GPS Tracking

Privacy Debate Goes On and On

Protect Yourself, but Use to Your Advantage

Any time someone brings up the issue of privacy and security one of two reactions is almost always observed:  anger or apathy.  This polarizing topic has many up in arms these days because there are more ways to breach your privacy than at any other time in history.

GPS Tracking systems are also in the mix of these debates.  In fact, talking about the vulnerabilities of using GPS Tracking is a good thing.  You need to know that you are vulnerable and at what point you are being put at risk so that you can take measures to protect yourself.  Here’s what you should know about GPS’s dark side:

Here’s What You Should Know

GPS Enabled Cell Phones Make You Vulnerable.  When you turn on the GPS feature on your smartphone, you can be tracked.  This means that you need to be aware of the times when you need it and when you don’t and then turn it off.  Or, just face the prospect that someone could hack into your phone and monitor your location in real time.  Turn the feature off, and be sure to password protect your phone’s functions.

GPS Tracking of Your Vehicle Makes You Vulnerable.  Movies used to be the only place that we saw devices that were used to track a car’s movements.  That is no longer the case.  Devices can be attached to your car without your knowledge (it only requires two wires).  If you are in a legal dispute with someone, in a divorce for example, it would not be unheard of to have your car tracked by a spouse or ex-spouse for the purpose of collecting information that could be used against you.  Be extra aware if you are in these situations. (more…)

Product Has Not Been Released, but Looks Promising

New Innovations Help the Disabled

As we plumb the depths of how GPS Tracking devices can provide assistant to various entities around the world, there are some proposed devices than will also help those with disabilities to better cope with the world.

One such device that has been shown as a possible help to the visually impaired is called the na:vi.  It is a GPS navigation system for those with challenged vision.

Multiple Technologies Come Together

The idea behind the system is that from the availability of GPS signals a person with limited or no vision can use a device that is attached to their forearm to get direction from internal gyroscopes, an integrated laser range finder, and a 3D user interface.  The interworking of these features will help provide accurate directions in a safe manner for the user.

Future Advances for the Disabled

Still under early development is GPS Tracking for power chairs and mobility scooters.  This is right around the corner, however.  You will see systems that have built-in functionality and those that use outside technology (like smartphones) that will provide the brains for such systems.  The benefits will be to be able to monitor movement and keep in closer contact with those who use these systems. (more…)

Things in Plain Sight are Often Targets of Thieves

Electronics are Most Often Stolen

Source acquired via Bronx Times, June 3, 2010, New York – Anthony Amelio, a retired NYPD police lieutenant, chased after a burglar who stole a GPS tracking device from his neighbour’s Jeep. The burglar was apprehended by Amelio, who waited for 49^th precinct police to arrive.

On the morning of May 22, 2010, Peter Enea was woken from his slumber when he heard his neighbour, Anthony Amelio, running after a thief who had stolen Enea’s GPS tracking system. Enea’s car was broken into around 4:30 that morning, though the robber had no idea that retired lieutenant Amelio was awake and watching the whole scene. As soon as Amelio saw the robber break into his neighbour’s Jeep, he took off after the burglar. (more…)

Technology is Good, But Can it Be Dangerous?

There Must Be a Balance and Reliability Built In

Source acquired via Associated Press, June 4, 2010, Denver, Colorado – the U.S military may be one of the most powerful militaries in the world, but what happens when the power goes out? Or, more specifically, when the GPS receivers that the military heavily relies on stop working? As the U.S Air Force has recently found out, most of the equipment that the Air Force uses is relatively ineffective without the help of GPS.

Flying Blind without GPS

The Air Force did not tell press how many systems were rendered useless when 10,000 GPS receivers that the military uses stopped working last week. What has been made abundantly clear to those following this story within North America – and to those who would love to cripple the U.S. military – is that wiping out any military GPS receiver could also wipe out the military’s fighting ability.

Essentially, “everything that moves…” uses GPS within the military, John Pike (director of Globalsecurity.org) recently told press. Pike went on to state how GPS “…is so central to the American style of war that you just couldn’t leave home without it.” Reportedly, the Air Force told press that the GPS system failure was due to defective software in conjunction with compatibility problems. The Air Force also stated that the system failure did not affect any weapon systems that are currently in use.

Presently, more than 100 U.S. bombs, armored vehicles, ships, aircraft, and other defense systems rely upon GPS. Since GPS systems are far more accurate than any military personnel, these systems are invaluable to the U.S. military. In short, if the GPS technology that the military relies upon no longer works, the result could be catastrophic. Reports state that the Air Force took slightly less than two weeks to notice and fix the GPS problem.

Air Force is Confident

When asked about the possibility of an enemy to the U.S. disabling the military’s GPS system, a spokesperson for the military told press that they “…are extremely confident in the safety and security of the GPS system from enemy attack. Since GPS’ inception, there has never been a breach of GPS.” The military stated that Iraq attempted to disable one GPS system during a 2003 invasion, but the jamming device used by Iraq was dislodged with a bomb.

A military spokesperson told press that the biggest concern facing the military is not GPS technology, but human error. By entering the wrong coordinates into a GPS system, bombs and troops can be sent to the wrong location. In order to eliminate the possibility of human error, the military is seeking to make most of its manoeuvres entirely electronic. Presently, the Air Force GPS glitch has been fixed, and no other glitches have been reported.

A Scavenger Hunt with Historical Ramifications

GPS Excels in Helping Educate

Source acquired via Leader Post, May 21, 2010, Regina, Canada – the Regina government has decided to try to bring history to life for elementary school kids with the help of GPS tracking devices. Minister Dustin Duncan is launching a new program called “Geocaching the Garden” that will take place at Government House. (more…)

Cell Phones Used for Nefarious Purposes

Who is at Risk?

Source acquired via Toronto Sun, Toronto, Canada, April 29, 2010 – Royal Canadian Mounted Police in Vancouver have begun to question the safety of GPS-equipped cell phones. Almost every Smartphone now comes with a GPS locator or GPS tracking application, and this (warns RCMP) can lead to stalking, abuse, and other crimes. Recently, a 54-year old man was charged with illegal sexual acts after he traced a teen boy using a GPS tracking cell phone application.

Safety Measures?

The application was developed as a dating tool for gay men. The application promises to find gay men within a certain area, and it lives up to its promise by tracking fellow users down to the last foot. When two users are in the same area, the application can pinpoint the exact location of any user. This is precisely how the 54-year old man in question found his teenage victim. (more…)

The simple, monolithic cell phone is going away, quickly.  Already, you are hard pressed to find a cell phone that only makes phone calls.  Most cell phones have cameras, media players and other additions that extend their functionality beyond what they were intended for in the early days of development.

The largest growth area is in Smart Phones.  These units not only have all of the additions like cameras and media players and storage, but they also have applications that have been developed for them that help you perform tasks that used to only be available on a personal computer.

Killer Apps

The competition that they are providing to traditional computing is strong.  Smart Phones are able to accomplish both simple and complex tasks via apps that are designed to make life easier.

Even though you might have to pay a few dollars for the small app, it can be worth it if it helps you better manage your time and tasks.

GPS Enabled

The latest rage in Smart Phone technology is the GPS enabled feature.  Here’s why this is turning out to be the killer app:

Instant Directions Anywhere:  GPS navigation units have been popular in vehicles for several years now.  The full-featured devices provide services beyond just the turn-by-turn directions that they were known for at first.  Being able to discover that perfect night spot or restaurant is a plus.

GPS Tracking Safety:  Safety is a prime area of concern for parents when it comes to their children and other family members.  Being able to ‘watch’ where a teen or child goes based on the GPS Tracking abilities of a Smart Phone has parents breathing a sigh of relief.  Even though this feature is not as good as a dedicated GPS Tracking device, it still provides a measure of security in knowing that there is method for safety that can be used in times of emergencies.

Who is On Board? Many Smart Phone manufacturers offer GPS as a standard feature with their phones.  The Apple iPhone lacks the GPS feature that other Smart Phones have.  This places Apple behind in offering a very important feature that consumers want.  Yes, the feature will be included in their next iteration of the iPhone and operating system, but they come to the table late.  However, purchase decisions based on this application has not slowed Apple’s dominance in the market.

Will it be long before GPS enabled cell phones are the standard?  Almost assuredly.  But, this is a good thing, not bad.  Even some businesses can benefit from the use of a GPS Enabled smart phone for those who work in delivery operations.

The bottom line is that GPS enabled Smart Phones are growing in numbers and are definitely here to stay.

A motorist tracks a speeding bus. New players in the car track market are offering prices as low as Sh15,000 to cover a car for a whole year. JACOB OWITI

Competition is intensifying globally in the vehicle tracking market, with increasingly tech-savvy consumers enjoying falling prices and preferring around-the-clock real-time tracking systems to those that are prompted or “pinged” in the event of a vehicle heist.

Business Daily Africa, an online version of the newspaper Business Daily, published out of Kenya, Nairobi, reports vehicle tracking system manufacturers are reviewing their price structures because the world market is being inundated with products from North America, China and Europe.

The main solutions in the tracking system game in Africa are Stolen Vehicle Recovery Systems (known as SVRS) and those that are based on the Global Positioning System and Global System for Mobil Communications (GPS/GSM). (more…)

What do you do when a loved one has gone missing or an employee inexplicably falls behind schedule, and they aren’t answering their cell phone? As worry starts to set in, the first instinct might me to track them down with Enhanced 911. Another, and probably better strategy, would be to use a real-time GPS vehicle tracking system.

E-911 is the ability to track someone down by using their cell phone. Just about everybody carries a mobile device. All mobile phones have this basic service because it was ordered by the Federal Communications Commission after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. It is supposed to provide authorities with latitude and longitude coordinates. That information should be enough to narrow down a search to a certain area.

This service normally lies dormant in a phone until it is “pinged” at the request of emergency authorities.

In many cases this does work and certainly many lives have been saved as a result of the FCC’s forward-thinking. Just recently Eric Smith of Rock Falls, IL was arrested for allegedly abducting his girlfriend’s 13-year-old daughter Joy Haahr and taking off to California with her. Police tracked the two down in Iowa using the kidnapper’s cell phone tracking system.

But there are tragic stories as well. A year ago in nearby Quincy, IL, a motorcyclist was ejected from his bike on a rural road late at night. He called 911 but did not know his location, and later he passed out. Emergency responders could only get a read on his location a swath about a mile wide. The phone lost power. The man ended up in a farm field and died before he could be found.

Here are five reasons why vehicle tracking systems are preferable to cell phone tracking: (more…)

Winnipeg Wants to put GPS Tracking in Trucks; Union is Suspicious

GPS tracking devices have been ordered for all the vehicles in the forestry department in Winnipeg Canada. Meanwhile, the local union is questioning the city’s motives and threatening to walk.

Winnipeg is already using vehicle tracking devices in police cars and street and sanitation trucks. City fathers said the GPS tracking systems help them closely track workers, respond faster to calls, and as a result work more efficiently. The Local 500 Union, however, is not so sure. Some members there think the GPS tracking devices are an excuse to micromanage their department or discipline certain workers for making errors on the job.

The union spokesman said GPS tracking is unfair because it allows supervisors to single out the actions of certain union members. They want to negotiate a GPS tracking policy. If they have to, he said, the union will fight the GPS tracking system and if necessary, go on strike.

“This is a city of 650,000 people,” responded Ed Richardson, a communications representative with the city of Winnipeg.  That’s a big area and our employees have a lot of responsibility. With GPS tracking we can assign the closest vehicle to a particular call at any time.”

The Urban Forestry division’s responsibilities include tree planting, trimming and disease control.
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