Offline Routing & Navigation for Fleets: How to Operate Without Connectivity

Gone are the days of delivery drivers keeping a large road map to analyze their position on the geography and figuring out the correct route to the destination. Technology has erased the past, and now the vehicles or drivers have embedded devices for live navigation through digital maps.

Vehicle tracking and route navigation are essential technologies for logistics and transportation businesses. But the interdependence on internet services makes them vulnerable to generating consistent output. 

The logistics landscape is expanding globally to diminish international boundaries. Transportation is penetrating unprecedentedly into the rural zones and outskirts that are routed through long and vacant transit roads.

The vast and complex directions on the digital map create confusion in choosing the right path to the destination. A route planner does the job of generating the efficient, safe, and compliant path. But the real test of these tools begins when the vehicle enters an outer area or places that have serious internet network issues. Because the real-time data eventually pauses, that halts the navigation and routing instructions.

Ideal conditions may not persist throughout the journey. Routing solutions should be reliable enough to anticipate availability of resources, like connectivity loss, and serve alternatives to surpass the problem.

Modern platforms like NextBillion understand the vulnerability of internet networks and how essential it is to ensure a backup solution in case of network failure during adverse conditions. Offline routing capability adds a fail-safe layer to the route planner by facilitating the dispatchers to add necessary data, such as delivery locations, fuel stations, etc., on the map.

Most critical issues that offline routing resolves;

• Internet connectivity is a huge problem, and even with powerful satellites and signal towers all over, the network can still deceive your driver at any point.
  
  
• Offline maps help drivers to safely move on the assigned route even during “no connectivity.” 
  
  
• The drivers can still locate specific landmarks and emergency spots in the area.
  
  
• A notable advantage of offline maps (which we can elaborate on further in this article) is reduced data charges, which improves overall cost efficiency. 
  
  
• Static or offline navigation consumes less battery power, and thus, it is quite helpful on long routes.

Quick tips to hire delivery drivers.

Where does the connectivity and navigation issues show up?

Developed nations like America face connectivity issues due to the environmental and infrastructural challenges. It is often the feasibility and lower resource utilization that deter the policymakers from strengthening the networks in less demanding regions. 

Network-affected areas or potential causes for connectivity troubles can be based on the physical characteristics of the location, geographically dead zones, and artificial signal interference. 

• Mountainous regions often block signals from satellites. Despite tower installations, fiber optics, and other solutions, these massive structures made of rock substance act as a wall, creating shadow zones for these signals.
  
  
• Environmental conditions in adverse states, such as heavy rains, snow, solar flares, and geomagnetic storms, can also create a problem with connectivity. 
  
  
• Urban areas with tall skyscrapers create blockage in line-of-sight for satellite signal reception.
  
  
• Rural areas have a lack of fiber cables and towers for signal reception and thus have low connectivity.
  
  
• Remote areas and cross-border regions also pave the way for network troubles for navigation vehicles. These areas are scarcely populated and less focused for network enhancement activities.
  
  
• Military zones lawfully jam the commercial networks in the close proximity of the restricted areas.
  
  

US-specific challenges: Some reported locations of network failure

The United States is a vast nation with varied environmental conditions, infrastructural differences in rural/urban establishments, and strictly regulated zones. 

Here is a brief description of some areas across the country where logistics drivers and commoners have experienced the worst as no internet connectivity for a notable duration. The purpose is to highlight the necessity of an offline routing and navigation facility for transporters.

• Western region and the Rocky Mountains:
  
  
• Trail Ridge Road or US 34, Colorado, moves within the national park range through alpine tundra, and cell signals do not exist here.
  
  
• Going-to-the-Sun Road, Montana, is a 50-mile stretch in Glacier National Park towards the Continental Divide. Connectivity is loose as you enter the area. 
  
  
• Beartooth Highway or US 212, Wyoming, is a beautiful drive towards Yellowstone but suffers cellular and data signals.
  
  
• San Juan Skyway or Million Dollar Highway in Colorado takes you through high rock walls and steep canyons, which characteristically block the network.
  
  
• Eastern region and the Appalachian Mountains: 
  
  
• Blue Ridge Parkway is a 469-mile road where fog and tree cover completely bars the GPS signal.
  
  
• Skyline Drive, Virginia, runs through Shenandoah National Park, connects to the Blue Ridge, and faces similar troubles of connectivity along the mountains.
  
  
• I-26, Tennessee/North Carolina, is not spared. The Sams Gap in the Appalachians has proven low-connectivity issues.
  
  
• Western National Parks: Tioga Pass 120, Yosemite NP, has shown high fluctuation in connectivity with few good exceptions, like Mammoth Hot Springs.
  
  
• The coastline at Big Sur 1, California, is not good for beaches or for cellular networks.
  
  
• Byway 12, Utah, from Bryce Canyon to Capitol Reef, has a natural barrier of red rocks for capturing signals.
  
  
• The Dalton Highway, Alaska, is largely affected by network connectivity issues with “dead zones” in the major portions.
  
  
• The National Radio Quiet Zone is officially restricted in areas across West Virginia and Maryland. Travelers through US-33 are strongly dependent on the offline navigation maps due to no network zones.
  
  
• The deep red rocks in the Southwest Canyons trouble the cellular networks at I-40 or US-191.
  
  
• The skyscrapers in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles are often termed “urban canyons” for blocking GPS signals and fussing with the last-mile deliveries. 
  
  
• The scenario at the Port of Laredo, TX, is completely different. The peak crossing time of logistics trucks creates network congestion for cellular networks.
  
  
• Atlanta interchanges are a nightmare for freights navigating for precise guidance. The dense traffic and multi-level interchanges cause GPS lag.