Responder Tracking
Claiming a DT (Downtime) call and arriving at the machine are two different things. ProAlert's responder tracking system logs GPS (Global Positioning System) location every 30 seconds while a call is active, calculates live distance and ETA (Estimated Time of Arrival) to the asset, and displays responder name, distance, and arrival estimate on the shop floor Andon HUD (Heads-Up Display) in real time. Supervisors see exactly where their responders are... and can escalate before downtime compounds into a full shift loss.
The bottom line: "Someone is on it" is not the same as "someone is there." Responder tracking closes the gap between claim and arrival... giving supervisors the visibility they need to know whether to wait 90 more seconds or pick up the phone and escalate right now.
The Gap Between "Claimed" and "On Site"
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A claimed call with no responder visible is indistinguishable from an unclaimed call.When a DT call is claimed on mobile, the supervisor sees "Claimed by Mike Johnson" on the Andon board. But Mike could be 20 steps away finishing a task or 300 meters away on the far side of a large plant. Without location data, both situations look identical... and the right escalation decision is different for each.
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Response time metrics are incomplete without arrival data.Claim-to-respond time measures when a responder marked "on site" in the app, not when they physically arrived. In practice, technicians sometimes tap "Respond" when they're still in transit to avoid the system flagging them as slow. GPS arrival verification prevents this and makes response time data accurate enough to act on.
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Supervisors have no basis for escalation decisions.The right time to escalate is before a responder is needed, not after they've already been waiting for 10 minutes. Without ETA data, supervisors either over-escalate (calling the responder when they're 45 seconds away) or under-escalate (waiting 15 minutes for someone who stopped for another task and forgot to reclaim).
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No audit trail for post-event accountability.When a downtime event is investigated after the fact, knowing that a responder claimed the call but didn't arrive for 8 minutes is operationally important context. Without a GPS history log, that information exists only in people's memories... which means it typically isn't part of the root cause analysis at all.
How Responder Tracking Works
GPS tracking activates the moment a call is claimed and continues until the call is closed. No manual activation, no separate app permission request per call... tracking starts automatically when the claim is accepted.
| Stage | What Happens |
|---|---|
| Call Claim | Responder GPS location is captured at the exact moment of claim. This establishes the claim-position record: where the responder was when they accepted the call. Combined with the asset's GPS coordinates, it provides the initial distance measurement. |
| 30-Second Updates | While the call is active and unclosed, the responder's mobile app submits GPS coordinates every 30 seconds. Each update creates a location record with timestamp, latitude, longitude, and accuracy radius. The current distance to the asset is recalculated with each update. |
| ETA Calculation | ETA is calculated from the current distance divided by configured average walking speed (default: 1.2 m/s, adjustable per facility). The calculation updates every 30 seconds alongside the GPS position. If a responder stops moving, ETA increases and the supervisor is aware. |
| Andon HUD Display | The shop floor Andon board displays responder name, current distance to the asset, and ETA in the active call row. Updates push via SignalR WebSocket... the display refreshes without page reload. Operators and supervisors watching the Andon board see live responder approach. |
| Respond and Close Timestamps | When the responder taps "Respond" (marking on-site) and later "Close," GPS coordinates and timestamps are captured at both transitions. The full call record includes: claim position, arrival position, and the GPS trace between them for post-event review. |
| Location History | Complete GPS history for each call is retained in the database. Quality and engineering teams reviewing a specific downtime event can see the responder's exact travel path, the time between claim and arrival, and whether any anomalies in the route suggest the responder handled another task in transit. |
Response Accountability in Practice
At RHA Manufacturing, a Toyota Tier 1 (T1) automotive stamping supplier, the combination of sub-second call delivery and responder accountability cut average response time from 22 minutes to under 1 minute. The accountability visibility that responder tracking creates... the knowledge that claim-to-arrival time is recorded and visible to supervisors on the Andon board... changes responder behavior without requiring any policy enforcement. When people know their response path is visible, they take a more direct one.
Without Responder Tracking vs. With ProAlert
Standard Andon / Call Systems
- Claim confirmed — responder location unknown
- Supervisor walks floor to check response status
- No ETA for escalation decisions
- Response time = "Respond" button tap, not actual arrival
- No GPS history for post-event accountability review
- Responder behavior unaffected by visibility (no accountability signal)
ProAlert Responder Tracking
- Live distance and ETA on the Andon board from the moment of claim
- 30-second GPS updates while call is active — no supervisor walkabout
- ETA-based escalation: know when to wait and when to call
- GPS arrival position confirms physical presence at the asset
- Full location history available for root cause and accountability review
- Visibility itself improves response behavior — the Hawthorne effect, applied operationally
For IT and Plant Engineering Teams
| Component | Technology | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| GPS Collection | .NET MAUI (Multi-platform App UI) native location API (iOS Core Location, Android Location Manager) | GPS data collected via native platform location APIs for maximum accuracy. Location permission requested at app install. Tracking activates only when a call is claimed and stops automatically at call close. No background tracking outside of active calls. |
| Location Storage | ResponderLocation table, SQL Server | Each GPS update creates a ResponderLocation record with call ID, user ID, timestamp, latitude, longitude, and accuracy. All location data is associated with a specific call record and retained for audit purposes. |
| ETA Calculation | Server-side distance calculation, configurable walk speed | Haversine formula calculates great-circle distance between responder coordinates and asset GPS coordinates. Walk speed (m/s) is configurable per facility. ETA recalculated on each GPS update and broadcast via SignalR to Andon board clients. |
| Andon Board Update | SignalR push from ProAlertHub on each GPS update | ETA and distance updates delivered to all connected Andon board displays via WebSocket. No page reload or polling required. Andon board continues showing last-known ETA if GPS update is delayed. |
See a live responder ETA count down on the Andon board in a demo.
Book a 30-minute demo... we'll place a live DT call, claim it on mobile, and watch the distance and ETA update on the shop floor display in real time.