Application for cargo transportation (Basket Cargo)

Tasks and goals

After the successful implementation of the application for taxi drivers ‘ORBIS’ (link to the uber-like case), we got an order for development of a similar service, but this time — for cargo transportation automation. The gained experience and the existing code patterns helped us in the implementation of this project, nevertheless, the developers had to spend dozens of hours to add the specific functionality which helps to optimize the work of cargo transportation companies.

Target audience

The main users of the application — small and medium-size companies, that are occupied in the field of cargo transportation.

Functionality

The system consists of two parts: the first for dispatchers and drivers, the second — for clients.

    Mobile application for cargo transportation management

With the usage of GPS module, the program collects the information about the drivers’ locations and displays them on the map in real-time mode which provides a dispatcher with the opportunity to track the relocations of cars. Furthermore, the application displays the status of a driver: is he occupied or free. Incoming orders can be allocated in two ways. If they are allocated manually, every order is appointed by a dispatcher. If the automatic mode is on, the system finds the most suitable vehicle and sends the order to its driver. At the moment a car arrives to the place of cargo loading, the client receives an SMS-notification of that. Besides, the system allows to carry out the direct communication between drivers and dispatchers.

 

Mobile application for cargo transportation clients

The application for clients is designed in a minimalistic manner, based on dark color scheme which lets to use the application with maximum comfort. It was our purpose to make the design as simple as possible, to minimize the time required for making an order.

Technologies

In the process of development we used such technologies as: Android SDK, Java, MySQL, Python, Google Maps API.

A bit of statistics

6 months the application was being developed	180 tasks for the entire development period	25 blocks to implement various functions
14 devices of different configuration were used for testing	9 specialists took part in the development	25+ screens and 10 active elements

Development process

As we already had the experience in developing the service which locates the cars on a city map and collects orders into a single database, we had the required team and ready code patterns. This helped us to implement the required functionality within the stated terms. As the system for automation of the cargo transportation is related to a sphere a bit different than the one of “Orbis”, the base of the existing service were to be supplemented with the specific modules, developed to fit the requirements of the application.

The result

The developed application helped to switch the major part of dispatchers’ manual work to the automatic mode. Besides, it decreased the influence of the human factor in the process of allocation and management of the orders, which allowed to decrease the amount of flaws in the work. In particular, the process of tracking and coordinating drivers was significantly simplified due to the fact that they can be located on a map in real-time mode. This and other advantages of using the system allow cargo transportation companies to keep and expand their client base.