GPS Trackit adds a new Open API to supplement it’s existing data export capabilities. The new Application Programming Interface (API) runs as a web service, providing an elegant method of pulling vehicle and performance data from its Fleet Manager vehicle tracking and fleet management system.
Temecula, CA – GPS Trackit already provides data pumps and data queues that pull data from the Fleet Manager system. Now they’ve developed an Application Programming Interface (API) that functions as a web service, enabling customers and third-party developers to more efficiently move vehicle location data, performance data, and engine diagnostics to other systems for use in resource planning, vehicle maintenance, and scheduling.
“The web service is based on REST, which is short for Representational State Transfer,” said Eddie Bermudez, GPS Trackit’s Product Development Manager. “REST, like SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol), is a method of performing a set of basic operations like creating, reading, updating, or deleting information using simple HTTP calls.”
Users of the new Open API request a key for their user account. That is used in a customizable URI (Universal Resource Identifier). The URI looks much like a URL (Universal Resource Locator) but can be customized to request specific data. The key is used to identify the user. By assigning a separate key to each user, the security for that user is propagated to the web service, limiting the data they have access to.
“Users can request the data in XML or JSON formats,” added Bermudez. “Whether a customer wants to do data analysis or a third-party is developing a new tool for use with Fleet Manager, the new Open API provides them with a faster and more secure method of obtaining that data.”