GPS Tracking

Incident Proves Danger of Teen Driving Distractions

A Tampa Bay paper reported that a 17-year-old girl, skipping school and out on a joy ride with friends, got into trouble when she ran into a police officer – literally.

The teen driver apparently became distracted while texting and bore down on the back end of a patrol car.

Texting has officially become more popular than cell phone calls. In fact, it’s been stomping the competition for a couple of years now. Nielsen Mobile, a communications research firm associated with The Nielsen Company, said U.S. wireless subscribers average 357 texts a month, versus 204 phone calls.

Nielsen looked at the wireless bills of a volunteer sample of 50,000 subscribers and noted activities such as text messages, favorite games and ringtones.

The numbers get more interesting when Nielsen shows results by age group. Teens, ages 13 to 17, send or receive 1,742 texts per month; more than any other age category. (The next-closest age group, ages 18-24, was far behind. They averaged 790 texts a month.) Put that statistic behind 4,000 pounds of speeding steel, glass and gasoline, and you’ve got trouble waiting to happen.

That Florida teen driving disaster should feel lucky she got away with only $3,000 in damage, a ticket, and probably a good grounding from her parents.

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Are Laws Keeping Pace With Science?

Under what circumstances can a police officer slap a global positioning system (GPS) Tracking device on your car to gather evidence against you in a legal matter?

To what lengths can an authority figure go, to hide a high-tech vehicle tracking device on your personal property?

If you’re looking to the courts for a legal opinion about GPS tracking, keep looking. Two states recently addressed the issue in court, but ended up with very different, if not opposite, results.

Courts Conflict on Legality

Both considered government placement of GPS tracking devices, specifically, in what cases the action would be unjustified and an intrusion. At the heart of the matter is whether vehicle tracking units can be installed on private vehicles without a warrant. A warrant is a court-approved search in which officers specify the reasons behind the surveillance or search. It details the place to be searched and the person, things or information that is sought. (more…)

WOODSTOCK – LandAirSea Systems has an updated version of its Past-Track software.

Past-Track Version 9.0 is a set-up disk that is part of every LandAirSea GPS TracKing®, GPS Tracking Key®, 3100-INT and 3100-EXT passive tracking system. Users need Past-Track Version 9.0 to download data from their GPS tracking receivers, to personal computer for viewing and analysis. The software runs off any standard Windows operating system including Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Windows Vista. It does not interface with Mac OS.

Improvements made to Past-Track Version 9.0 include quicker installation and downloads and more detailed views on the animated street maps – one of three options the software offers for display of vehicle tracking data. Others include a daily activity report in text format, and a trip history displayed over satellite images, including buildings and topography, via Google Earth®.

Download Past-Track Version 9.0

Latest Passive Vehicle Tracking Devices Affordable, Practical

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WOODSTOCK, IL – Gone are the days when Dad has to check the odometer on his Chrysler to see if Junior’s been taking a joy ride.

With the help of a passive GPS tracking device, a parent will know; not only if the teen took an unauthorized trip, he’ll know when he took it, where he went, and how fast he was driving.

Using that same technology: an investigator can gather enough evidence to pick up a suspect on drug charges; and an employer can discover why his profit margin is tanking, while overtime is going up.

There are so many practical uses for passive GPS tracking systems today, they are infiltrating everyday life. Most models are small, self-contained and lightweight; they are rather nondescript so they can be placed almost anywhere, and they are very simple to use.

GPS tracking systems have come a long way from the first commercially introduced product by LandAirSea Systems, in 1996. Now more than a dozen years later, prices are down and value is up. Consumers also have more choices and can easily find a vehicle tracking device that suits them, based on style, features and price. (more…)

WOODSTOCK, IL (May 12, 2009)  – Designers, manufacturers and distributors of Global Positioning System (GPS) tracking devices are lauding a Wisconsin court ruling of last week, because it will likely result in their technology being used more frequently, and perhaps with less hesitation, by law enforcement agencies.

The District 4 Court of Appeals in Madison, Wis. concluded that police do not need to obtain a warrant in order to place a GPS tracking unit on the outside of someone’s vehicle. Judge Paul Lundsten said in a statement that GPS tracking is not unreasonable search and seizure and that it didn’t violate privacy rights any more than regular visual surveillance.

The court, however did see the potential for abuse and followed the ruling with a request that state lawmakers pass laws detailing how and when GPS tracking crosses the line.

The case was prompted by a 41-year-old Madison man named Michael Sveum who was accused of stalking a woman. Police did get a warrant and secretly mounted a vehicle tracking device on Sveum’s car while it was parked in his driveway. After five weeks, police retrieved the device and also got a second warrant to search Sveum’s house. He was later arrested. (more…)

Wireless communication has grown by leaps and bounds since the early 1980s, when the cellular phone found its niche in the public marketplace. What was then a heavy, utilitarian handset nearly the length of a shoebox, has evolved into today’s miniature, multi-functional gadget, with access to music, games, camera, e-mail, text-messaging and a once-unimaginable amount of information, via Internet interface.

For almost 30 years, the cellular phone has been almost constantly revised and reinvented to keep up with consumer demand.

At the moment, one of the most popular cell phone functions is Global Positioning System (GPS) tracking and navigation services, which many consumers find invaluable for driving directions, traffic updates and Location-Based Services (LBS): finding local attractions, dining and services such as parks, restaurants, a drug store or dry cleaners.

GPS navigation, including directions over a screen map, is an additional service option. GPS tracking on cell phone is often a different – and often debated – subject entirely. (more…)

3100-INT

WOODSTOCK, IL – It seems every day, more people are learning the value of GPS tracking devices. And the word “value” refers to more than an item’s usefulness. It’s also the price.

That aspect of value comes into play in passive vehicle tracking devices. LandAirSea Systems has specialized in passive vehicle tracking devices since 1994. It offers four models including the 3100-INT and the 3100-EXT. They are favored for fleet management and several other practical applications; and they are an affordable purchase for many demographics.

A quality, passive vehicle tracking device can be bought from LandAirSea Systems for about $250. The price tag is worth gaining the ability to effortlessly track a car or truck’s miles, speed, route and stops on a day-to-day basis. And unlike their active or “real-time” counterparts, passive GPS tracking systems involve a one-time unit purchase only. There are no monthly service fees.

Everyone from the pizza delivery man to the Fortune 500 corporate executive heralds the passive GPS vehicle tracking device for its cost-effectiveness, accuracy and ease of installation.

How They Work

3100-EXT

All GPS tracking systems have a receiver that the user mounts inside, outside or under the vehicle. GPS signals are captured by the vehicle tracking receiver and the data, which is used to calculate location, is stored in the unit’s memory until it is retrieved and downloaded to a PC at the USB port. Using LAS-supplied software, the consumer can see the vehicle’s travel history on a digital map, on satellite image or in text format. (more…)

 WOODSTOCK, IL – When consumers begin researching Global Positioning System (GPS) tracking solutions, one of the first decisions to be made is whether they want passive or active technology.

LandAirSea representatives are asked this question frequently. LAS is a manufacturer and distributor of both passive and active vehicle tracking systems. It has been a leader in the field since 1994.

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The 8100 is the company’s current offering in the active category. The GPS Tracking Key is LAS’s top-selling passive vehicle tracking option.

A LandAirSea representative can help the consumer – whether personal or a business person – choose a vehicle tracking system that will best fit the application. (more…)

Massachusetts’ highest court is scheduled to decide if GPS vehicle tracking by police is an invasion of privacy. The decision could be precedent-setting because it might allow law enforcement agencies to use GPS tracking systems to track suspects without first obtaining a court order. The MyFoxBoston Undercover news team notes that use of the technology is on the rise. Steven Moehling, Vice President of Sales for LandAirSea Systems Inc. in Woodstock, IL, was interviewed as part of the television news segment. LandAirSea’s most popular vehicle tracking device, the GPS Tracking Key, was tested on a news vehicle.

GPS Device will be Exclusively Distributed by KJB Security Products

WOODSTOCK, IL. – Building on its reputation for creating innovative, practical and affordable Global Positioning System (GPS tracking) devices, industry leader LandAirSea Systems announces the launch of a new product, the GPS TracKing^®, which redefines power and efficiency in the passive GPS tracking market.

The GPS TracKing^® is a passive vehicle tracking device with no monthly fees. Powered by two (2) AA batteries, the GPS TracKing^® records up to 80 hours of movement on a single battery cycle. It was designed to share many of the features of LandAirSea’s most widely-used product, the GPS Tracking Key^®, including compact size, portability and ease of installation; yet with added enhancements, such as longer battery life, faster GPS signal acquisition, a secondary power source, on/off switch and an easily-accessible battery compartment. (more…)