Having a known modus operandi since at least 2006 for robbing Dunkin’ Donuts shops and being suspected in more recent burglaries was enough for the Boston Police Department to issue and receive a warrant to secretly install a GPS tracking device on the vehicle of Edward Nugent, 49. Within just a few days after the […]
Microsoft was the first major software company to make major headway in the telematics space with its Sync product. Now Apple is trying to make in-roads by using a rather different approach.
Trolley GPS Tracking Eases Travels In mid-April, the University of Arkansas at Little Rock launched a GPS tracking system allowing students, faculty, and staff to track the campus’ Trojan Trolleys as the traverse their routes. The new tracking system allows riders to know exactly where the trolleys are located as the make their rounds.
Did you know that GPS location data can be recorded when someone takes a picture of you?
According to the New York Times, when Adam Savage, host of the popular science program “MythBusters,” posted a picture on Twitter of his car parked in front of his house, he let his fans know much more than that he drove a Toyota Land Cruiser. Embedded in the image was a geotag, a bit of GPS data providing the longitude and latitude of where the photo was taken. Hence, he revealed exactly where he lived. And since the accompanying text was “Now it’s off to work,” potential thieves knew he would not be at home.
Geotagging is when a device such as an iPhone, Android smartphone or digital camera stores your location or geographical information, such as your GPS coordinates, within a photo or movie file (such as .jpg or .mov files). According to Wikipedia, a geotagged photograph is a photograph which is associated with a geographical location by geotagging. Geotags are useful in helping people find a wide variety of location-specific information. For example, one can find images taken near a given location by entering latitude and longitude coordinates into a suitable image search engine.
In some cases, if someone is caught doing something illegal, and 1) the GPS tracking system information was used to convict him or her and 2) the GPS tracking system was placed by law enforcement without a warrant, convictions are not possible or overturned. But in other cases, courts have upheld the use of evidence obtained by placing a GPS device on a suspect’s car without a warrant.
Fareed Zakaria, editor of Newsweek and host of Global Public Sphere (GPS) for CNN Worldwide answered questions about prompting job creation in the U.S. in a session of the show broadcast Oct 31. Among the fields Zakaria discussed as having huge potential for growth was Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) technology which he credits as the fuel behind the “next internet revolution.” Zakaria, who is among the best respected financial commentators in journalism today, suggested that America needs more investment in industries that will continue to shape the way society works and people communicate, like GPS systems, in order to reclaim jobs that have gone to other countries.
Zakaria says that the key to getting growth and middle-class jobs back is that we make massive investments, investments in technology, investments in research and development, investments in infrastructure. That is in a sense, investing in the middle class, because that is investing in the industries of the future, the industries that will create middle-class jobs. “Perhaps the most intelligent investment we can make is in human capital, particularly in talented people in science, math and computers,” said Zakaria.
The best GPS vehicle tracking systems are all user-friendly. Users with limited computer skills can easily learn how to master the systems and produce results quickly. There isn’t a one-size-fits-all GPS tracking solution. Depending on your situation, there are a number of things you should look for.
1) If you are going to be tracking a person or a small piece of property, ensure that you look for a small, inconspicuous, easy-to-install tracker.
2) For tracking a personal vehicle, you will want something that will track your vehicle both indoors and outdoors, and one that will run on the car’s battery so you don’t have to worry about replacing a dead battery.
3) If you are concerned with tracking a fleet of vehicles, you will need a tracker that will allow you to customize settings for different vehicles, that provides you with convenient text message and email alerts. Trackers like the FieldLogix GPS Fleet Management boast each of these features plus provides in-depth performance metrics, identifies problems such as excessive speeding and idling, inaccurate time-sheets, unauthorized vehicle stops and personal vehicle use. Fleet GPS tracking systems should always be integrated with Garmin navigation and Google Maps.
GPS tracking devices have been placed on several Rhinos in South Africa in an effort to stop the endangered animals from being killed by poachers. According to BBC News, the The North West Park Board in the Mafikeng Game Reserve began placing the GPS tracking devices on the Rhinos in April of 2010. To date, several Rhinos are being monitored by the GPS tracking system. The Board plans to tag many more animals with GPS tracking devices in the upcoming months.
The GPS tracking devices are fitted into the rhino’s horn by drilling a small hole in the inert or dead part of the horn. As well as GPS tracking, the devices are equipped with an alarm system to notify game wardens of unusual Rhino movement or location. According to Rusty Hustler, head of security for North West Parks Board,”There are a number of alarms that can be programmed: one for excessive movement, so if the rhino starts running, and another that goes off if the rhino sleeps for longer than six hours, which is abnormal.” He added that in the future, the devices could even help to track rhino horns that were taken by poachers to help combat the illegal trade.
GPS fleet tracking systems were installed last year in 300 school buses in St. Paul, MN. At first, drivers were not overly enthusiastic about the installation of the GPS fleet tracking devices. Until the drivers realized just how useful they could be. Not only have the GPS tracking devices help resolve heated disputes between parents and drivers, but in some cases, the GPS tracking devices have saved bus drivers from losing their jobs.
On a typical day, the public school system in St. Paul is responsible for transporting an average of 38,000 students. The school’s transportation department often receive dozens of calls a day from parents complaining that the bus never picked up their child. Until recently, before the
GPS systems were installed, it was the school bus driver’s word against the parent’s. That has all changed since the school district installed a GPS fleet tracking system in every one of the school district’s 300 buses.
According to the latest ruling out of the Ninth Circuit Court, it’s perfectly legal for state, local, or federal agents to secretly plant a GPS tracking system on your car in the middle of the night, even if it’s parked in your driveway, and then use said GPS vehicle tracking system to track your movements as they see fit. BAscially the ruling says that federal agents can secretly install a GPS vehicle tracking device into your car without a warrant – and this doesn’t violate a citizen’s Fourth Amendment rights.
The ruling, which sets precedent for Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon and Washington, holds that “the right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects against unreasonable searches and seizures” doesn’t apply to driveways. But the Ninth Circuit doesn’t make precedent for the whole country, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia recently ruled that extended tracking via GPS requires a warrant. But, since conflicting precedent has now been set on the West Coast, this issue is bound for the Supreme Court.
In the case, DEA agents secretly planted a GPS vehicle tracking system on Juan Pineda-Moreno’s Jeep at night while it was parked outside his home, and then used it to pinpoint the illegal marijuana crop he was cultivating. Pineda-Moreno appealed the case on the grounds that the secret GPS tracking violated his Fourth Amendment rights, but a three-judge panel denied his appeal in January and a larger panel ruled this month against reconsidering the case.
A 20-year-old college student in California recently found a GPS vehicle tracking device belonging to the FBI that had been secretly attached to his car. The FBI even showed up to his apartment a few days later and took the GPS tracking device back!
The student, Yasir Afifi, had taken his car in for a routine oil change when he and the oil change technician noticed wires hanging from a black box underneath his car. Neither one of the men knew what the device exactly was, so they immediately removed it from the vehicle.
Shortly after, not knowing exactly what the black box was or who had put it there, a friend of Afifi’s posted images of the GPS tracking device online. Next thing you know, about 48 hours later, 6 FBI agents showed up at Afifi’s apartment in Santa Clara, California, demanding that he immediately returned the GPS vehicle tracking device. The GPS tracking device was identified as a police-issue-only Cobham Orion Guardian ST82 vehicle tracking system.
Keeping children safe and secure is a top priority for good parents. There are uncountable ways to do this. More and more parents are using child GPS tracking devices for this exact reason. These GPS tracking systems utilizes cutting-edge technology and are becoming more popular all the time. The child GPS tracking industry has advanced greatly in the last few years and is a fairly new use of gps technology.
Are you wondering if you should use a child GPS device for safety? If so, then you should consider the benefits that they have to offer. A parent’s life is a constant juggling act. Keeping track of your children at all times can be difficult. There is a certain peace of mind in knowing exactly where your vehicle is located in real-time 24/7. Which is why so many of these GPS tracking devices are invaluable to parents.
These GPS tracking devices can 1) let you know when your children arrive at school safely; 2) locate your children when they are not at home 3) locate your child quickly in a crowd if you lose him or her. The stress and panic associated with losing a small child or teenager can be tremendous. When it comes to children, you can never be too safe – which is why you should have a child GPS device for safety.
Taxi cabs are crucial to a city’s transportation system. I realized this recently after trying to get a cab after a Charger’s game in San Diego and during a taxi cab strike in Atlanta. Having access to cabs 24/7 is something that we all take for granted. Taxis are vital people movers and cities cannot function properly without them.
Taxi cab fleets in major cities range from approximately 5,000 – 10,000 vehicles. For example, the city of Chicago has a fleet of about 6000 cabs. Chances are, fleets this large owe their flow and easy operation to GPS fleet tracking systems. That is because without them, too much is left to chance. Drivers and consumers are wandering about rather aimlessly hoping to hook up at the right place and the right time.
GPS tracking is a preferred method of taxi cab fleet management. Companies dispatching taxi cabs know that a tracking system will tell them where their fleet is exactly, so they have better control of their resources, and as an extension of that, better control of their operating costs and profit margin. GPS tracking systems are used to: record on-duty trips; to keep an electronic record of mileage and location, eliminating the need for manual trip sheets; and to better dispatch the closest available vehicle to trip requests.
The World’s First Direct-to-Eye Communications Display in a Snow Goggle, Integrating GPS Technology, State-of-the-Art Sensors, and Superior Optics: Rincon/Zeal’s Transcend Snow Goggle. Described as the most technologically advanced goggle in the world, it features advanced optics and Head Mounted Display technology, showing real-time data in a heads up display inside the goggles themselves. The Transcend GPS-enabled goggles, available from Zeal Optics in Fall 2010, features GPS & vertical odometer technologies, and provides real-time access to performance statistics including speed, altitude, temperature, and time.
Skiers, snowboarders and any other action sports lover are going to love this new GPS device – GPS enabled goggles by Recon. The ability to see video of what you just did is one thing, but to see it on an interactive map that displays speed and elevation is something that has never been done before.
This new snowboard technology will in essence be a ski and snowboard goggle where you view your cellphone screen, your speed and altitude on a small display on the inside of the goggle lens. The GPS system enabled goggles will feature a 15mm diagonal micro display will provide you with your real-time speed, jump hang-time, vertical gain/loss, altitude, temperature and will even include a stopwatch and GPS tracking capability for rescue situations – which is a great safety perk.
GPS tracking technology is exploding with new uses and applications….Wasting valuable time searching for your car in parking lot is never a fun experience. It can be quite frustrating as it often happens at the worst moments – when it’s raining or when you’ve got a handful of heavy items. Well thanks to the Park’n Find iPhone App, it will never happen again.
The Park’n Find iPhone app obtains the users position using the iPhone’s GPS tracking capabilities approximates the vehicle location to a street address. Users are guided back to their parking locations with a GPS satellite image of the parking lot showing where their car is parked relative to their current position. The map keeps the area between the user and their car in focus with automatic map zooming and panning as the user moves closer to or farther from their parked vehicle. Additional guidance is provided by an arrow that shows which general direction to walk.
GPS fleet tracking systems should be used by any and every business involved in field services – even small business with only a few fleet vehicles – and here’s why. Whether you operate a fleet of one or one thousand, the impact of today’s fleet management solutions are universal. It seems now is the prime time to be taking advantage of fleet management solutions — no matter what the size of your fleet. Now, more than ever before, GPS tracking and fleet management solutions are a must-have because without it, you’re leaving money on the table.
When most people think of GPS fleet management, they think of large corporations like FedEx or UPS who operate thousands of trucks across the nation. It’s easy to imagine how using a fleet GPS management system would benefit companies like this. But it’s not as intuitive to realize the huge impact that a GPS fleet management system can have on a business with just a few vehicles. When the GPS fleet tracking industry first began, systems were bulky and very expensive to install and operate, but this certainly isn’t the case today. Over the last few years, fleet management systems have evolved and are much more affordable, reliable and useful than even before. Just as the internet and smartphone technologies have exploded, so have the advancements and capabilities of the telematics industry.
In the past, a small business involved in local field services just couldn’t justify the investment in a GPS fleet management solution. But today this is not the case. The largest growth in the GPS fleet management industry is coming from local service fleets because, for the first time, they are able to experience a significant ROI. Now that GPS fleet tracking and management systems are more affordable than ever before, investing in one makes more sense than ever. First and foremost, a GPS fleet management system improves the bottom line. In light of today’s tough economic climate, small businesses need all the help they can get to increase profits. This is what’s driving the growth in the rapid increase in small business implementation. But in addition to cutting costs, fleet management systems enable better decision making and simply make life easier.
GPS fleet tracking devices are being used by Washington County highway superintendent John Deakins Jr. to resolve several fleet management issues such as reducing vehicle misuse, improving employee productivity and improving emergency vehicle response time. “All GPS fleet tracking measures have resulted in lower county fuel expenditures and a more capable fleet, not to mention safer roads for Washington County citizens,” said John Deakins Jr., Washington County, TN, highway superintendent.” Once Deakins Jr. saw how much the GPS fleet tracking devices were able to put an end to fleet vehicle misuse, he realized the fleet management devices could also be used to improve employee productivity. (This is Part Two of a 4 Part Article.)
Before installing GPS fleet tracking devices, Deakins Jr. had heard several accounts of vehicle misuse, motivating him to research online and purchase the fleet tracking devices. For example, Deakins Jr. recalled one truck driver who was only authorized to drive his truck to and from work everyday. However, the truck driver was using the County owned fleet vehicle for personal errands – about 12 miles on average per day. While this may not sound like a lot, according to Deakins, “These trucks only average 11-12 miles per gallon. So the cost in fuel adds up quickly.”
In addition to the personal use of County fleet vehicles, Deakins Jr. acknowledged there were other issues that almost all fleets deal with, such as long lunch breaks and unauthorized time off during work hours. Thanks to the County’s GPS fleet tracking devices, Deakins Jr. can now monitor a driver’s exact location within roughly 10 – 15 feet. He also set speed limits for fleet trucks and automatically receives notification alerts each and every time a truck driver exceeds that limit.
GPS fleet tracking devices are now being used by Washington County to make huge improvements in county operations, monitor employee behavior, productivity and reduce unauthorized vehicle use. Washington County, located in the state of Tennessee, contains over 800 miles of rural highways. So tracking and managing its fleet over 24 pickup trucks 24/7 has been quite a challenge.
Why did Washington County install GPS tracking devices?
Because Washington County is so large and spread out, the County’s highway superintendent, John Deakins Jr., was struggling to manage all of the County’s mobile employees. He had received reports that employees were sometimes taking long lunches and using county vehicles after hours, which was not authorized usage of the County’s fleet vehicles. Before installing GPS tracking devices into the county’s vehicles, pinpointing the truck’s exact locations was nearly impossible. There were times when he needed to locate and dispatch the nearest vehicle and driver to a time-sensitive job. Also Deakins Jr. was concerned about speeding, optimizing routes and reducing fuel consumption due to budget constraints.
Deakins Jr. chose the best solution to solve these fleet management problems. He installed GPS fleet tracking devices into all of his vehicles. The results of installing the GPS system have been impressive. According to Deakins Jr., “We saw a lot of abuse and reports of county vehicle misuse. I went online one day and researched GPS tracking devices. When you have that much territory, it helps to have these devices.”
