System and methods for maintaining a vehicle availability report with respect to a location

1. A method of maintaining a vehicle availability report with respect to a first location, comprising:

receiving, by a processor in a computing device, geolocation data collected by on-board units of vehicles of a first type;

receiving, by the processor, fleet management data from a fleet management system;

determining, by the processor, the number of vehicles of the first type within a predetermined geofence at the first location based on the received geolocation data;

determining, by the processor, the number of vehicles of the first type due to leave the first location within a predetermined time period based on the received fleet management data;

determining, by the processor, whether the number of vehicles of the first type within the predetermined geofence is more than, equal to, or less than the number of vehicles of the first type due to leave the first location within the predetermined time period based on a result of comparing the received geolocation data and the received fleet management data;

updating, by the processor, the vehicle availability report based on:

the determined number of vehicles of the first type within the predetermined geofence at the first location;

the determined number of vehicles of the first type due to leave the first location within the predetermined time period; and

the determination of whether the number of vehicles of the first type within the predetermined geofence is more than, equal to, or less than the number of vehicles of the first type due to leave the first location within the predetermined time period; and

determining, by the processor, a course of action for a user by inputting information included in the updated vehicle availability report into a machine learning system that utilizes a feedback loop between user actions and performance metrics.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising compiling and storing the geolocation data received from the on-board units of respective vehicles of the first type within the predetermined geofence.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein determining the number of vehicles of the first type within the predetermined geofence at the first location based on the received geolocation data comprises accessing and analysing the stored geolocation data.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising compiling and storing the fleet management data received from the fleet management system for all vehicles associated with the first location,

wherein:

the fleet management data lists all vehicles of each type that:

are scheduled to leave the first location within the predetermined time period; and

were scheduled to leave the first location within a predetermined time window prior to the predetermined time period; and

determining the number of vehicles of the first type due to leave the first location within the predetermined time period based on the received fleet management data comprises accessing the fleet management system and adding the number of vehicles of the first type due to leave the first location within the predetermined time period to the number of vehicles of the first type that were scheduled to leave the first location within the predetermined time window prior to the predetermined time period.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

determining the number of vehicles of the first type scheduled to return to the first location within the predetermined time period based on the received fleet management data;

accessing the received geolocation data to determine current positions of the vehicles of the first type scheduled to return to the first location within the predetermined time period;

creating a list of vehicles that will return to the first location by calculating, based on the determined current positions of the vehicles of the first type scheduled to return to the first location, whether there is sufficient time for these vehicles to return to the first location within the predetermined time period;

adding the number of vehicles in the list of vehicles that will return to the first location to the number of vehicles of the first type within the predetermined geofence at the first location to obtain a total number of available vehicles of the first type; and

determining whether the total number of available vehicles of the first type is more than, equal to, or less than the number of vehicles of the first type due to leave the first location within the predetermined time period.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first location is defined by a first geofence and the predetermined geofence is within the first geofence.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the first geofence surrounds a vehicle rental outlet.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

determining the number of vehicles of the first type within a second predetermined geofence at the first location;

calculating the time until the vehicles of the first type within the second predetermined geofence enter the predetermined geofence based on a stored average time that it takes vehicles of the first type within the second predetermined geofence to enter the predetermined geofence;

creating a list of vehicles that will enter the predetermined geofence within the predetermined time period and adding the number of vehicles in this list to the number of vehicles of the first type within the predetermined geofence to obtain a total number of vehicles of the first type within the predetermined geofence; and

determining whether the total number of vehicles is more than, equal to, or less than the number of vehicles of the first type due to leave the first location within the predetermined time period.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the second predetermined geofence surrounds at least one of a vehicle cleaning bay or a vehicle return bay.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the predetermined geofence surrounds a vehicle ready for rent bay.

11. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

accessing the vehicle availability report to determine whether the number of vehicles of the first type within the predetermined geofence is less than the number of vehicles of the first type due to leave the first location within the predetermined time period; and

suggesting a course of action to a user to increase the number of vehicles of the first type within the predetermined geofence.

12. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

determining the number of vehicles of a second type, different from the first type, within the predetermined geofence at the first location;

determining the number of vehicles of the second type due to leave the first location within the predetermined time period;

determining whether number of vehicles of the second type within the predetermined geofence at the first location is more than, equal to, or less than the number of vehicles of the second type due to leave the first location within the predetermined time period; and

updating the vehicle availability report based on:

the determined number of vehicles of the second type within the predetermined geofence at the first location;

the determined number of vehicles of the second type due to leave the first location within the predetermined time period; and

the determination of whether number of vehicles of the second type within the predetermined geofence at the first location is more than, equal to, or less than the number of vehicles of the second type due to leave the first location within the predetermined time period.

13. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having stored thereon processor-executable software instructions configured to cause a processor in a computing device to perform operations for maintaining a vehicle availability report with respect to a first location, the operations comprising:

receiving geolocation data collected by on-board units of vehicles of a first type;

receiving fleet management data from a fleet management system;

determining the number of vehicles of the first type within a predetermined geofence at the first location based on the received geolocation data;

determining the number of vehicles of the first type due to leave the first location within a predetermined time period based on the received fleet management data;

determining whether the number of vehicles of the first type within the predetermined geofence is more than, equal to, or less than the number of vehicles of the first type due to leave the first location within the predetermined time period based on a result of comparing the received geolocation data and the received fleet management data; and

updating the vehicle availability report based on:

the determined number of vehicles of the first type within the predetermined geofence at the first location;

the determined number of vehicles of the first type due to leave the first location within the predetermined time period; and

the determination of whether the number of vehicles of the first type within the predetermined geofence is more than, equal to, or less than the number of vehicles of the first type due to leave the first location within the predetermined time period; and

determining a course of action for a user by inputting information included in the updated vehicle availability report into a machine learning system that utilizes a feedback loop between user actions and performance metrics.

14. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 13 ,

wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to cause a processor to perform operations further comprising compiling and storing the geolocation data received from on-board units of respective vehicles of the first type within the predetermined geofence; and

wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to cause a processor to perform operations such that determining the number of vehicles of the first type within the predetermined geofence at the first location based on the received geolocation data comprises accessing and analysing stored geolocation data.

15. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 13 ,

wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to cause a processor to perform operations further comprising compiling and storing the fleet management data received from the fleet management system for all vehicles associated with the first location,

wherein:

the fleet management data lists all vehicles of each type that:

are scheduled to leave the first location within the predetermined time period; and

were scheduled to leave the first location within a predetermined time window prior to the predetermined time period; and

wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to cause a processor to perform operations such that determining the number of vehicles of the first type due to leave the first location within the predetermined time period based on the received fleet management data comprises accessing the fleet management system and adding the number of vehicles of the first type due to leave the first location within the predetermined time period to the number of vehicles of the first type that were scheduled to leave the first location within the predetermined time window prior to the predetermined time period.

16. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 13 , wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to cause a processor to perform operations further comprising:

determining the number of vehicles of the first type scheduled to return to the first location within the predetermined time period based on the received fleet management data;

accessing the received geolocation data to determine current positions of the vehicles of the first type scheduled to return to the first location within the predetermined time period;

creating a list of vehicles that will return to the first location by calculating, based on the determined current positions of the vehicles of the first type scheduled to return to the first location, whether there is sufficient time for these vehicles to return to the first location within the predetermined time period;

adding the number of vehicles in the list of vehicles that will return to the first location to the number of vehicles of the first type within the predetermined geofence at the first location to obtain a total number of available vehicles of the first type; and

determining whether the total number of available vehicles of the first type is more than, equal to, or less than the number of vehicles of the first type due to leave the first location within the predetermined time period.

17. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 13 , wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to cause a processor to perform operations further comprising:

determining the number of vehicles of the first type within a second predetermined geofence at the first location;

calculating the time until the vehicles of the first type within the second predetermined geofence enter the predetermined geofence based on a stored average time that it takes vehicles of the first type within the second predetermined geofence to enter the predetermined geofence;

creating a list of vehicles that will enter the predetermined geofence within the predetermined time period and adding the number of vehicles in this list to the number of vehicles of the first type within the predetermined geofence to obtain a total number of vehicles of the first type within the predetermined geofence; and

determining whether the total number of vehicles is more than, equal to, or less than the number of vehicles of the first type due to leave the first location within the predetermined time period.

18. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 13 , wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to cause a processor to perform operations further comprising:

accessing the vehicle availability report to determine whether the number of vehicles of the first type within the predetermined geofence is less than the number of vehicles of the first type due to leave the first location within the predetermined time period; and

suggesting a course of action to a user to increase the number of vehicles of the first type within the predetermined geofence.

19. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 13 , wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to cause a processor to perform operations further comprising:

determining the number of vehicles of a second type, different from the first type, within the predetermined geofence at the first location;

determining the number of vehicles of the second type due to leave the first location within the predetermined time period;

determining whether number of vehicles of the second type within the predetermined geofence at the first location is more than, equal to, or less than the number of vehicles of the second type due to leave the first location within the predetermined time period; and

updating the vehicle availability report based on:

the determined number of vehicles of the second type within the predetermined geofence at the first location;

the determined number of vehicles of the second type due to leave the first location within the predetermined time period; and

the determination of whether number of vehicles of the second type within the predetermined geofence at the first location is more than, equal to, or less than the number of vehicles of the second type due to leave the first location within the predetermined time period.

20. A computing device, comprising:

a processor configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations comprising:

receiving geolocation data collected by on-board units of vehicles of a first type;

receiving fleet management data from a fleet management system;

determining the number of vehicles of the first type within a predetermined geofence at the first location based on the received geolocation data;

determining the number of vehicles of the first type due to leave the first location within a predetermined time period based on the received fleet management data;

determining whether the number of vehicles of the first type within the predetermined geofence is more than, equal to, or less than the number of vehicles of the first type due to leave the first location within the predetermined time period based on a result of comparing the received geolocation data and the received fleet management data; and

updating the vehicle availability report based on:

the determined number of vehicles of the first type within the predetermined geofence at the first location;

the determined number of vehicles of the first type due to leave the first location within the predetermined time period; and

the determination of whether the number of vehicles of the first type within the predetermined geofence is more than, equal to, or less than the number of vehicles of the first type due to leave the first location within the predetermined time period; and

determining, by the processor, a course of action for a user by inputting information included in the updated vehicle availability report into a machine learning system that utilizes a feedback loop between user actions and performance metrics.