What exactly is a system for managing the towing of improperly parked vehicles and abandoned scooters?

Based on photos of improperly parked cars and photos of scooters, the system collects information from the site in real time. The images are taken by site staff - mainly drivers, responsible for towing away and securing improperly parked vehicles and scooters. As such, the system operates via the CarTowing app and as a separate module, in a web browser window.

Towing process stages

Each towing of a car or transport of a scooter consists of two stages, which are logically associated in the database:
1. Collection of data from the site: photos and description of the actual condition;
2. Collection of data from the destination car park, once the car/scooter has been transported from the site.
An automatic pairing in the database is performed by the system on the basis of the time stamp and the number plate or qrcode of the scooter. The linking of these stages allows the entire towing process to be traced. If, due to any reason, it has not been possible to associate the initial towing stage (from the site) with the stage of delivery to the destination car park, the web application informs the user by adding an appropriate description (notifications) and colours the number plate or qrcode on the screen accordingly.

CarTowing mobile application - on site

On the basis of the photos taken, the site worker enters the descriptions and metadata into the system via the CarTowing app, which forms the app's database. The database is managed and maintained by the operators.
Each driver is equipped with a smartphone with the CarTowing mobile application installed, to which they must log in beforehand. Such a solution allows the data uploaded to the server to be linked and identified with a specific driver.
Here, the application automatically recognises the number plate of the car or the qrcode of the scooter and loads it into the system, which streamlines the towing service process. This data is loaded into the system in real time. In addition, the driver can take any number of photos of the towed car/scooters and additionally describe the tow with metadata: type of tow and indication of a specific law, additional description if necessary.

Web application - support and management

Another separate module of the system is a web application running in a browser window, which displays the incoming data to the server in real time. As such, the application requires logging into the system.
Depending on the user's rights, the data can be edited and deleted. While logged into the system, the user can freely configure the visibility of the data displayed on the screen. The visibility of the data is adapted to the size of the display on which the user is working.

What are the system functionalities?

Each reporting module generates a folder structure (according to sections of the Traffic Code), containing sub-folders (by number plates, qrcode of scooters) in which there are photos of both stages of towing service.
However, the time interval for which the report is to be generated is configurable. In order to provide analytical data, the user has at their disposal a module for comparing the dispatchers' towing report and the data that has been uploaded by the drivers. In the event that any images/data are missing, they can be downloaded directly from the cloud or from the driver's phone. Due to this functionality, the integrity of the data flowing into the system on a daily basis is maintained.
It is also possible for the system administrator to remotely manage the drivers' dedicated phones. Two solutions are possible here: control of the drivers' phones via SMS commands (e.g. sending logs, checking the version of the installed mobile application, sending a data package for towing, deleting archive photos for a specific number of days) or sending notifications/commands from the web application directly to the driver's phone. According to the operating system (and its version) installed on the driver's phone, one of the solutions can be adopted.

What are the security features of the transmitted data?

Throughout the process of transferring data from the phones to the server, they are automatically backed up in a dedicated cloud. Should there be a problem with the transfer to the server, the operator can restore the lost towing data.
All data is stored both on the drivers' phones and in the cloud for a specific, configurable period of time, which can be modified as required.

Who, Where, When?

The author of the system is DL-Systems (http://www.dl-systems.pl), which has been operating in the software market for more than 20 years. We have been implementing projects in various fields of business and economy. The system's initial implementation took place in 2020 on the territory of the Capital City of Warsaw and continues to support car and scooter towing on the territory of the Polish capital, where the number of cars and scooters is the highest in Poland.

Please do not hesitate to contact us!