Zonar Systems, a provider of electronic fleet inspection, tracking and operations systems, has announced a new patent-pending technology that adds fuel as a fifth dimension to the firm’s GPS reporting.

Zonar’s vehicle telematics platforms have always utilized four-dimensional — latitude, longitude, time, and odometer — GPS reporting. This is efficient, the company says, because it ensures that data is captured and transmitted only when it needs to be, not based on an arbitrary time cycle. With the addition of fuel as the fifth dimension, Zonar’s telematics platforms will not only determine sample rates based on geographical data, but also fuel consumption.

The sampling methodology accounts for route and driving changes, the company says. For example, if a vehicle is driving in the city with frequent stops and turns, the computer samples much more frequently than if the vehicle is running down a long straight highway.

Fleets will now be able to identify, easily and with tremendous detail, says Zonar,  the routes and lanes over which their vehicles are most and least fuel-efficient.  The GPS sampling density increases when fuel consumption increases or spikes and relaxes when consumption decreases or is relatively static.

In addition to five-dimensional data sampling, Zonar’s telematics platforms transmit engine fault codes and verified electronic vehicle inspection data in real-time. This information alerts maintenance personnel to potential service events and provides the ability to remotely diagnose vehicles in the case of a malfunction.

Also captured and transmitted in real-time is a set of driver performance metrics including, but not limited to, accelerating too quickly, hard braking, excessive idling, ABS activation, and roll-stability control activation. All the captured data is available instantly through Zonar’s secure, web-based Ground Traffic Control fleet-management portal.