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.
Illegal poaching of fish and other sea life, known as maritime poaching, happens everyday all over the world. This winter, Maryland Natural Resources Police discovered more than 13 tons of poached striped bass, also called rockfish, in illegally anchored nets in the Chesapeake Bay.
The poaching finds led fisheries agencies to close rock fish season early. Natural Resources Police served search warrants related to the poaching but have not yet made any arrests.
The Maryland Dept. of Natural Resources is hoping to reduce the illegal fishing by launching a pilot program that would use GPS tracking systems to monitor the movements of commercial fishing boats.
GPS tracking systems discourage illegal fishing by allowing agencies to track commercial fishing boats that go into closed areas or operate during restricted times. They are being used increasingly across the United States and Canada but would be new to Maryland, according to Tom O’Connell, director of DNR’s fisheries service
Anyone with an HTC smartphone should be aware that their private data may not be safe, due to a massive security flaw. The security flaw was discovered by a security researcher, Trevor Eckhart, and revealed in a report from Android Police, a blog that has exposed security problems with Android-based smartphones in the past. The […]
Should police be allowed to use a GPS tracking device to monitor someone – at anytime, for any reason, without their knowledge or consent – without first obtaining a warrant based on probable cause?
After being torn apart by the media, customers, lawmakers, and being described by a Senator as “one of the most brazen invasions of privacy in recent memory” OnStar has decided to reverse its new customer tracking policy. The new policy, announced last week to customer via email, gave OnStar permission to continue to gather speed, location and related customer data from all users – even ones that had cancelled services – and then sell the information to third parties.
The OnStar system embeds a mobile phone and GPS in customer’s cars and relays a constant stream of data back to the company recording basic speed and location, whether the driver is wearing a seat belt, and tire pressure, as well as reporting accidents. This latter function is the system’s principal selling point, and numerous lives have been saved by the car alerting emergency services that a crash has occurred.
Even if an OnStar user cancelled services, the secondary connection would remain active and the company could continue to gather and sell the user’s tracking data – unless the customer specifically contacted OnStar for an opt-out request.
Democratic senator, Chris Coons of Delaware, said, “As location-based mobile technology becomes a larger part of consumers’ lives, it’s important that we’re vigilant about balancing convenience with privacy.”
OnStar’s 6 million current subscribers should be aware – it still maintains the right to track active customers.
Last week an experienced prospector ventured out into a remote part of Western Australia’s Pilbara region. Several hours into the journey, the man was severely injured. After a bad fall, the 53-year old man realized he had broken his leg. He could not walk and was unable to put any weight on his leg.
Without cellphone service and very little to eat or drink, the man began crawling back to his car across the rocky terrain. Desperate to get out of the life-threatening situation, the man crawled back to his car and alerted the authorities with his cell phone, which now had a signal. He then used the GPS tracking system in his car to notify and direct rescuers to his location.
New research from Microsoft Research Asia (MRA) shows the cause of traffic jams. “Congested road segments are only the appearance—they’re not the problem,” says Yu Zheng in a report from MIT, who led the research. “We try to identify the true source of the problem in our work.”
Microsoft (MSFT) scientists used GPS tracking data from thousands of taxi cabs in beijing to determine where, when and why areas of the city became congested. MRA has shown that tracking the location of taxicabs could be a better way to identify the underlying problems with a city’s transportation network, helping officials determine how to best ease congestion.
The researchers used GPS data from more than 33,000 Beijing taxicabs. That data was collected in 2009 and 2010. The researchers were not just looking for bottlenecks—trouble spots that regular commuters may know only too well.
FieldLogix, the leader in GPS fleet tracking, is pleased to announce expansion of its services to Canada. Now fleets in can Canada can experience a reduction in costs, increased workforce productivity, customer service improvements, plus put an end to wasteful driving habits and reduce carbon dioxide emissions with the FieldLogix real-time fleet tracking system.
FieldLogix’s expanded service and the company’s ongoing success is based upon continually meeting the needs of its clients. Because a fleet management system can provide an ROI in less than six months and immediately reduce fuel consumption, plus produce ecological benefits, companies both large and small utilize FieldLogix to create profitable, sustainable fleets.
Yesterday LightSquared decided to make its side of the story public by investing in several full-page ads in newspapers such as the Washington Post and New York Times. The Coalition to Save Our GPS recently responded to the ads, saying, “Today’s expensive full-page ads repeat LightSquared’s same, tired claims that it full well knows are not accurate…”
“LightSquared’s goal of creating more broadband competition is laudable, but its initial failure to recognize the potential for interference to the GPS devices and services we all rely on every day is inexplicable, and its continuing efforts to claim that the problem has been ‘solved’ are irresponsible….It’s time for LightSquared to step forward and accept responsibility for providing fully tested, verified solutions, and for bearing the full costs associated with any transition required to implement any solution.”
This week LightSquared is pulling out all the stops in a very public attempt to gain national support for its proposed wireless network. The company purchased several ads in publications such as The Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, Market Watch and the Washington Post.
The paid advertisements took the form of a direct letter from LightSquared’s CEO to the American public. The letter presents some compelling reasons why LightSquared’s network is good for the country and the US economy. The company also appears to be defending itself by shifting the blame onto others.
In the letter, LightSquared CEO Sanjiv Ahuja claims that LightSquared has solved the problem of rural telecommunications, successfully addressed FCC concerns that its technology interferes with GPS devices, and will create thousands of jobs in the process. “The current nationwide wireless providers have failed to innovate and in the process have failed to keep pace with consumer and technological demands,” Ahuja said in the letter’s second paragraph.
Notifications
