way to use the hardware!

You will get access to the system where you can monitor the sensors and feedback from the device(s) and have it setup how you need it to report.

We expect you to blog about your use-case and how you're putting the ParceLive through it's paces on the element14 about your use-case testing, and we at the element14 Community will send you an element14 Community prize pack - in which we always include great tools to use on your workbench, from development boards to practical equipment!

If you want to be sent a ParceLive for your use-case, you won't have to pay for updates from the device, however if a tracker has not been returned back to Hanhaa after 60 days, Hanhaa will declare the tracker as lost and a fee of 100 Euros will be charged. If the end-user does not return the tracker after 60 days but has confirmed with Hanhaa that they are still able to return the tracker, Hanhaa will not apply lost fee charge. Basically, don't run off with it, and stay in communication and you'll be fine.

Terms and conditions are attached to this blog post. You have from today until June 30th to add a comment to this blog post with your use-case.

Add a comment below, and give us your feedback, opinions and use-cases for ParceLive, let us know what you think.

Attachments:

Terms_and_Conditions-Hanhaa-Testing-310519.pdf