Keeping Track of What Matters with GPS

With changes in the pricing policies of steamship lines in the United States, trading companies have had to reevaluate the costs of the chassis needed to transport shipping containers. Once included in the cost of shipping, chassis now have to be leased separately through the shipping line or purchased outright. Frontier Logistics in Houston, Texas, chose to obtain its own chassis. The question became how to keep track of them once the containers left port, and the obvious answer became GPS tracking.

When Frontier Logistics decided not to lease chassis for its shipping containers, it chose to implement global positioning system technology to protect its investment. Because chassis are expensive, not to mention almost identical to those leased, Frontier Logistics wanted to be sure it could keep track of its assets. They also wanted a long battery life and a GPS device that could withstand the harsh weather conditions often experienced on the open seas since most tracking units are placed on the outside of a container or chassis. They chose Tracking What Matters, noting, “If we lose and recover just one of these chassis, the technology will easily pay for itself.”

Tracking What Matters is a GPS-based services company located in Texas that specializes in customized tracking solutions for businesses. They combine the latest GPS technology with web-based software that provides companies with 24/7 tracking using Google Maps. Their battery options range from 2 to 7 years, and they even provide Geofence options for companies that want to safeguard their goods within a certain location. Tracking What Matters covers business fleets, shipping containers, trailers, and equipment along with general assets. Used by many Fortune 500 companies, Tracking What Matters helps businesses increase their bottom line by reducing wasteful spending and increasing productivity through better time management and fuel efficiency.

With services available in the United States, Mexico, Canada, Africa, the Middle East, and parts of Asia, Tracking What Matters offers a wide range of GPS tracking solutions to businesses worldwide. From a single box to a shipload of containers, companies can track their assets to a precise location, whether they are mistakenly shipped to another country or simply overlooked in the back of a warehouse. Companies can also better strategize in all aspects of operations. GPS technology goes well beyond the simple navigation tool it was first known for.

GPS Distance Measuring Makes Insurance Discounts More Accurate

If you own a house in North Carolina, the cost of your homeowners’ insurance premium is affected by the proximity and quality of the nearest fire station. Houses within six driving miles of a station receive a discount on their insurance, and that discount increases if the station is particularly well equipped and staffed. In the past, insurance companies relied on brokers to provide information about each structure’s distance from the closest fire station, but they are now turning to GPS distance measuring to get more accurate information.

North Carolina’s insurance providers use a scale from 1 (best) to 10 (worst) to rate a fire department. The rating takes into account the training of a station’s firefighters, the quality of its equipment, and response time. Substations within a department’s district can increase its rating. If a house is located within a department with a great rating, its insurance costs are lower. However, most rural areas are rated around 9 and see only very small discounts. If a house is outside the limits of any fire department, a discount is not available.

Accurately measuring the driving distance from a house to a fire station has always been a very tedious process, but GPS distance measuring allows insurance companies to accomplish the task with convenience. Given the novelty of GPS in general, the new approach does occasionally need some adjustment. GPS distance measuring sometimes gives an incorrect reading, and the old-fashioned method of actually driving the route must correct it.

Existing policies are seeing a lot of changes, as insurance companies review their fire station information with the new GPS approach. Some policies are seeing discounts added, since they actually are within a department’s area. In other cases, a broker may have been a little optimistic when reporting the distance from the fire station for the original policy. Those policyholders would see their premiums rise as they lose their discounts.

Add insurance companies to the long list of industries that have made GPS a permanent part of the way they do business. It seems that each day brings a new story of how this technology makes someone’s job easier. And if your policy is reviewed and corrected, hopefully it will result in a bigger discount for you and not the other way around!

Hemisphere GPS Keeps Seamen Safe

There’s more to a GPS designed specifically for Marine GPS applications than meets the eye. To the casual seaman, an iPhone may seem like an adequate GPS tracking device for basic navigation tasks. However, marine GPS devices have been around longer, have been used with great effectiveness, and hold several key advantages to boaters who need a reliable GPS navigator when taking on the high seas. Hemisphere hopes to take marine GPS consumer technology to the next level with its new line of Vector GPS products.

New GPS Products
Hemisphere’s Vector V103 GPS and Vector V113 GPS compass devices are made specifically for professional and commercial applications at sea—even machine control. The compasses take into account heave, pitch and roll with stunning accuracy and efficiency. These are serious GPS compass devices. According to the company, they are acceptable for use on surveys, tug boats, mining operations, seismic drills, dredging and more. For the marine professional who needs a serious—and seriously accurate—GPS, Hemisphere’s new Vector models might just fit the bill.

The Dedicated GPS Difference
As you can see, the above devices are far more powerful than the common consumer level GPS. The average American consumer’s most powerful GPS device resides in his or her smart phone. Smart phone GPS devices are not dedicated, and as such are simply nowhere near as a powerful even as consumer level dedicated GPS devices. Professional GPS purchasers enjoy the finest and most accurate location technology available for use around the world.

Get Your Bearings on the High Seas or Otherwise
Announced at the Oceanology International Exhibition and Conference, the Vector V103 GPS and Vector V113 GPS compass devices will be available to marine professionals soon. The increased precision and enhanced functionality of these professional devices indicates that Marine GPS machines may represent the absolute cutting edge of what GPS has to offer. The unique situations faced by seamen, including harsh weather conditions, unusual atmospheric conditions, pitch and yaw, requires unique GPS solutions. It appears that Hemisphere has addressed those issues and then some with their new Vector products. It just may be that the future of GPS technology is, in a very literal sense, out to sea. Hemisphere’s Vector products’ technology just might end up in consumer GPS devices.

Amber Alert GPS V3: 2012 CTIA Emerging Technology Award Finalist

Finalists have been named for the 2012 CTIA Wireless Emerging Technology Awards, and included in that list is Amber Alert GPS for their V3, the newest device on the market allowing parents to worry a bit less about the safety of their children. The V3 received a nomination in the Tablets, Notebooks, and Embedded Wireless Devices category along with other cutting-edge mobile, consumer electronics, and wireless devices.

The Amber Alert GPS V3 is said to be among the smallest devices designed to track a child’s location offered on the market today, and is known for its ease of use and security. It offers mobile apps to monitor your child’s whereabouts wherever you may be and features wireless connectivity provided by AT&T. Parents can use the V3 GPS tracking device to keep track of their child’s movements with near real-time precision. This allows the child more freedom and independence while assuring parental peace of mind.

Parents start by creating a “zone,” the area a child travels on a regular basis. Whether it’s the route to school and back, the playground, or even a friend’s house, once the zone is specified, the V3 will trigger an email or text anytime the child enters or exits this zone. Another great feature of this GPS tracking device: an email or text is also triggered whenever the child comes within 500 feet of the home of a registered sex offender, thanks to National Sex Offender Registry integration. If tracking a teen who will likely get into the cars of their friends, the device will send alerts if the vehicle they are traveling in is driving over a certain speed. For younger children, the “breadcrumb” feature is handy, as the device will send out location information at specific, parent programmed times of day, along with an SOS button. This button gives the child a one-touch safety net as each time the button is pressed, help is summoned.

Parents can peruse location information, whether on their computer or wireless device, on a secure, easy to use portal at amberalertgps.com The device is constantly pushing information to the portal at any time of day, no matter where the child may be, at any point in a parents day, even on the go.

“Our goal at Amber Alert GPS is to provide kids the ability to freely explore the world while simultaneously providing busy parents peace-of-mind in regards to their child’s safety and security,” according to CEO of Amber Alert GPS Carol Colombo. “We are honored that our partner AT&T nominated us for this award and to be named a finalist in our category by CTIA.” All nominees will be featured during the International CTIA Wireless in New Orleans. The public is able to vote for the V3 GPS tracking device online, and winners are to be announced Wednesday, May 9.

China Launches Two Navigation Satellites

It was recently announced China has launched two navigation satellites into orbit, bringing the total number of Chinese satellites in orbit to thirteen. The hope is China will soon be able to rely on their own network of satellites rather than the United States’ Global Position System as they currently do. The two satellites were launched at 4:50 am on April 23 from the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre located in southwest Sichuan province on board a Long March-3B rocket. This was the first time two navigation satellites were launched on one single rocket, according to State-run Xinhua news agency.

China has recently fast-tracked its planned expansion of its indigenous Beidou or Compass global positioning network, pushing to provide global coverage by 2020 with over thirty satellites in orbit. If this goal is achieved, China will become the third country in the entire world after the United States and Russia to have its own GPS navigation system. According to a white paper recently released by the Chinese government, Beidou was “designed to break China’s dependence on the US Global Positioning System” and will be used for both civilian and defense applications.

China’s first space laboratory module, Tiangong-1, was launched last year, the first step in China’s plan to have its very own space station in orbit by 2020. This will make them the third country (again, after the US and Russia) to have accomplished this, although they are several decades behind their predecessors.

While the US is cutting spending in their space program, China is pumping billions of yuan into its space and satellite program. Many in the media last year watched the launch of the Tiangong-1 and saw it as “the latest showcase of the nation’s growing prowess in space…while budget restraints and economic tailspin have held back the once dominant US space missions.”

China isn’t just launching their own satellites into orbit, but those of other countries as well. At last count, they had helped launch more than 20 satellites for countries like Bolivia, Pakistan, and Nigeria. China launched the PAKSAT-1R, Pakistan’s first communications satellite, from Sichuan last year.

Chinese officials plan to offer navigation satellite services to other countries in the hopes of big financial gains. This year, the Beidou network will provide services for various countries in the Asia-Pacific region, such as GPS navigation services and real-time weather monitoring. Director of the China Satellite Navigation Management Office, Ran Changqui, estimated Beidou and its associated industries to bring around 400 billion yuan ($63.5 billion) by 2020.

Interesting to note that just last week, Chinese media reported on the launch of India’s first radar imaging satellite, RISAT-1, claiming it was “a spy satellite.” It’s the suspicion of many that China’s intentions with the Beidou network is less than innocent. However, officials are trying to downplay these concerns. After the launch of Tiangong-1, State-run Xinhua news agency tried to convince the suspicious this was not “a new wave of space race.” China said they were “neither the first country to seek explorations in outer space, nor the country with the most advanced technology, [so] it seems incomprehensible that China should cause concern to others.”

Affordable GPS Pet Protection

If you have ever had a family pet, you know the devastation you feel when that pet gets lost. Mike Macatee felt the impact of such loss after seeing footage of lost pets in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, and he was determined to find a way to prevent pets from being separated from their families again. The Love My Pets GPS tracking system is Macatee’s answer, and the price has just come down, making it more affordable than ever to protect your pet.

An Award-Winning System
Love My Pets has been recognized for its highly accurate tracking technology as well as the high quality of materials used in all their products. The GPS tracking system works inside and out, from buildings and garages to forests and mountains. No matter where your pet wanders, if it is wearing a GPS-enabled device, it can be located through online interactive tracking. The owner establishes a safety zone, or “Geo Fence,” that notifies the owner when his or her pet crosses the line. Personalized dog collars provide ready access to the owner’s contact information, much quicker even than microchips. And the reflective material used in the collars helps prevent nighttime accidents that often occur when drivers or others cannot see the animal until it is too late.

An Award-Winning Price
GPS tracking systems for pets can often be out of reach for most pet owners, but Love My Pets has just reduced its system to just under $130. This price includes a year of service along with the GPS tracking device, a reflective glow-in-the-dark collar or harness, and a GPS pouch. The safety collar itself comes with a battery charger, a quick-start guide, two wallet cards, and a helpful tips brochure. What’s more, there is no activation fee. Considering the investment that pet owners make in their pets, especially the emotional investment, Love My Pets makes it possible to protect that investment from tragedy and loss.

Tornadoes, hurricanes, and earthquakes can strike at any time; and in the panic of the moment, pets are often overlooked until it is too late. Anything can cause a pet to stray from home or break loose from a leash, and finding it again can seem impossible. Now, families can have the peace of mind that comes with knowing they will be able to locate their pet through GPS technology without breaking the bank.

FBI Cuts Down on GPS Tracker Use For Now

In a highly watched decision, the U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled that secretly placing a GPS tracker on a suspect’s vehicle constitutes a search and is subject to fourth amendment rules. Mr. Jones, the defendant in the case, probably felt a sense of closure and relief, but the decision has marked the beginning of a tumultuous policy reworking in the field of law enforcement. Police and national agencies are scrambling to figure out how they can comply with the court’s direction and still continue using the investigative power of GPS. Most troublesome are the trackers that are currently out in the field, collecting information on suspects, but may not hold up under legal scrutiny.

FBI field offices across the nation quickly acted to consider each GPS tracker in use. If one was not under the authority of a warrant and might not meet the criteria for a “reasonable” search, the Bureau had to stop communicating with it. This ending of communication is irreversible, so the investigations in question lost valuable leads by abandoning the trackers. Unfortunately, agents didn’t have a choice, since any prosecution supported by these trackers’ data would be quickly thrown out by a judge.

It is unclear exactly how many GPS trackers the FBI disabled. The reported number varies widely from 250 to 3,000, depending on who is speaking. The Bureau is understandably wary of making information about ongoing investigations public, and its field offices are still in the process of reporting final numbers. We can only imagine how many other devices were disabled by state and local police across the nation, discarding valuable evidence that was central to investigations of many kinds.

It is interesting to consider how many individuals might have been under watch by law enforcement without their knowledge. Now, they may never know that anyone was watching them—that is, until they discover disabled GPS trackers concealed in their vehicles. Of course, this is not to say that all GPS tracking projects are illegal. Many agents and officers, anticipating the Supreme Court’s ruling, long ago began obtaining warrants to support their use of GPS devices. These investigations will continue and will likely display the huge advantage that global positioning gives law enforcement when it is used carefully.

New iPhone GPS Navigation App Relies on Crowdsourced Information

What’s the next step for GPS navigation apps? Now that the public has gotten used to the idea of their smartphone showing them and verbally telling them where to drive, developers are ready to introduce more detailed features. An iPhone app does just that, and while many apps are experimenting with similar ideas, this particular app has a twist: it doesn’t cost anything!

Waze is a free iPhone app that does everything you expect a GPS navigation system to do. Enter your destination, and you will receive step-by-step instructions until you get there. Similar apps usually cost around $60.00, so finding this one for free is really a prize. But it’s the additional crowdsourcing features that make this app even more useful than many of the paid ones in some circumstances.

Let’s get the negatives out of the way first: Waze does display more than its share of sometimes amusing errors in directional judgment. Unusual road features like tunnels and roundabouts can throw it off, so at times it’s helpful to think of the app as a good advisor rather than an authority to be trusted explicitly! If you have moderate directional skills yourself, this deficiency isn’t serious enough to detract from its exciting positive qualities.

That’s where the crowdsourcing features come in. Waze contains a menu where you can report a number of different events at your location: a traffic jam, a hazard in the road, an accident, or the presence of emergency vehicles, for example. When you report an event, the information is passed on to all other Waze users who approach the same area. The app even automatically redirects drivers on alternate routes to avoid reported traffic jams. You might think that these abilities would be somewhat limited since only Waze users are included in the reporting network, but the fact that the app is free means that its user base is already significant enough to be helpful to each user. Obviously, well populated areas like large cities are probably better covered than others.

If you’re looking for a GPS navigation app that can help you find out about traffic jams long before you’re stuck without an exit, Waze is an exceptional free option. It really does work as a standard navigator as well, although without some of the luxury features that actual devices provide (customizable voices, for example).

Hailing a Cab GPS Style

Hailing a cab can be a tricky and frustrating business, especially in a large metropolitan area where life runs at a constant and fast pace. Uber, a San Francisco based company that started in 2010, uses GPS tracking technology and the lure of the luxury car to make getting around town much more convenient and stylish. With hubs in major cities across America, including San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, Chicago, New York, Boston, and Washington DC, Uber is now heading north of the border into Canada.

How Does It Work?  
Uber coordinates with local limousine services to be used just like a taxi service. The major difference is that the customer can have a car within 10 minutes at the push of a button with a text message to announce the actual arrival of the driver. An Uber app for iPhone and Android allows a person to request a car and then track that car through GPS tracking coordinates until it arrives at the doorstep. Precise timing is everything, and luxury is the key.

What Is the Cost?
Luxury does come at a higher cost, but there is no need to worry about having enough cash to handle the fare and the tip, since all transactions are handled digitally through a preregistered credit card. The cost is based on time as well as distance, and it is calculated through actual GPS location points. The average fare for an Uber car is about 50 percent higher than a taxi service, but Canadians will probably see only a 30-35 percent hike. Though the average cost for just stepping into an Uber car is about $8, the convenience and style could well be worth it.

Where To?
Uber hopes to go global with its GPS tracked luxury car service. A recent launch in Paris is still in the beginning stages while Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal represent the next stage for the expanding company. Uber plans to be in full swing in London by the time of the summer Olympics and then on to the Netherlands, Spain, Germany, and Asia.

CEO Travis Kalanick boasts, “Our motto is: we’re everyone’s private driver.” So there is no longer the need to stand on the curb waving down every passing taxi or hoping against hope that a called-in cab arrives on time. The Uber app with GPS tracking brings a Lincoln Town Car, Mercedes-Benz, or Audi right to the doorstep.

Using GPS in Business: A Success Story

When we think of businesses using GPS in their day-to-day operations, we typically picture companies with large fleets for delivery or public transportation. But a New-York based company has found that outfitting just a few trucks using GPS trackers has translated into real cost savings in several different areas. This powerful technology has become inexpensive and convenient enough to provide benefits to even small businesses that are looking for a way to improve their control and monitoring of items in transit.

Nextrend, Inc. only employs seven people. It’s a company that helps toy and game developers get their products designed, refined, tested, and into the hands of manufacturers who will produce it. A big part of their operation is transporting prototypes of toys and games from these developers to their New York location. The majority of the items Nextrend transports are extremely important to those on both the shipping and delivery ends, and it is in everyone’s interest to be able to know exactly where they are at any given moment.

Nextrend chose a locally based GPS provider to place trackers on its fleet of four small trucks. Once the accompanying software was installed and learned by employees, the small business began reaping benefits immediately. Employees and clients could now see exactly where their precious cargo was and how long it would take to reach its destination. Route adjustments to conserve fuel were easy to make using GPS data from previous trips. Perhaps most importantly, Nextrend cut its theft losses from an estimated five percent to practically nothing. More control has meant far greater efficiency and better service to concerned clients, and Nextrend’s management is quite pleased about making the switch to using GPS.

In an interview, the managing director of Nextrend noted that one of their priorities in choosing a GPS partner was finding a local company. Setting up the trackers, getting used to using the software, and taking care of any bugs during operation is much easier if the provider is right around the corner. GPS technology in general is still very young, and its incorporation into the corporate world is even more recent. Both fleet managers and GPS providers are still learning how to streamline the process, and Nextrend is glad to have technical help nearby while that happens.