A Bridge to Build On
Vision, resolve lead Phoenix data firm
Yvette Armendariz
The Arizona Republic
May. 15, 2003 12:00 AM
Ian McDonald is no stranger to perseverance and flexibility.
Seven years ago, he had an idea for processing and collecting data that could
be immediately accessed via the Internet. His company, Phoenix-based Bridge
Technology, would first market it as a way transit companies could verify dollar
amounts on stored data cards, such as monthly bus passes.
The contract Bridge pursued didn't pan out. But, McDonald wouldn't give up.
"We built this wireless data processing engine, then I went out to market
it. Everyone said, 'That's nice. What will it do for me?' " McDonald recalled.
So he came up with more than 30 possible industries that could use the application,
from schools and childcare providers to freight companies and health providers.
They could use the service to track all kinds of information, such as dormitory
access, guardian identification, delivery schedules and insurance eligibility.
He decided to focus on transportation. This time, he would pitch how the system
could help with security and vehicle management. The service would be called
Next-Shuttle.
The system works by mounting a wireless global positioning device on a shuttle
bus, which transmits information on its speed, direction and location to a central
processing center. It uses New York-based MapInfo Corp. street data to map out
routes.
Supervisors get the data via a secure Internet link. Updates can be accessed
in less than a second, McDonald said. Also, solar-powered displays are placed
at shuttle stops to let bus riders waiting to get picked up know how much time
until the next bus arrives.
Bridge this week pitched the concept to Sky Harbor International Airport, McDonald
said, but so far its only client is Oakland International Airport.
There the system, put in place last summer, can track airport shuttle buses
for speed, distance between vehicles and location.
Its main selling point: "It increases customer service and increases airport
security," McDonald said.
For Oakland, the system has improved airport shuttle management, said Ralph
Hill, supervisor of airport Landside Operations. Hill points out that it helps
determine if a driver is behind schedule and if he made the appropriate stops.
While McDonald tries to grow the system at airports, he's keeping his eye on
other potential revenue sources.
Other applications include combining the wireless processing with biometrics
software to identify potential trouble at security checkpoints or to track when
and where students taking the school bus home get off.
