Tracking Server / SnowCOP Requirements

[JamesMunro]

I'm looking to implement SnowCOP. I have an existing AVL hosted by my vendor; who also stores my data on their server. However, they do provide some web services to allow access to the data. I am trying to figure out what role Tracking Server would play�?�
1. Can either SnowCOP or Tracking Server connect directly to the web services hosted by my AVL vendor? If yes, do I need to build an integration or is the COTS functionality?
2. If I had my AVL data in a SQL database, would Tracking Server still be required for SnowCOP to FULLY operate?

[MikeTschudi]

The current Flash-based SnowCOP requires Tracking Server as its source of tracking information.  With Tracking Server being replaced by the GeoEvent Server at 10.2, however, we have new options open to us.  The GeoEvent Server offers amazing customization possibilities for accepting data sources and it works handily with the new Operations Dashboard.  The GeoEvent Server is not yet released, but it is definitely the direction to go for connecting to your AVL vendor's web services and perhaps to the SQL database.  We in the Local Government team have been monitoring the GeoEvent Server's progress for our future development work.

SnowCOP also uses a direct connection to a web service of equipment information; it merges this information with the tracking information to provide details about the vehicle being tracked.  This keeps the tracking information payload much lighter since it doesn't need to carry relatively static information.  The equipment connection is rather specific; this would be another area for generalization work.