Think Vertical!

Technology has caused its fair share of changes in business, and some of those changes have turned out better than others. The late nineties taught us that too much of a good thing can sometimes be bad, and that false hype, even if everyone believes it, is still false. Those experiences are still a very recent memory, and subsequently have created an environment that is overly cynical and pessimistic about new technologies.

Mobile computing technology has a lot of potential. Whatever will come of all that potential in the long term is yet unknown, but we can glimpse many facets of the future by examining how businesses today are using Pocket PCs to dramatically enhance their capability, productivity, and profit. We're going to look at a variety of vertical markets to see some of the strategies that leading-edge companies are currently implementing. ("Vertical markets" are based on specific industries, as opposed to "horizontal markets," which are based on functional categories, such as sales-force automation, that are common across most industries.)

The markets I discuss below are not the only vertical markets that can take radical advantage of mobile computing technology, but simply those where some of the most exciting research and development is currently being performed. Some of the following strategies can be implemented simply with off-the-shelf hardware and software, while others will require software integration and/or custom development.

Agriculture

Seed producers, as well as dealers, can perform head-to-head crop comparisons and analysis on a Pocket PC with historical trending based on a wide variety of location and soil-related variables. Farmers and agriculture consultants can use handheld-based herbicide-symptom and weed-identification applications with integrated GPS trending and analysis for predicting soil issues and recommending resolutions for weed growth and spreading. Animal tracking and inventory systems with complete health history can be used with cattle, dairy, hogs, and more.

Herbicide injury identification guide for soybeans

Education

Traditional educational institutions, as well as corporate training and continuing education programs, can successfully use mobile devices to deliver e-learning content wirelessly to their students. This could be a stand-alone education mechanism, or it could be integrated with other types of e-learning systems as well as traditional face-to-face instruction for a multi-channel learning experience. In schools, colleges, and universities, mobile devices can be used for automated attendance tracking, real-time comprehension evaluation, and assignment management and submission.

Healthcare

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) provides new federal regulations regarding patient privacy and the security of patient data, as well as standardized formats for electronic data interchange. Individuals in the healthcare industry have been quick to adopt mobile computing technology, but handhelds in healthcare have so far mostly remained personal devices, unsupported by the organizations that are now scrambling to bring their existing systems and processes up to HIPAA compliance before the looming deadline in October 2003. While most institutions are simply trying to implement no more than what is required, this mandatory technological revamp is the perfect time to implement and deploy mobile solutions that can have a long-term impact on efficiency and productivity. Patient documentation systems, with integrated billing mechanisms and automated procedure/diagnosis code verification, can dramatically reduce unbilled services, documentation errors, and rebilling. Research and medical references can be wirelessly delivered for always-available interactive content, as well as for real-time health insurance eligibility inquiries.

Patient documentation and tracking system