Can you answer adf’s question about Surveillance?:

Those the vehicle need to have some sort of device on it so that the GPS tracking system can follow it and determine were the vehicle is located?

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GPS tracking tools and services are becoming increasingly used in the business world. A wide range of industries are now using GPS devices in tracking their vehicle fleets, assets and even their workers through personal tracking systems. This article attempts to describe which industries make use of GPS tracking systems and how these systems work towards saving money and increasing company efficiency.

Predominantly, those businesses that use GPS tracking tools are in someway related to transport or transportation, even those who have a large fleet of vehicles out on jobs. For instance, contractors such as plumbers and electricians use GPS devices to know the whereabouts of workers; in the same way taxi and limo companies also use these tracking tools. In fact any company that has operatives out on the road will make use of a GPS system, whether running a linen business, or a haulage company, the benefits that GPS can bring are huge.

But how does GPS tracking work? Fundamentally it includes placing a GPS device into the vehicle and connecting this device to a central server, where a coordinator uses software to track vehicles. With the use of satellites it is possible from the HQ to track any fleet vehicle’s speed, location and direction. This real time tracking relies on updates every couple of minutes giving information that is valuable and useful to the manager. The software normally uses the internet to track vehicles; after the operator logs into an online account he or she is able to see the locations of all of their vehicles on a map, vital in industries such as haulage where real time information is extremely valuable.

The reasons companies choose to employ GPS tracking systems are wide and diverse. One of the major appeals is that by having information on the way your employees drive it is possible to reduce speeding and hence reduce the cost of insurance premiums and maintenance of vehicles. The information given on mileage also means that routine check ups and maintenance procedures will not be forgotten or missed; meaning that when it comes to resale, the vehicle will ultimately be worth more. An added bonus is that the majority of insurance companies will reduce premiums by as much as thirty percent just for installing a GPS system; the main reason for this is due to the fact that an installed device makes it easier to find a stolen vehicle.

Increasing productivity is also a major benefit of installing GPS tracking tools. While it used to be hard to know when employees were on breaks when they were out on the road, technology has changed this situation. An efficient system will allow the operator to monitor how long employees are taking for lunch, will highlight any unscheduled breaks and also give valuable knowledge of overtime requests. While employees may feel it as an invasion of their privacy, it is worth reminding them that they are on company time and all you are doing is trying to increase efficiency.

A GPS tracking system will help you improve customer services by having information on the closest operative and how long it will take them to get to the destination precisely. In addition, you will have information on how long it took for the employee to reach the customer and how long they spent working with the customer, helping you with invoicing and guarding yourself against false claims. The system can be used to compare the productivity of employees, another benefit that will ultimately increase your efficiency.

While you may feel that GPS tracking tools are a considerable investment, the majority of those who have utilised them find that the investment is soon recouped by reducing expenses and increasing efficiency. Now the technology is there for you to have up to date information on your fleet at all times, it would be foolish not to employ a system sooner rather than later.



Thanks to Thomas Pretty for contributing this article to our Surveillance blog:

Cell Phone Gps Tracking

The GPS-enabled cellphone market is forecast to more than double by 2012, hitting 550 million units. Put it all

together and GPS chipset revenue is expected to more than double to $1.3 billion in just three years time,

according to In-Stat. The GPS-based NextGen system, slated for completion by 2025, will straighten routes (blue)

and allow more planes to safely share the skies. Currently, Air Traffic Control Towers (ATCT) guide planes through

takeoff, then hand them over to a Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) facility that keeps approach and

departure corridors orderly over the next 50 miles. The GPS system has been designed to be as nearly accurate as

possible. However, there are still errors.

Cell phone GPS tracking can also be a useful feature to the emergency services or police when responding to a 911

call from a GPS cell phone. For this reason, the FCC has legislated that wireless networks provide location

information for 911 calls made from cell phones. Cell phone GPS tracking systems is touted as one of the most

advanced technological milestones in the history of mobile communication systems. Global Positioning Systems (GPS)

enables the users to trail his own location through the analysis of satellite signals beamed down from many

satellites. Cell phone GPS website Mandated in the aftermath of September 11th, the Federal Communication

Commission (FCC) required cell service providers to make GPS tracking of cell phone calls possible. All phones made

since 2005 are GPS-trackable.

Cell phone GPS tracking is one of those advances. Cell Phone GPS tracking can prove useful in many walks of life

and especially when any emergency arises. Picture the scene of a road accident where injuries have occurred.

Update: Nokia intend the N95 to be a powerful one for all replacement for a media player, digital camera, digital

camera, PDA and now a GPS navigation device. It features a 2-way slide concept to simplify switching between

different functionalities. Nokia, Motorola and Beneflon are just a few of the companies now providing GPS-enabled

phones. This will change as the other manufacturers catch up, then we will see this technology being installed as a

default inclusion.



Thanks to Steve Knowles for contributing this article to our Surveillance blog:

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In the first part of this series of 10 articles I explained the differences between GPS Navigation Systems and GPS Tracking Systems, and how they are two completely different of implementations of Location Based Services. In this second article I will develop some additional concepts related to the elements that constitute a GPS Tracking System. There are 3 main parts to a GPS Tracking System:

- A GPS device or GPS Tracker, which receives the location information and then delivers it to a software application.

- A data transmission system, which takes the information provided by the GPS Tracker, and delivers it to the software application.

- A Software Application, which presents to its users the data recollected by the GPS Tracker in several formats including maps and reports.

This article will present the main components of a GPS Tracking Solution, and will start expanding on the first component: GPS Trackers. It will take me this article and the next one to go in detail over GPS devices.

GPS Devices

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In this section I will define what a GPS Device, and how they work; after that I will present the types of GPS Trackers, including most of the features that these devices offer, and my opinion in regards to each type.

At its simplest definition, the GPS device, or better the GPS tracker, is the component in charge of receiving the information about the location of the vehicle, and providing this data to the GPS Tracking Application through the Data Transmission System (which will be explained in coming articles). GPS Trackers are usually small boxes (metal or plastic) that can be the size of a man’s wallet, or a little bigger. All of them need at least one antenna (GPS antenna), and most of them need an additional antenna to enable the data transmission module. So this leads to a first classification of GPS Trackers:

-Full satellite trackers. This type of trackers will use satellites to receive and transmit data.

-Hybrid trackers. This type of trackers will use satellites to acquire location (we will see some variations here later in this article), and another method to transmit the data (a data modem, a data port to download the data, etc).

On the next article I will expand on these concepts.

So, the main task of a GPS Tracker is to provide information of the location of a vehicle or an asset, or a person. The location of the units is usually acquired from the GPS satellites, but there is another method based on triangulation with cell towers to calculate locations. Getting the location from satellites is the most accurate mechanism, providing a minimal margin of error most of the times (from 2 up to 50 feet). GPS location can be acquired anywhere in the world. The only down side for this location technology is that the GPS antenna has to have a view to the sky. For example, if the vehicle gets into a garage, most probably there will not be GPS locations available.

Getting the location based on a triangulation with the cell towers (those that are also used by our cell phones to transmit voice and data) has a bigger margin of error (up to a few hundred feet), making it a not very accurate location mechanism. This type of location also requires the presence of the named cell towers to work. The upside of this mechanism is that it will perfectly work within buildings, which is not the case for GPS satellite location. Some GPS Trackers are designed to work with both location mechanisms, creating a new concept called Assisted GPS (AGPS).

There are mainly three types of GPS Trackers: Passive Trackers, PING Trackers, and Live Trackers. Also, there are some GPS Trackers that have more features than other - not just a location of the vehicle.

In this article I have dissected a GPS Tracking solution into three main components: a GPS Tracker, a data transmission system, and a GPS Tracking application. I have also started exposing the details of GPS Trackers, specifically the two main ways to locate a vehicle. Finally, I introduced two more elements to consider in GPS Trackers: types of trackers and advanced features of a GPS device.



Thanks to Juan Olano for contributing this article to our Surveillance blog:

Wireless Security Surveillance Camera

Can you answer Yinka L’s question about Surveillance?:

I am looking for a gps tracking technology system that I can use to secretly track my boyfriend any where he travel to within USA, i need to monitor him online because I feel like something is going on. I need to know a good and cheaper one. Thanks.

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