Efficient waste collection for Waste Vision thanks to smart navigation app

Waste Vision is a global leader in smart IoT solutions for waste management. Traditional waste collection is often analog, complex, and prone to errors. To overturn these challenges, Waste Vision teamed up with ACA Group to develop a revolutionary mobile application aimed at enhancing waste collection efficiency.

About Waste Vision

The mission of Waste Vision is providing smart solutions  for improving waste separation and collection.

They design, manufacture, place, and maintain both underground and aboveground waste containers. Through innovative technology, Waste Vision has rapidly grown into a premier supplier of high-quality smart solutions in the waste sector. They offer not only containers but also electronics, software, and services to streamline waste collection systems.

The challenge: streamlining the traditional container process

Container collection is often analog, complex, prone to mistakes and subject to human interventions. Collectors manually check and empty containers without considering filing rates, distances to an emptying point, roadblocks, traffic congestion, etc. To address these challenges, Waste Vision partnered with ACA Group to develop a smart mobile navigation application.

The solution: a smart navigation app for efficient waste management

At the start of each shift, waste truck drivers log into the app on their tablets. The app then displays the entire collection route, guiding them along the most efficient route with built-in navigation. Drivers can mark emptied containers and report technical issues or other remarks to the central dispatching unit. In addition to collection rounds, the system can also be used for logistic management of container placement and maintenance.

Online platform for optimal efficiency

One of the standout features is an online platform that monitors container fill levels and helps with the creation and scheduling of collection rounds. The system assists in the creation of the most efficient routes, taking into account filling rates, the nearest emptying point, fractions and truck availability. This smart application automatically calculates the most optimized route for container collection, significantly reducing the time needed to empty all waste containers.

Technologies 

Waste vision’s inhouse platform manages and configures assets, collects fill rates, and plans collection routes. The mobile application created by ACA Group integrates with this platform, providing a customized GPS tool specifically for waste truck drivers.

The mobile application was developed using Xamarin combined with Mapbox as a base library for map visualizations, specifically targeting Android tablet devices. Xamarin’s flexibility allows for future use on other platforms, aligning seamlessly with Waste Vision’s existing technology stack.
 
The app’s technical complexity centers on routing and map visualization. Routing is particularly challenging because there are a lot of factors that must be taken into account for the target trucks, such as avoiding U-turns. Routing, and route optimization are performed entirely offline.

Map visualizations also play a crucial role in the success of the application. ACA designed a solution that clearly displays all necessary information for drivers, ensuring safety and ease of use whether they’re on the move or reviewing data.

Xamarin’s end of life: ok, so what’s next?

With the announcement that support for Xamarin will be phased out, Waste Vision and ACA Group are working on a sustainable solution, with the goal to migrate the app to .NET, thus ensuring its continued effectiveness and innovation in waste management. 

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