GPS Tracking

SilverCloud Real-Time GPS Tracking System

Earlier this year, LandAirSea Systems launched its flagship real-time GPS tracking device, the SilverCloud. The SilverCloud is the result of more than fifteen years of engineering research and refinement. It provides fleet owners, government and law enforcement agencies, small to large business owners, and individual consumers the capability of true real-time vehicle and asset tracking.

The SilverCloud is more than just your typical or traditional GPS tracking product. It is the result of innovative and progressive development from a pioneer in the GPS manufacturing industry. “All LandAirSea products are designed and manufactured based upon extensive research maximizing power efficiency, GPS sensitivity, and customer experience”, say Robert Wagner, CEO of LandAirSea Systems.

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Convenience Can Lead to Stolen Vehicles

Use Technology to Help Prevent Theft

Even with today’s modern theft deterrent systems that are placed into vehicles by manufacturers, car theft continues to be a major problem.  One shift in thieves’ methods is towards stealing older cars with less anti-theft technology.  These cars and trucks have less on them to deal with in getting them started.  So, the answer to this is to make sure that you have a vehicle that is less than five years old, if possible.  This way you will have the latest in vehicle theft technology onboard.

Stopping Auto Theft

Here are the main ways to help prevent your car from being stolen.

Always take your keys.  Never leave your keys inside of your vehicle.  Placing them under the floor mat or above the sun visor is a bad idea.  If you are prone to leaving your car running while you go into Starbucks to get your latte’, stop it.  Doing this is equivalent to placing a sign on your window that says “steal me.” (more…)

We’ve touted the benefits of passive tracking devices before.  In specific situations they provide a solid source of information.  These include using them when time critical data gathering is not crucial.  Most often this means tracking for historical purposes.

In the family of GPS tracking devices exists the Tracking Key Pro which delivers even more reasons to use these over active tracking devices.  Here’s why:

Less can be more. In active tracking, one expects certain things from the device which can incur a cost.  For example:  instant location information.  Or, even geo-fencing notifications.  While there are devices that can and will deliver information when it is demanded, sometimes that is a non-factor. (more…)

How do you prevent kids from ditching high school? No one can force attendance, but a GPS tracking product can find out if a teenager is in the classroom, and warn him when he’s missing.

In Bexer County, Texas the courts are ordering problem teenagers to participate in specially-designed attendance monitoring programs called Attendance Improvement Management (AIM). The kids wear cell-phone-sized electronic receivers that use satellite signals to determine their positions. Authorities and school administrators can keep tabs on the students during regular school hours.

Truancy is defined as a chronic, intentional absence from required schooling and it’s a problem that is growing across the nation. It is in the students’ best interest to finish high school because many employers refuse to accept applicants that do not have the equivalency of a high school education (GED). Studies show a high correlation between truant teens and troubled youths that end up in the juvenile justice system.

Schools benefit from good attendance too. In many places, truancy numbers affect the amount of state aid districts receive.

So, five years ago the Texas courts and the schools decided to work together and do something about lazy, disinterested students. It started in Dallas. A vehicle tracking manufacturer was recruited to design the GPS tracking units, software and interface. The electronic monitoring program was piggybacked with a mentoring plan to teach the troubled teens about societal standards, motivation and self esteem.

High school students become eligible for the GPS tracking program after they have tallied 10 unexcused absences in a year. If a judge sees fit, he can order the student to wear the device for up to six weeks during school hours. Each student is issued a GPS tracking unit and a unique code. At the beginning of the day each student must log in to the system. If at any time the GPS tracking system finds out the student is not where he is expected, an alert goes to a school counselor (geo-fencing). The student gets either a phone call or a text from school authorities that he is in violation.

Of course, the students’ daily activities are recorded on the GPS tracking device for later review and documentation.

Normally, with GPS monitoring by ankle bracelet, the students revert back to their old ways once the unit and probation period are removed. Texas school and law authorities believe the new AIM program is successful because the monitoring program is coupled with adult encouragement and rewards. Counselors work one-on-one with the students teaching them discipline and building their confidence.

The results of the GPS tracking and monitoring program in Texas are very encouraging. The costs are about $16 a student a day, but daily attendance and graduation numbers are up significantly in every school using the GPS tracking program. Other states including Kentucky and Pennsylvania have noticed and might be next.

Source: ABC News

GPS Tracking Systems Help Senior ‘Road Warriors’ Stay Connected to Family

This winter was a good one for recreational vehicle parks located in warm weather climates. A national chain of RV parks called Equity Lifestyle Properties reported a 16.5 percent increase in revenue this winter over last.

The difference is an increase in snowbird campers, said the National Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds.

There are three general categories of RVers: vacationers, part-timers and full-timers. The quickest growing group of these three is the full-timers. These are people who live in their RVs nearly all 52 weeks of the year. A majority of them sell their brick-and-mortar homes. They give up a permanent address for a license plate number. (more…)

Everyone has heard about the Somali pirates and their kidnap cases. One recent case in the news is that of retired British couple Rachel and Paul Chandler, aged 55 and 58, who were kidnapped by Somali pirates when they were heading towards the Indian Ocean in their yacht, the Lynn Rival.

The news hit headlines when the pirates demanded an exorbitant ransom: $7 million. The incident acted as an eye-opener for those people who pursue sailing as their passion.

The pirates stripped the couple’s ship of everything of value and removed the couple to a secret location. It took a week for the British Navy to locate the 38-foot-long yacht.

Had the yacht been equipped with a GPS vehicle tracking device, would it have been easier for concerned authorities to trace?

GPS Tracking Used for Boat Theft Recovery

Across the globe the interest in recreational boating is growing. The results are that boating is generating good revenue in sales and tourism. But along with the increase in popularity, cases of boat thefts are also rising at an alarming rate. Some recent statistics: From the period 2006 to 2008, 19,854 watercraft theft cases were reported in the U.S. That’s a huge blow to the economy. Row boats, pontoon boats, sail boats, speed boats, power boats and canoes are some categories of boats which are stolen in great number.

The number of hijacked boats is increasing also. In the Indian Ocean off Somalia, despite a presence of policing war ships and aircraft, a pirate presence is growing. They attack anything from small fishing vessels to huge cargo ships. The Somali government estimated nearly 200 people, who were crew aboard eight ships, are currently hostages of pirates.

The sudden increase in the cases of the thefts has compelled boat owners to safeguard their properties by installing GPS tracking devices in these valuable assets. If they cannot prevent them from being stolen, GPS tracking at least will aid authorities in recovering the stolen merchandise.
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Everyone loves their dogs. They’re treated like a part of the family. Many dog owners think nothing of sending their pets to day care, getting their teeth cleaned or glamming them up at the groomer’s.

But who hasn’t mistakenly left a door ajar, or got distracted while unloading groceries, to later catch a glimpse of Spot, bounding down the street like an ungrateful scamp, as if he were escaping an abusive relationship?

Is Global Positioning System (GPS tracking) for dogs the answer?

An Ounce of Prevention is Worth a Lot of Money

There are many reliable methods of dog retention. Leashes, ID tags, the backyard fence and the electric fence are seen every day. More unusual is GPS tracking of dogs.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin equipped his pooch Koni with a GPS tracking collar, in a plug for the Russian satellite system GLONASS.

In the United States, there are a growing number of companies that have adapted GPS vehicle tracking for pets. These gadget designers are betting pet owners will pay any price for the comfort of a cold, wet nose and the nuzzle of a muzzle. The other side to the debate is that GPS tracking systems for dogs are just another novelty, still in its infant stages.

Is GPS tracking for dogs worth the price? The cost varies with sophistication and features, starting at about $100 to several hundred dollars. Plus, due to the real-time device’s reliance on a wireless network, the system has ongoing monthly fees that range from $15 to $30 a month.

How GPS Tracking Systems for Dogs Work

GPS tracking for dogs is a spinoff of vehicle tracking, which has been in use by the public for about 15 years. Today vehicle tracking is common in many segments of society: Law enforcement, the military, business and at home.

Most GPS tracking collars for dogs utilize a combination of satellite and cellular technology called Assisted Global Positioning System (A-GPS). The animal’s location, time and date is recorded at regular intervals that range from 5 minutes to an hour.

When the pet goes missing, the owner can see the animal’s location on a computer or Internet-enabled cell phone. Or when they call a customer care number, a representative will give directions to the pet.

Some of the devices incorporate geo-tracking. Owners can set up a virtual fence around familiar areas such as home, the office, day care, the groomer’s and the park. The pet owner is notified by text message or email when the animal moves outside a “safe” zone. (more…)

LEWISVILLE, TX – Building materials and equipment have always been easy targets for thieves because they are fairly easily to move, often placed out in the open, and expensive.

Now construction crews and tradesmen can add GPS tracking devices to their list of security measures, alongside surveillance cameras and guard dogs.

“I would guess a lot of homebuilders are using GPS tracking,” said Gopal Ahluwalia, vice president of research for the National Association of Home Builders in Washington D.C, who added that theft at construction sites costs the industry about $5 billion a year.

Recently, in Lewisville, a suburb of Dallas, TX, two air conditioning units were taken from a construction site. Each was valued at about $2,000. The builders of the housing development, Centex Corp. had discreetly hidden GPS tracking devices inside the appliances.

GPS tracking devices calculate location by capturing satellite readings. The device’s movements can be monitored in real-time from a remote personal computer.

For quite a while, GPS tracking systems have been used in vehicles, but as the technology matures and the units get smaller and more affordable, they are increasingly being placed on other household and business assets – even small ones.

In the Texas case, Centex managers set up their GPS tracking system to send them an automated alert message if their GPS-tagged equipment was moved outside a designated area. The technology is called geo-fencing. So at that point they logged on to a special Web site that enabled them to read the GPS tracking data. They found the air conditioning units in a storage facility in Irving, about 20 miles away. Police only needed the name of the storage unit’s lease holder. He led cops to the crooks.

Like guard dogs and cameras, GPS tracking devices do not guarantee that assets will not be stolen, but they add an extra layer of protection against it. If theft does occur, GPS tracking devices certainly raise the odds of recovery.

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. (more…)