February 2011: Dude, Where's My Bus?
Telematics takes transportation management to a new level.
By John Lang, III, and Winship Wheatley


ImageWhat does a word that sounds like the name of a sub-deity from Greek mythology have to do with managing your school bus fleet? Before you answer “nothing,” read on.

The word we're talking about is "telematics." (It does sound Greek mythology-like, doesn’t it?) Telematics, according to Wikipedia, is "any integrated use of telecommunications and informatics." Not feeling terribly enlightened yet? Let’s simplify it a bit and focus on vehicles. (That’s where managing your school bus fleet comes in.)

Telematics describes the integration of vehicle-based hardware (for example, a Global Positioning System and a cellular communication unit) to transmit real-time data to a remote location for instant collection, processing, and subsequent transmission of actionable information (not data, there’s a significant difference between data and information) to decision makers.

While your personal GPS is a great tool, it provides you with “in the moment” feedback on where you are; it does not tell you where you were an hour ago or two weeks ago. It does not measure your idling time and vehicle emissions, maintain a maintenance history of your vehicle, or track the comings and goings of the passengers in your car or van. It certainly does not provide you with the tools to inspect your car before you take a trip.

A comprehensive telematics product enables you to do all of these things and much more.

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John Lang, III, is area manager, Office of Transportation, Baltimore County Public Schools, Timonium, Maryland. You can email him at jlang2@bcps.org

Winship Wheatley is retired director of transportation for Anne Arundel County Schools in Annapolis, Maryland. You can email him at winshipwheatley@msn.com 



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February 2011 Table of Contents

FOCUS ON SUPPORT SERVICES AND STAFF 

Creating a Web-Based Employee Orientation and Induction Program
Dude, Where’s My Bus?
By John Lang, III, and Winship Wheatley

Assessing Liability and Legitimacy of School Transportation Services
By Tim Ammon and Peggy Burns

A New Model of Transportation Service for Students with Disabilities
By Pete Meslin

Leading by Example: Health Promotion Programs for School Staff
By Patrick C. Herbert, M.D. and David K. Lohrmann, Ph.D.

School Cafeteria Operations: Separating Myth from Reality
By Richard Weeks, RSBA

Public School Desegregation and Education Facilities
By Richard C. Hunter, Ed.D.


ASBO SPECIAL

The Knowledge Question: How SFO Certification Solves for the Unknown

The 2010 Eagle Institute: Discovering the Leadership Opportunity in a Crisis

2010 Eagle Award Winners


DEPARTMENTS

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

PUBLISHER’S MESSAGE

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE

SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
How Green Is Your Parking Lot? Promoting Sustainability on Campus
By Matt Jobin, AIA

LEGAL AND LEGISLATIVE ISSUES
Teacher Furloughs and Students with Disabilities
By Allan G. Osborne, Jr., Ed.D. and Charles J. Russo, J.D., Ed.D.

TIPS, TOOLS, AND RESOURCES
Oh the Places You Can Go

CORPORATE CORNER
Taking Sides 
By Margit Weisgal, CME

SPOTLIGHT ON MIKE PROMBO



Next month in School Business Affairs:
March 2011
Communication 

For more information on School Business Affairs, contact ASBO’s Siobhan McMahon at 866/ 682-2729, x7076 or email ASBOSBA@asbointl.org



 

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