MDT: Mobile Data Terminal

A mobile data terminal or MDT is a computerized device often used by public transit vehicles, courier vehicles, service trucks, commercial fleets, and taxicabs.  Military vehicles, fishing fleets, warehouse inventory control, and emergency vehicles also use mobile data terminal devices.

MDT’s have a screen where the information can be viewed.  There is also a keyboard or pad for entering information that connects to various peripheral devices.  For example mobile data terminals can be linked with two way radios or taximeters.  MDT’s are simple display and keypad units which allow for a separate black box or AVL computer.  Today a lot of the mobile data terminals are hooked to functioning PC hardware such as mobile digital computers rather than being dumb terminals.  Dumb terminals were devices that recorded information, but could not be used for other tasks.  Other components are the motor vehicle computer.

Before mobile data terminals there were computer aided dispatching units or CAD units.  They were replaced by the MDT’s because they are customizable and work with point to point radios like those used in police dispatching.  CAD systems had applications for taxi or package delivery systems.  Some places still use the CAD system, but most are switching to the mobile data terminal to have the laptops and wide area wireless IP communications offered with it.  Basically the system uses the Internet to communicate or at least record the data sent by satellite from the vehicles or communication devices.

There are also industrial applications such as commercial trucking, GIS, agriculture, and mobile asset management.  Custom electronic hardware is by far preferred when it comes to these systems.  Custom terminals with I/O interfaces help connect to the industry specific equipment that is used by the company.  The products used are environmentally hardened.  This means that the product cannot be damaged by rain or other weather, and the units have a power supply linked to the vehicle that is protected.  A memory file to record data is also part of the component.

MDT solutions are often based on consumer products or consumer software available.  The life cycle of the mobile data terminal is more than five years.  Features of the MDT include a 9VDC to 36 VDC power input, electrical transient protection, serial port, Digital I/O, removable medial port, wide operating temperature, and connections for specific industry equipment.

Above AVL was mentioned.  AVL stands for automatic vehicle location.  Mobile data terminals using AVL are often stand alone modems or operating systems rather than a black box with a GPS receiver.  Mobile data terminals are used in vehicles to help with driver safety.  The devices are secure and set up for easy use.  Typically the tracking system can be mounted on the underside of the vehicle out of the way of the driver.  Boats, automobiles, forklifts, and planes all have a type of mobile data terminal.

You already know about the plane devices.  They call it the little black box that records the flight, which tells investigators what went wrong if anything did.