Page 46 - Australian Defence Mag March 2020

46 LAND WARFARE VEHICLE SAFETY
MARCH 2020 | WWW.AUSTRALIANDEFENCE.COM.AU
One of the technologies Army is trialling to achieve this loop is telematics: a variety of in-vehicle devices that record work and rest hours, speed, location, and on-board mass. It’s an example of commercial in- dustry best-practice that is now supporting Army’s compliance with heavy vehicle law.
“Think of it as an really sophisticated two-
way GPS, that makes driving safer,” BRIG
Ashurst said. “I’m sponsoring a trial in
Forces Command, RAN and RAAF that is
running until February 2021. The aim is to
test, evaluate and inform telematic user re-
quirements so we can incorporate it into our
safety framework and procure the most appropriate systems.”
Where once an officer or NCO would assign a driver a task with no following information on how well the task was performed, commanders can now download the telematics, analyse performance and help that driver improve.
“That trial is going really well,” BRIG Ashurst said. “The initial feedback informs us that the telematics will do what we’re hoping it will do.”
The system is also creating a more continuous definition of driver competence. In the civilian world, for example, you take a driver’s test and are deemed competent from that mo- ment on, with no further testing. Telematics are enabling
ABOVE: “Essentially, I want a system that will help us be
a good citizen on Australian roads. It’s the Army in Motion,” BRIG Ashurst said to ADM.
Army to assess how current its drivers actu- ally are; when they last drove a truck, what kind of truck it was, what the task involved. An approach to industry is likely after the trial is completed next year.
The second technology Army is rolling out is known as ChatBot, or what BRIG Ashurst calls ‘Army Siri’. It’s an AI conver- sational assistant tool that helps people ac- cess information that was previously only available in manuals.
“I’m a realist,” BRIG Ashurst said. “Sol- diers won’t read every bit of paper. How do we best ensure they are aware of the latest poli-
cies and information? We developed ChatBot to be a single source of truth.”
ChatBot, however, will also help the organisation learn. The tool will aggregate data to help Army understand what the most frequent questions are so that it can better meet heavy vehicle user needs.
“If we can see that everyone is asking the same question, we can better inform and educate,” BRIG Ashurst said. “It’s not going to be our only methodology, but it will help. It answers policy questions quickly and is in line with other digital transformations happening across Army.”
For the Brigadier, the ideal end-state is a usable data set that can make Army smarter and safer.
“I want a system that can manage our fleets, enable our people, and protect all road users,” BRIG Ashurst said. “Es- sentially, I want a system that will help us be a good citizen on Australian roads. It’s the Army in Motion.” ■
“ONE OF THE TECHNOLOGIES ARMY IS TRIALLING TO ACHIEVE THIS LOOP IS TELEMATICS: A VARIETY OF IN-VEHICLE DEVICES THAT RECORD WORK AND REST HOURS, SPEED, LOCATION, AND ON-BOARD MASS.”
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