Read from our blogs
Fleet management systems have been around a while and have become so complex that it has evolved into Field Resource Management. This article explores 5 reasons why all fleets need at least a basic Field Resource Management system.
LightSquared, the hybrid cellular/satellite wireless option that some believe could be a fourth generation mobile outlet for the cable industry, is running tests that may effect GPS system signals in the Las Vegas area. The tests are being conducted in cooperation with the GPS industry and multiple federal agencies this week throughout June in Las Vegas suburb Boulder City.
LightSquared is testing to see whether its service network interferes with GPS system signals. The Las Vegas Sun reports that a test will run after midnight for several hours for 10 days, and it appears to be the first lengthy real-world test to determine whether the operator’s network interferes with GPS systems.
Government agencies have warned law enforcement, pilots, and several other groups that LightSquared’s tests could possibly knock out GPS systems in the Las Vegas area. Late last week, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued an alert to pilots that “the GPS signal may be unreliable or unavailable” within a nearly 300-mile radius of Boulder City, where the test transmitter will be located.
For the thousands of drivers getting ready to hit the road for the upcoming Memorial weekend holiday, there is finally good news about gas prices. The current average price for a gallon of unleaded regular gas in the US is currently $3.85, eleven cents less than one week ago. Prices are only one cent higher than they were averaging a month ago, according to the AAA Fuel Gauge Report.
Diesel fuel prices are also on the decline. Diesel fuel is currently averaging $4.06 a gallon, seven cents less than one month ago. The decrease in diesel fuel prices effects the whole economy because prices of items people consume everyday from food to toilet paper are affected by gas prices.
This weekend a man in New Jersey was driving in heavy fog with his wife and children in the car. Unsure of where he was going, and with very limited visibility, he was blindly relying on is GPS system….and ending up driving straight into someone’s house.
The accident happened on at an intersection where drivers could only turn left or right. Instead, the driver told police he was relying on his GPS system, which said to go straight at the intersection.
Not only did the driver miss his turn, he also went through a stop sign without stopping and then continued off-road for 100 feet before hitting a house. The driver and his son were unharmed but his wife and 13-year-old daughter, neither of whom were wearing seat belts, both reportedly suffered serious neck and head injuries.
This week a man in El Paso, TX, left his truck running in the driveway and ran back inside to retrieve something before he headed off to work. He told the Police he was only away from the vehicle for a few moments, and to his dismay, someone jumped inside the running vehicle and drove away.
Lucky for the truck owner, he had left his iPhone on the passenger seat of the vehicle. Police said 29-year-old, Joshua Mitzelfelt, allegedly stole the unattended vehicle but did not notice the iPhone.
The truck owner began tracking his vehicle’s location though a website monitoring the phone’s GPS system application while updating sheriff dispatchers. Officers spotted the truck about seven miles from the owner’s residence and arrested the driver.
Executives from Apple (AAPL)and Google (GOOG)are facing another day of inquiries by the US Senate about mobile phones, privacy and user consent. Facebook even joined today’s Senate hearing. U.S. politicians are concerned that companies including Apple, Google and Facebook aren’t doing enough to protect their customers’ location privacy. Members of a U.S. Senate subcommittee are urging Congress to pass new laws awarding wireless subscribers greater control over how smartphones and applications track their location.
These companies plus thousands of developers who make applications for the companies’ platforms — are facing scrutiny over how they collect, use, and store information, including data gathered from smartphones and other wireless devices.
“I think anyone who uses a mobile device has an expectation of privacy, and sadly that expectation is not always being met,” said Sen. John Rockefeller IV, chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. “The mobile marketplace is so new and technology is moving so quickly that many consumers do not understand the privacy implications of their actions…A mother posting a smartphone photograph of her child online, he suggested, may not realize that “geotagged” location data may be embedded in the image file.”
In recent months, there have been several heated court battles between law enforcement agents and privacy rights advocates. One side argues that using a GPS vehicle tracking system to monitor suspect’s without first obtaining a warrant is perfectly legal and OK. The other side argues that this is a violation of a person’s rights to privacy.
The constitutional matter until now has been left to district courts around the country to decide, resulting in a patchwork of conflicting rulings. The use of GPS vehicle tracking devices is poised to become one of the most contentious privacy issues before the Supreme Court, if it agrees to hear an appeal filed by the Obama administration last month. The administration is seeking to overturn a ruling by a lower court that law enforcement officials must obtain a warrant before using a tracker.
In 2005 Kathy Thomas, an animal rights activist, had been aware for years that she was being tracked and followed by the FBI. But one day she noticed the tracking had stopped. The FBI agents were no longer following her on a weekly basis. She figured the FBI had given up on her, but after a few weeks she confronted one of the agents she knew had been tracking her. After the confrontation, she was suspicious that law enforcement was still monitoring her, so she decided to check for a GPS vehicle tracking system under the bumper of her car. She was not surprised to find a small black GPS tracking system under the rear bumper of her vehicle.
Last week Wired Magazine obtained the GPS tracking device found by Kathy Thomas on her car in 2005. As part of its coverage of Thomas’ plight, the tracking system was sent to iFixit for analysis. iFixit is well-known for its tear-downs of electronic devices.
Overall, the tracking system is fairly simple and contains four major parts: a magnetic mount, a GPS antenna, a transmitter/receiver unit, and a battery pack. Its simplicity likely has a lot to do with the fact that the FBI doesn’t want you to ever find it unless you’re looking for it, and something more complex would be easier to find.
With regular gas prices averaging more than $3.95 a gallon in the US, drivers will be happy to know there is a GPS system that helps drivers take the “greenest” route which saves the planet and saves money at the pump.
For businesses, the recent increases in gas prices can have a huge impact on the bottom line. A green fleet GPS system can help companies to cut fuel costs while also reducing their environmental impact. Smart driving behavior, including everything from gradual starts to optimal routing with a GPS navigation system, can reduce fuel consumption by as much as 10 percent to 20 percent in some cases.
A Green GPS system can help drivers reduce their fuel costs and their “carbon footprint” as well. More than 1.2 billion tons of carbon dioxide is discharged into the world’s atmosphere each year by the cars that we drive. According to the United Nations, “The transportation sector accounts for 30 percent of greenhouse fuel emissions in developed countries … and that share is rising.”
After months of consecutive price increases, gas prices have finally decreased — slightly. The national average price for a gallon of regular, unleaded gas is currently $3.955 per gallon on Monday, down from Sunday’s price of $3.961, according to the AAA Fuel Gauge Report. Many experts say the $4 per gallon mark is a tipping point, a price likely to dissuade consumers from driving, lowering demand and keeping pressure on gasoline prices.
The average price of regular gas in the Los Angeles area is currently $4.268 per gallon — 2.1 cents lower than last week, eight cents higher than last month, and $1.13 higher than last year.
Today’s drop in gas prices follows a week where crude oil prices tumbled. Oil prices continued to decline on Monday, dropping under $99 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.
