General
The goal of any business related to logistics, transport services, and the delivery of products without the use of transport is, first of all, the effectiveness and efficiency of this activity. Acceptable indicators can be achieved in various ways, one of which is to improve the mobility of the process of relocation.
We see that every year the leading players in the field of transportation and delivery become various services that use IT systems to provide information to those companies that are engaged in the planning and implementation of various types of relocation.
So, for example, by using the distance matrix api any company can not only get invaluable information for planning their routes but also choose the most preferred option of them, by taking into account a wide range of the accompanying conditions.
Usage example
So, let’s imagine that there is a company that provides services for the movement of personnel who do not use personal cars. At the same time, one of the key factors in these situations is the requirement for the employee to arrive at the required location at the set time. What is the first thing you need to know when planning this? The first you need to know is what modes of transport ply on the requested route. The second you need to know is the distance to the target location and how much time it takes to overcome it, depending on one or another type of transport. Next – you need to know what are the specific nuances of the requested route, namely: transfers to similar or other types of transport, the presence of traffic features, etc. By accessing the Distance Matrix API service (DMA), the utilizer receives data on the current road picture, taking into account the existing realities at the time of the request.
How to start the process?
Initiating the process of obtaining the necessary information is very easy. In the relevant section of the DMA, you must find and fill out an electronic request guest card. After sending this request, you will not need much time to wait for a response from DMA. The service will send you your personal identifier or software key, which will give you access to all the necessary DMA services, as well as ensure the preservation and information security when it handles your data. In addition to the identifier itself, the DMA response will contain detailed regulations with a step-by-step description of how to use this key.
Of course, the use of the software key is not free (except for the test mode), however, payment will be charged only for the number of elements that are correct. In this context, the term “element” has a specific meaning. This term in DMA refers to the chain “opening location – ultimate location”. Based on this definition, it is very easy to calculate the number of elements handled by the service.
To illustrate this, here is an example of a request. The utilizer plans to make 5 requests per day to search for 3 locations. At the same time, one element is reflected in one request. Accordingly, the number of requests, and hence the daily handled elements, will be 15 (5 x 1 x 3). This number will reach 450 elements per month (15 x 30). Understanding the methodology of such a calculation makes it possible to plan your activities and expenses for the services.
Very often, our potential utilizers have a question about the sources of the information that the service provides at their request. Here is our answer. To predict this or that route, DMA accumulates information from trusted sources of wide access. The information concerns, first of all, statistics on the congestion of the respective roads and traffic patterns. If it is necessary to calculate the time to overcome the requested path, the service uses algorithms of its own development. Then, each utilizer can verify this on their own using a free test mode of our product.
