Right here in sunny San Diego a brand new technology is being used to catch graffiti vandals. The high-tech tracking system tracks graffiti in a database, allowing law enforcement to keep track of individual vandals. This makes it easier for prosecutors to seek jail time and restitution after the taggers have been arrested. The tracking system is called Graffiti Tracker.
Did you know that GPS tracking data can be recorded when someone takes a picture of you? Browser plug-ins and certain software programs can reveal the geotag location information of your photos and movies to anyone who wants to see it. Location information (GPS tracking system coordinates) stored inside photos can reveal your home address, work address, places you visit often, etc. Geotags can make it very easy for people – friends, family, bosses, spouses, parents – to know exactly where you are.
Here’s How to Protect Your Privacy:
Modern cameras can track information such as where and when a photo of you was taken and on what type of camera. It is important to make sure that your camera is not revealing more information than you would like. Also be aware when photos of you are uploaded to websites where the public may see such as Facebook, Twitter, Ebay, Craigslist.
The City of Sacramento recently spent over $100,000 on a GPS fleet management system. Many tax payers questioned if the new fleet tracking system was a luxury or a necessity? Turns out, that within the first month of using the fleet management system, the City identified ways to cut fuel costs by over $60,000 in just one month.
According to Keith Leech, City of Sacramento Fleet Management, “The analysis identified savings in excess of $60,000 a month in fuel costs alone, quite an impressive figure considering the cost to equip those 184 vehicles was just over $110,000. Simply stated, the system paid for itself in just two short months making it an excellent investment for the City and a real money saver for the tax payers.”
A real-time GPS Fleet Tracking System can help to Cut Fuel Costs and other Fleet Management Costs. It can also help to:
* Save time and reduce paperwork
* Quickly identify wasteful activities
* Accurately track and measure operating efficiencies
Real Estate Listings on Craigslist Tracked in Real-time and Located by Google Maps With HousingMaps
Craigslist is one of the best resources you can find when looking for a new apartment to rent. It has a ton of listings for apartments, houses, and roommates, but it can be frustrating trying to find the right place in the right location.
Say you find a place you really like, but you’re not exactly sure where it is located, it can be time consuming because you have to click each listing and then cross-reference it to a map. HousingMaps was created to solve this problem and make the search for a new home easier. HousingMaps is especially useful if you are relocating to a new city and don’t know your way around.
The federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Department of Transportation (DOT) announced they are coordinating with the California Air Resources Board to set fuel economy and greenhouse gas standards for model year 2017-2025 cars and light-duty trucks. All three agencies will simultaneously release the proposed rules for vehicle fuel economy and carbon emissions on Sept. 1, 2011.
ven if you don’t drive a GM vehicle, many people have seen the commercials for the OnStar telematics system. The ones where the family vehicle crashes crashes and the OnStar telematics system automatically alerts emergency services. OnStar launched an aftermarket rear-view mirror equipped with its OnStar telematics based communication system this year (2011) at CES. Even if you don’t drive a GM, now any vehicle can use the OnStar system and service.
OnStar services are currently installed in over 6 million vehicles. The OnStar mirror will retail for $299 at Best Buy. The device will hit the shelves this Spring. The monthly fee for the service will be $18.95.
OnStar and other telematics companies are exploring different ways to bring the Internet experience into the automobile. OnStar Telematics, a division of General Motors, currently offers drivers a variety of connected services, including turn-by-turn GPS system navigation, automatic crash response, stolen vehicle location, and much more.
Google Maps (GOOG) just launched a Fuel Cost Calculator to driving directions for Google Maps in Europe. Google’s new Fuel Cost Calculator can be used to estimate the average fuel cost for your journey. When a user asks for driving direction between two locations on the map, it shows an estimate of how much cash your have to spend in order to procure fuel for the journey. The estimated fuel cost appears at the bottom of the list of driving directions.
This new tool can be very helpful for many reasons. With rising gas costs on the horizon (Oil is expected to top $100 a barrel this year.) it would be nice to be able to plan your trips taking gas costs into consideration. If utilized properly, this new tool can help you to become aware of your carbon footprint, and gives you the opportunity to really cut your gas costs, which is a great incentive to take the time to plan your trips more efficiently.
There has been a steady rise in gas prices over the last year. According to AAA, the national average for regular unleaded gas is $3.11 a gallon. Over the last year, prices are up 39 cents a gallon, or 14%. Crude oil is up by a similar percentage, currently trading at just under $90 a barrel.
“Unless we see increases in supply, it’s hard not to see a tighter market,” John Felmy, the American Petroleum Institute’s chief economist, said in a conference call with reporters. Felmy said worldwide oil demand in 2010 hit a record of more than 87 million barrels a day.
New reports out this week show demand for oil and gas is up according to API and some analysts say that could mean paying more at the pump. Many experts are saying drivers could be paying $4 a gallon of gasoline this spring. There’s also claims some experts have been under-estimating prices for months.
The gas price increase may be due to several reasons including:
1. Global demand for oil is increasing as China, India and the Middle East are rapidly expanding.
2. Rising interest in crude as an investment can cause higher prices.
3. Winter weather has been extra cold in many parts the US and Europe, creating more demand for heating oil, which can cause an increase in gas prices.
4. The BP oil spill resulted in Obama administering an oil drilling moratorium, which means no more offshore drilling on the Gulf Coast, further reducing the oil supply.
5. OPEC continues to restrict supply.
Last week there were more legal disputes involving GPS tracking without a warrant and 4th Amendment rights. The highest courts in New York, Oregon and Washington have ruled that warrants are required when law enforcement officers want to track someone with GPS tracking technology, but the Ohio Supreme Court has not yet decided on the issue.
GPS Tracking Without a Warrant
In Ohio, two men accused in a number of home-invasion robberies in Franklin County are trying to get the evidence thrown out court because the sheriff tracked them by placing a GPS device on their car without a warrant. A judge in Fairfield County, where the last of the home invasions occurred, ruled in July that investigators didn’t need a warrant to attach the GPS tracking device to the car. The two men pleaded no contest in that case, and each was convicted and sentenced to prison. They are appealing the convictions, based largely on the GPS tracking issue. Trial dates are tentatively set in May.
SSchool districts across the US are realizing the value in a school bus fleet GPS tracking system. In Nashville, TN, a school district just spent $1.5 million for a new school bus fleet GPS tracking system.
A GPS tracking system can be beneficial to a school district for many reasons. A tracking system can especially be very helpful in reducing conflict between parents, drivers, other school employees.
How School Bus Fleet GPS Tracking Works
The GPS tracking device automatically triggers when the ignition is turned on. The system can be used to determine if buses are hitting routes on time, or even if they’ve missed a stop. Some advanced tracking systems will do a fingerprint scan of your child every time he or she gets on and off the school bus. This is an excellent way to keep track of a child’s whereabouts. Using the website for the GPS tracking system, parent’s can view the real-time location of the school bus and know whether or not their child is on the bus.
Most seniors want to remain in their own homes for as long as they can, even when they are sick and need consistent daily health care. There are several new devices on the market that can help to keep seniors independent and safe.
1) There are several new GPS system devices, based on the same GPS technology in cars, that can help locate someone with dementia who’s wandered from home.
2) A new GPS tracking system has been designed specifically for this purpose – to assist the elderly and notify caretakers when something is wrong.
How The GPS Tracking System for Seniors Works:
Sensors in the home are set up and used to track a person’s movement, from the front ,to the medicine cabinet, to the refrigerator, to the stove., and so forth. The sensors are linked with computers that can issue alerts when people deviate from their usual routine. The GPS tracking system for Seniors can help to give family members peace of mind, knowing that grandpa has something watching over him 24/7.
Every time a plane lands or takes off, all passengers are asked to shut off all electronic devices – laptops, cel phones, iPods, GPS tracking devices, DVD players.If you don’t put your electronic devices away, then technically you’re breaking an FAA law. The FCC put the electronic devices rule into effect many years ago in order to rule out risks involving interference with the aircraft’s navigation GPS system. But many people question whether the law is really necessary. After all, can an iPod or GPS system enabled smartphone such as an iPhone really interfere with an airplane’s navigation system?
I’ve seen many people ignore this law and continue to use their cel phone or iPod during landings and take off. Chances are using an electronic device will not do anything. Therefore, no your iPod will not do any damage. But, it is a federal law to make sure your devices are shut off. The theory is that they COULD do something the aircraft’s electronics.
We all know that texting and driving is very dangerous. Drivers should always stay focused on the road ahead of them. A very famous and successful plastic surgeon drove off a cliff in Malibu last year (2010) because he was texting while driving. The accident demonstrates the very real danger of texting while driving, an activity that has reportedly spiked in recent years.
“I hear, almost daily, accounts of people who are injured while texting,” said Dr. Angela Gardner, president of the American College of Emergency Physicians. Gardner said “It has stopped being an oddity when we hear that someone was texting and has a wreck. Now it’s more of a fairly common occurrence…While sending out a status update during a leisurely drive may seem innocuous, it only takes a moment for distracted drivers to become vulnerable.”
The debate over whether portable a GPS navigation device is better than a factory installed in-vehicle GPS system has been going on for years. It appears that portable GPS navigation systems are starting to win the battle, according to a recent article on the Wall St Journal Blog.
While some people may always prefer to find their way using the satellite navigation systems built into their vehicles, the shift towards portable units began several years ago when people didn’t want to pay $1000 – $3500 for a factory installed GPS system when they could buy a portable GPS system for $100 – $500. A portable GPS system comes equipped with comparable GPS technology for a fraction of the price.
The investigation found that 35, 558 drivers – 75% of the city’s 47,000 licensed medallion cabbies – clipped at least one passenger. It seems scamming passengers is a part of the cabbie culture. No wonder the taxi drivers were fighting against the installation of the mandatory GPS tracking devices. One taxi driver was making $40,000 extra a year with this scam. Without the GPS tracking system, the scam would never have been uncovered.
Loofleet tracking system cuts fuel costsks like next time you go to the gas pump, you may find yourself paying more than you are used to paying. The national average for an unleaded gallon of gas is currently $3.05, the highest level since fall 2008, according to Bankrate.com. Gas prices are expected to continue rising throughout 2011.
OPEC just announced that “demand for its oil in 2011 will be stronger than it previously forecast owing to the recovery in the global economy”. OPEC’s stronger oil-demand forecasts may increase pressure on the group to formally raise its production ceiling. Oil prices are high – close to $100/ barrel. OPEC raised its expected 2011 demand for the group’s crude oil by 200,000 barrels a day to 29.4 million barrels a day. The group also raised its forecast for growth in global oil demand this year by 50,000 barrels a day.
Here are some driving tips to save money on gas, brought to you by FieldLogix GPS Fleet Management System. FieldLogix is a green GPS fleet management solution designed to reduce fleet vehicle fuel consumption and improve productivity. By making small changes in your driving habits, you can reduce your fuel costs and your “carbon footprint” as well.
Garmin, the GPS system world leader, just released a very diverse group of GPS -based products at the 2011 CES Show in Las Vegas. Garmin has such a wide range of products, that they have a GPS system that works for just about anyone. If you enjoy sailing boating, fishing, flying and aviation related hobbies, here are a few Garmin GPS systems worth checking out:
Garmin just announced the release of the GHS 20 and GHS 20i full-function wireless remote handsets for Garmin’s VHF 200 and VHF 300 series radios, and the VHF 200i and VHF 300i international radios. With the GHS 20 or GHS 20i, your boat’s communication station doesn’t have to be stationary,” said Dan Bartel, Garmin’s vice president of worldwide sales. “The GHS 20/20i wireless handset is an invaluable accessory to mariners, as it gives them the freedom to move about the boat while always having full control of their VHF radio.”
1. See a “You Are Here” Location on a Map From Your Phone – Even Without GPS System
Have you ever noticed the dot between the four-point navigation tool and the zoom slider? t’s easy to miss! If you click that button while using Firefox or Google Chrome and, through the magic of the geolocation process, Google Maps for Mobile can tell you roughly where you are from your phone, even if you don’t have GPS tracking system. Google put together a video that explains how this works. It’s convenient when you’re in an unfamiliar place and don’t have the best sense of direction.
2. Find Places Near Any Point on a Map
If you’re searching for a certain place—a street name, a business, or other landmark—you can click on a marker and hit the “Search nearby” link to find coffee, gas, banks, or whatever else you need. What if you don’t have a place to pin down, but want to generally browse an area? Right click anywhere on a Google map, click “What’s Nearby?” in the box that pops up, and Google will create a pin based on a rough street address estimate, or with precise GPS tracking location coordinates. From there, you can click on “Search Nearby” in the box that appears in the left-hand pane, and search around without worrying about specifics.
