Performance evaluation of scheduling strategies for Field Force Automation traffic over GPRS

Abstract

This study makes use of guidelines from other studies together with a lack of appropriate network simulation tools to develop an example data source model successfully that can be used for Field Force Automation network simulations. By following the same procedure, companies can develop models tailored to their own systems, as the model is fully scalable for different sized workforces, as well as different Field Force Automation platforms and operational situations. The result is that performance modelling can now be done to determine the capability of the support/backbone networks to handle the traffic generated by such systems, as well as to perform traffic optimisations for the fastest, most economical system. An overview of the networks used to implement Field Force Automation systems is given. A number of queuing algorithms are explained in detail, after which they are used in a network simulation to show their individual performance when combined with the data source model.