search.noResults

search.searching

note.createNoteMessage

search.noResults

search.searching

orderForm.title

orderForm.productCode
orderForm.description
orderForm.quantity
orderForm.itemPrice
orderForm.price
orderForm.totalPrice
orderForm.deliveryDetails.billingAddress
orderForm.deliveryDetails.deliveryAddress
orderForm.noItems
Big data is a term that denotes the use of large volumes of data.


Such data is gathered in other industries by using things aggregat- ing spending data, stock trading information, weather patterns, and a myriad of other parameters. Te information is then fed into software programs that create huge data repositories. Computer algorithms may then assimilate such data to provide complex in- formation that would otherwise be nearly impossible to gather and use without the use of technology. Te future of big data in schools has much potential. Its full adoption, however, has been sluggish for school bus operators.


THE LATE BLOOM OF DATA Schools and school transportation are focused on their students and their assets. While data gathering can be expensive and some- what complicated to achieve, many school districts are adopting data collection where and when they can to help better manage their bus fleets and their operational challenges. For many districts, investments have been made in software that helps different facets of their fleets in different ways. Legacy tech- nology tools, however, may provide data to use in many different ways. “We manage the maintenance of our 25 school buses with software from Dossier/Arsenault Associates,” said Neal Abramson, director of transportation for the Santa Monica Unified School


District near Los Angeles. “We have used that for the past 20 years. We track vehicle mileage, fuel use, and all repairs/maintenance using that system. We also have GPS tracking from Zonar Systems. We have live tracking and can verify times & location of our fleet.” Abramson added that the district also uses gathered data to track


repairs and monitor equipment use. He explained that, legally, his staff must inspect each school bus every 45 calendar days or 3,000 miles, whichever occurs first. Data monitoring helps the staff accomplish these tasks.


USING DATA TO COMMUNICATE Other districts use data for more than managing everyday op- erations. Like the New Hampshire committee set up to study seat belt requirements on buses, transportation managers are using data to report to their bosses. Administrators seem to relish the data that’s presented. Transportation managers who are able to find and present data to them have an easier time framing the need of their fleet and touting their performance. “Data is used to make many of the decisions in our school dis-


trict,” said Herb Jensen, transportation director for Jordan School District in Utah. “We use software (and) data to route our buses. We use a fleet management program to manage our buses and maintenance vehicles. Tis data helps us track the cost of owner-


QUAL IT Y MAT TERS


42 School Transportation News • APRIL 2018


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52