With a new football season around the corner, the Parking Services Department for Texas Tech University (TTU) faced a serious problem. During the previous season, parking lots surrounding the 52,000-seat Jones AT&T Stadium had been regularly accessed by cars without proper passes, because duplicates were difficult to identify. Complaints from alumni unable to park even with legitimate passes were getting louder.

Much of TTU’s issues could be traced to the limitations of its enforcement officers’ handheld computers. They were difficult to operate, couldn’t be used in the rain, and were easily damaged when dropped. Battery life was short, requiring someone to constantly seek out and replace dead units throughout game days. Without wireless connectivity, there was also no way to track usage in real time.

As the second-largest contiguous university campus in the United States, TTU has 30,000 students and covers more than 1,800 acres. More than a quarter of Parking Services’ $4 million annual revenue is derived from citations, and the university needed reliable technology and rapid information-sharing to ensure it could document each infraction – especially during home football games.

Building a Solution with Versatile Ultra-Mobile PCs
After extensive testing, TTU decided to equip enforcers with the Panasonic Toughbook® U1, an extremely rugged ultra-portable computer with a 5.6” sunlight-viewable screen. With a six-foot drop rating and IP65-certified protection from dust and moisture, the U1 could be counted on to work in any condition.

“We were very impressed with the U1’s rugged capabilities, and the ability to run a full Windows Vista operating system enabled us to quickly develop a custom application for enforcers,” said Stephen Lambert, Manager of Information Systems for TTU Parking Services. “We utilized the U1’s built-in barcode scanner and touchscreen to create an easy-to-use program ensuring every car was accounted for and verified.”

Using the U1’s embedded mobile broadband capabilities and AT&T’s wireless network, TTU set its devices to automatically synch with their servers every five minutes. From a central control room, they were then able to monitor exactly how full each parking lot was as well as  battery life and network status for each U1 being used.

“We had a much more positive response from football fans parking on campus this season, thanks in no small part to the solution we rolled out with the Toughbook U1s,” said Eric Crouch, Managing Director of TTU Parking Services. “We have since deployed U1s to parking enforcers patrolling campus on a year-round basis, and are seeing valuable returns through more efficient and effective processes.”

View the TTU Parking Services U1 case study:

Additional mobile enforcement case studies for the Public Sector can be found here.

These questions have lately focused on what type of device to deploy with their growing number of “walking workers.” These are individuals who are completely mobile for large parts of their day and have to operate in environments hostile to technology such as rain, dust, bright light, vibration and extreme temperatures. These environments are typically found with utility meter readers, line repairmen and utility vegetation management personnel. Besides being rugged enough for the work environment, these workers need a device that is light weight, fully functional and integrated with a host of practical features. 

A new class of rugged ultra-mobile PCs (UMPC) is finally providing these workers with a functional mobile computing solution that combines the mobility of a handheld with the functionality of a laptop. Although these devices fit into the palm of the user’s hands, they integrate barcode scanners, RFID, GPS, cameras and hot-swappable batteries, improving device functionality and driving productivity.

Walking workers also need reliable mobile Internet connectivity offered by WiFi and mobile broadband for tasks such as remote water management and central database access. The also a rugged package for maximum durability for the environment in which they work.

Panasonic’s Toughbook U1 is a mobile solution for utility workers with all of the features described above. If you’re interested in more information about the role of rugged UMPCs in the water and wastewater sector, check out this article in Water Utility Management.