Telematics is a term that refers to the combining of two sciences: telecommunications and computer systems. It is most often used to refer to solutions used in commercial fleet vehicles to collect and send telemetry data about their movements and location.
The system uses a vehicle tracking device that is installed in a vehicle that allows the sending and receiving of telemetry data. The device collects GPS data, as well as other vehicle specific information, and sends it via GPRS (General Packet Radio Service), 4G mobile phone networks or satellite communications, to a centralized server where the data is stored for later analysis.
The technology is similar to ‘black box’ devices that collect and store data about vehicle use and movements. Fleet companies are using telematics to coordinate vehicles and gain a view of the productivity and profitability of their vehicle fleet.