Computer Software

GPS tracking devices are becoming more and more popular today as companies use them to track travel activities for company cars and trucks. They have previously proven their worth in law enforcement, as excellent ways to help in the prosecution of criminals. As a private individual, you may want to use your GPS tracking device not only as a theft deterrent, but also as a way to help you keep records of your travels for tax purposes. These devices use internal motion detectors to shut the unit down once the vehicle is free of vibrations for five minutes, and are capable of recording location data in ten, twenty, thirty and sixty second intervals, depending upon which period you choose. It’s a great way to verify delivery routes when there are numerous and short stops.

Another great GPS tracking device is so small that it fits in the palm of your hand, comes in a weatherproof package, and can record up to twenty-four hours of movement on a single set of AAA lithium ion batteries. This little beauty also comes with a cigarette lighter adaptor and can log data on 100,000 positions. That is a totally amazing feat for such a tiny little device.

How many times have you wondered where your teenaged son or daughter has driven to? Did they go just where they said they would, or are they out running around with friends, speeding, and being totally irresponsible? With a covert GPS tracking device, you can record their exact whereabouts, how fast they were driving, and how many places they actually drove to.

Although there are many advantages to cell phone GPS tracking, there are also privacy concerns. As most people carry their cell phone with them at all times, the ability is in place to track the exact movements of all individuals. Is this a case of Big Brother, and who can access to this information?

Cell Phone GPS tracking can prove useful in many walks of life and especially when an emergency arises. Picture the scene of a road accident where injuries have occurred. A 911 call made from a GPS cell phone would significantly speed up the arrival of the emergency services if the GPS signal from the cell phone can be pin-pointed to an exact location. This feature alone could save many lives.

For these reasons the FCC has instructed that wireless network providers provide the cell phone GPS tracking location information for 911 calls which have been made from cell phones. This is known as E911. In essence this is no different than a 911 call made from a land line, as the land line is registered to an address and the relevant emergency services can be quickly dispatched to that address.

However, where the difference occurs is that a property does not move but the tracking of a GPS cell phone is registering the day to day movements of an individual, and that has given rise to the privacy concerns of who can access such private information.

However, the relevant law relating to E911 is fairly explicit. It allows carriers to provide tracking location information to third parties for e911 emergency calls only, however not under any other circumstances whatsoever without the consent of the cell phone owner.

The privacy of cell phone GPS tracking has also been backed up by a number of recent court hearings.

Recent court hearings have disallowed the requests of law enforcement agencies to obtain cell phone GPS tracking information from the cell phone companies for suspects. The courts have ruled that Congress have not authorized location tracking without actual evidence of wrongdoing and that probable cause is not sufficient reason for the release of records.

These events will ensure that the advantages of cell phone GPS tracking will not be compromised by privacy issues and that its long term future and usefulness is secured.

The development of communications technology has long since surpassed the sole ability to access others when they are mobile. Today, mobile communication devices are becoming much more technologically

advanced and offer more than the ability to just carry on a conversation. Cell phone GPS tracking is one of those advances.

GPS or Global Positioning System tracks your location by interpreting the data received from 3 or more satellites. This has made GPS a popular feature in cars as a navigational aid.

All cell phones constantly broadcast a radio signal, even when not on a call. The cell phone companies have been able to estimate the location of a cell phone for many years using triangulation information

from the towers receiving the signal. However, the introduction of GPS technology into cell phones has meant that cell phone GPS tracking now makes this information a lot more accurate.

With GPS technology now more commonplace in many new cell phones, this means that the location of anyone carrying a compatible cell phone can be accurately tracked at any time. Cell phone GPS tracking

can therefore be a useful feature for business owners and fleet managers who need to be able to keep track of their vehicle movements.

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. These are known as E911 calls.

As technology advance even further, future features will be even more powerful. Imagine GPS cell phones used as a navigational device. Based on the cell phone GPS tracking signal, they could be used to find

your way to a location, calculate your speed based on your location change over time, from this calculate your estimated arrival time, suggest an alternative route and even phone the person you are

calling to see with your ETA! Of course in car GPS navigation systems can already perform many of these tasks, however it is the portability of cell phones that makes them so useful for this technology.

Cell phone GPS tracking could also be used to locate the whereabouts of your children and offer protection to elderly relatives should something happen and they need urgent assistance.

These features will help to secure the future of cell phone GPS tracking providing advantages for all.

It’s not being a parent these days. It seems like we never stop worrying about our children, from the moment they step forth into the world, to their teenage angst driven years, and beyond. Some things never change. Except science and technology. With GPS tracking devices it is now possible to keep tabs on your children without constantly worrying if everything is alright.

Is GPS The Missing Link to Effective Parenting?

No. GPS is a tool like most technologies which are designed to give you peace of mind. Things that certain global positioning systems devices can indicate include that of where a person is, and even trigger an alarm whenever that person crosses certain safety zones. More advanced models can provide more information such as the blood pressure, heart rate and body temperature of the person wearing this communications device (usually in the form of a watch, cell phone, or PDA-like device).

Some Practical Situations

Imagine going shopping, or attending a parade, or even visiting a foreign country with your children. A GPS tracking device would save you lots of headaches down the road and provide a better sense of knowing where your children are. This applies even when your child grows older and you’d like to have a somewhat of a better sense of knowing they are not in harms way by immediately knowing their location.

One important thing to reinforce is this, GPS, like a swimming paddle, is a precautionary tool, and not a replacement for your own vigilance in watching over your children. Please do not allow anyone or anything take the place of the sacred bond you hold between you and your child. You must be in control of the tools, don’t let them be in control of you.

GPS vehicle tracking systems are a popular tool for business owners; Original equipment manufacturers from General Motors to Bobcat are including tracking systems in their vehicles. Here’s some background information to help you:

Who uses GPS tracking?
GPS tracking systems are used by businesses in the service, transportation and manufacturing industries. Businesses of all sizes, with fleets of 1 to thousands of vehicles, rely upon their tracking systems to add to their profitability.

Types of businesses using GPS tracking:

* Contractors who provide HVAC, plumbing or electrical services

* Limousine and taxi companies

* Uniform / Linen Services

* Food and Beverage Distributors

* Street Sweepers

* Pest Management Services

* Snow Plow Services

* Car Carriers

* Landscaping and Irrigation contractors

* Cable Company Contractors

* Bulk and Route Delivery

* Fuel / Oil Haulers

* Hazmat and/or Chemical Haulers

* Produce / Perishable Delivery

* Utility companies

* City, county and state motor pool fleets

What is it?
GPS tracking systems consist of a device installed in the vehicle, a central server and software for the owner to access the information.

All GPS tracking devices use data from the U.S. Government’s constellation of Global Positioning System satellites to determine a vehicle’s location, speed and direction of travel.

The tracking device transmits data from GPS satellites overhead to a central computer server via either a communications satellite or, more often, via the local cellular phone network. The vehicle data is updated every 2 – 15 minutes, depending upon the owner’s preferences and manufacturer’s settings.

The central server makes the tracking data available to the system owner through the Internet. The owner logs onto the tracking company’s secure web server and sees their vehicle data on a map and in text form. Some tracking companies make the data available for download, so the owner could archive it on their own computer.

Why do they use it?
Users of GPS tracking systems have many reasons why they’ve installed them:

1. Tracking systems reduce vehicle costs by targeting speeding employees, who waste fuel, cause excessive engine wear and ultimately, drive up insurance rates.

2. Using the system’s automatic mileage reminder reduces downtime and enhances vehicle resale values by encouraging scheduled, preventative maintenance. Your tracking system will remind you when it’s time to rotate tires, change oil or perform other scheduled maintenance.

3. Many insurance companies offer discounts of up to 30% for vehicles protected with tracking systems.

4. Productivity is improved by:
a. documenting long lunch hours,
b. exposing unauthorized breaks,
c. comparing driver overtime requests with system reports of driver activity,
d. logging personal vehicle use after hours or on weekends.

5. GPS tracking systems improve customer service by showing you which employee is closest to the client who just called. WOW your customers–give them precise arrival or delivery estimates, based upon the actual location of your vehicles at the moment they call.

6. Your system can tell you the exact time and date each employee reached each customer. If a customer questions when your employee arrived or left –prove it to them.

7. Is one employee more productive than another? –Check the data. Is it time to add a vehicle? –Use your system and there’s no more guessing.

8. Use your system to correlate overtime performed with your employees’ overtime requests. See who is putting in extra time.

9. Never make another phone call to find out where your employees say they are.

10. Simplify asset management by displaying everything on one computer screen. Make work easier for your dispatcher.

11. Tracking systems work without any input from the driver. No driver logs needed.

Purchasers of GPS vehicle tracking systems say they recover their investment in an average of six – 12 months, by both reducing expenses and improving productivity. While some users recoup their entire investment at one time by recovering a stolen vehicle, most users are repaid more gradually .

GPS tracking is one of the most interesting technological advances of our time. GPS stands for Global Positioning System, and is used just for that. GPS can be used to find anyone with a tracker anywhere in the world. This is because the whole system makes use of the satellites that occupy the space above the earth. With special signals, and a little triangulation, GPS tracking can help anyone figure out where they are and plan out where they should go next.

GPS tracking began as a project especially for the United States military. In the 1980s, the system was being developed so that the military would have better capabilities on the ground to keep on target. It could also be used to help find lost soldiers and to more quickly locate the wounded. GPS provided a powerful tool for the United States and its allies. And it is still used by the military today.

Even though civilians could use GPS tracking in the late 1980s and 1990s, it was not the same system that the military used. The GPS used by civilians was less accurate and quick. The military scrambled its signals so that only it had access to the highly precise GPS calculations used in operations. This is why GPS was slow to catch on among “regular” folks. However, that all changed in 2000.

In the year 2000, at the turn of the century and the millennium, then-president Bill Clinton ordered the military to stop scrambling its GPS tracking signals. This did not mean that all of a sudden civilians could access battle plans and find out where troops were. What it did mean was that anyone with the right equipment (which is sold just about everywhere and fairly easy to get) could have access to the military’s system. This allowed anyone, individuals and businesses, to make use of the extremely accurate military system.

Since GPS tracking has been open to everyone, the marketplace has responded by making all sorts of consumer goods that allow people to find out where they are, and even track their kids and spouses. These is because the technology is so advanced that anything can be used for GPS tracking — even a cell phone.

(c) 2005 Copyright www.spyassociates.com. This article is about: GPS Tracking

From the moment children are born their parents naturally worry about them. Are they hungry? Are they warm enough? Are they sick?

Soon parents face the surrounding dangers as toddlers start to crawl, walk and run. The hazards seem to be everywhere. As any parent knows, the concerns only become deeper seated as children get older. Safety is all a parent can think about – especially when their children are not with them.

Not surprisingly some parents are looking to technology to provide reassurance. Moving beyond the baby monitor and even the cellphone is a new monitoring method called GPS – Global Positioning System.

What Will GPS Tell Me?

GPS is a system of satellites originally devised for government security and surveillance. The technology allows you to pinpoint the location of an individual who is in possession of a watch or a cellphone that has been enabled for tracking and can be monitored through a PC or personal tracking device.

Tracking devices can be set to monitor a specified area or zone. When the child leaves the zone the device automatically starts tracking. It can also alert you when the child leaves the zone.

More sophisticated models of GPS tracking devices can also monitor information like heart rate, blood pressure and body temperature.

When Would I Use GPS for My Children?

Have you ever lost your child in a crowded fair ground, concert or even the mall? Your heart races with fear as you frantically search and fear that they have been hurt or kidnapped. Children are naturally curious and easily distracted – wouldn’t it ease any parents mind to immediately identify their location?

As children get older they may be unaccompanied by their parents when they walk home from school or go to the park with their friends. While every child needs to have some independence it can be extremely worrying to parents waiting for their return. A GPS tracking device can help you monitor your child’s movements and determine if they are safely coming home or have become diverted or stranded.

What is GPS Not Good For?

As with any technology GPS can give a false sense of security. While every measure taken to protect your child has its place, GPS cannot tell you everything, nor can it supervise the behavior of your children.

Young children require close supervision at all times. GPS is just another layer of protection you can provide. You may also feel your older children are protected when they travel alone or with friends when you use GPS but you cannot prevent your child from losing the device, encountering problems or jeopardizing their own safety without proper training and complete trust.

If you choose to use GPS tracking you will feel more secure about what you can’t control. Research the costs and benefits of each device before making your choice.