GPS Tracking

Benefits of Geo-Fencing in Real-Time GPS Tracking Devices

One of the interesting and helpful features that come with the purchase and activation of a real-time Global Positioning System (GPS tracking) device is geo-fencing.

A combination of the words “geographic” and “fence,” the name quite aptly describes this GPS tracking function. It is the high-tech version of “drawing a line in the sand.” Geo-fencing is a geographic limit placed on the travels of a person or an asset. In the GPS tracking version, a second party is alerted when that item or person crosses a virtual boundary.

It would have been hard to believe, even 10 years ago, that information about someone’s whereabouts can be delivered so quickly and with so much detail, it would put the town gossip to shame.

How Does Geo-Fencing Work?

For geo-fencing to work, the vehicle must be equipped with a vehicle tracking device, or the person to be monitored must carry a wireless phone with GPS tracking technology. Also, the user must have access to the Internet. The GPS receiver’s location is recorded at regular intervals, using radio signals from satellites. That information is transmitted through a wireless network and travel history can be viewed in real time on a remote personal computer.

When geo-fencing is put to work, the user determines the placement of a boundary or “fence,” that the vehicle tracking receiver should stay within. It can be a simple circle, set by entering a center point and length of radius on a street image; a square made by dragging over an area of a map with a mouse; or, with some GPS tracking devices, several exact coordinates can be input, and the area will be defined by connecting the points in a polygon shape.

When the vehicle tracking receiver enters or exits the perimeter of the geo-fenced area, it is recorded and a text report – called an “event” – is delivered to the user. Notification options include e-mail or SMS text message.

The function can be turned off or the geo-fence configuration changed at any time.

How is Geo-Fencing Used in GPS Tracking Technology?

Mobile phones and self-contained vehicle tracking devices with GPS locators are becoming quite common. The possible applications for geo-fencing are expanding as well, as there are many reasons someone might want to know if an object or person has left a defined area.

Business and Municipal Applications

1. To increase organization and productivity. In some businesses, the commercial fleet accounts for about 50 percent of total assets. Geo-fencing lets business owners or managers “monitor the field” using GPS tracking technology, to see if their vehicles are where they are supposed to be, and that they stay out of areas set “off-limits.” If the fleet operates with peak performance, the owners or stockholders will see a profit and the customers will be pleased with the level of service.
2. To make sure employees stay within an area the company deems productive. Commercial vehicles can be programmed with the same geo-fence. For instance, advertising salesmen or sales reps could be limited to calls within a business’s circulation or service area.
3. To divide a territory into sections using a grid. Each team member could be assigned his own section. This will ensure a territory is thoroughly covered and time and labor is not wasted with overlapping trips.
4. To track the progress of door-to-door workers. Geo-fencing on the cell phone could be used to follow workers, walking their routes for sales or canvassing.
5. To monitor police or other municipal vehicles, to ensure they stay in their jurisdiction.
6. To make sure school buses or city buses on regular schedules are maintaining their assigned routes.

Personal and Real-Life Applications

1. To let parents know if their young and inexperienced teen drivers travel outside a neighborhood or other set region.
2. To keep tabs on a loved one, and find them if they wander beyond a designated area. These might include senior citizens with memory problems or other disabilities; small children who might lose track of their surroundings, or a family member on a long-distance trip, to see if they’ve taken a detour from their scheduled route.
3. To recover stolen vehicles. If a real-time GPS tracking device is placed on the consumer’s own vehicle, the owner can program geo-tracking to send notification if the vehicle was moved, and possibly stolen.
4. To keep in touch with buddies. Friends can use geo-fencing, and program the GPS tracking feature in their phones to notify them if someone else is traveling in their area.

Tags: Geo-fencing, GPS Tracking

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This entry was posted on Monday, June 1st, 2009 at 9:38 am and is filed under All Articles, GPS Tracking. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.