GPS Tracking

Certain pet owners are known to go a little overboard with their affection, and their budgets.

Those people, who always want their dog or cat to be the first on the block to sport the latest kooky, cute or novel product, will be pleased to know that they can soon get their animal friend to “tweet”.

Not the cat-that-swallowed-the-canary kind of tweet. The social networking kind of tweet.

At the annual New York Toy Fair Feb. 14-17, mega toy company Mattel introduced Puppy Tweets, a plastic, electronic gadget that enables a dog to “speak” on a Twitter account.

Since dogs lack the thumb dexterity required for a keypad, and the thought process necessary to carry on a digital conversation, Mattel had to take a few liberties with its technology.  A sound and motion-activated disk is placed around the dog’s neck. Hundreds of statements and phrases are pre-programmed into the system. When the unit senses activity, a message is picked at random and automatically posted on the pet’s personal Twitter page. The dog shares snippets of his day, like how he awakened from a nap, chased a squirrel or is growing lonely from being left alone. It remains to be seen if all this novelty is worth the $29.99 price tag.

Pet lovers who are serious about finding out where their dog has been and where he’s heading would be better served with a GPS tracking system.  GPS tracking systems use satellite signals to determine the location of a GPS receiver; in this case a small unit that is attached to a dog’s collar. That data is transmitted via a modem and cellular technology for Internet connectivity. Depending on the system, a user can monitor the animal’s location from a remote computer at home or office; or the data is accessed by an independent firm associated with the system manufacturer. A representative on call 24/7 reads the data and guides the user to the lost animal.

Another feature of a GPS tracking system is geo-fencing.  A pet owner can set up a virtual “fence” and the dog should stay inside those safe boundaries. If it goes outside the geo-fence, the owner is alerted by text or e-mail.

GPS tracking systems for pets are available by e-commerce and some dog owners are already using them on their animals. But when compared to other GPS tracking applications, the tracking of pets is still pretty much in its infancy.

Some Issues to Address When Shopping for a GPS Tracking System for Your Dog:

• Size/weight of the GPS tracking device:  Some dogs and cats weigh only a few pounds. The tracking system must be light enough to be comfortable for the pet.
• Weather-resistance: Dogs are often outside, so the device must hold up to extreme weather conditions.
• Cost: GPS tracking systems being marketed for animals range from $100 to several hundred dollars. An additional monthly fee is involved when the tracking systems give the owner location updates in real-time. Likewise there’s an extra fee if an outside agency is used to relay the pet’s location.
• Power: A GPS pet tracking system is only as good as its battery life. Users are not happy if they must frequently recharge or replace batteries.
• Tracking/mapping ability: Everyone knows a loose pet is not going to follow a traditional street pattern as is often depicted in GPS tracking software. The user should check for tracking accuracy (range) and make sure they can get directions that can lead them through fields, woodlands and other natural features of the landscape.

Puppy Tweets is a product meant purely for amusement. Many animal lovers claim they have a special connection with their dog or cat. But must the two become BFFs?

Dogs on GPS Tracking is an example of functional technology that has a real future in the consumer market. The American Kennel Club has recognized GPS tracking systems as a way to protect priceless pedigrees. It may be just a matter of time that tracking systems will be commonplace in a neighborhood near you.

Source: LA Times

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Tags: Dog, GPS Tracker, GPS Tracking, Mattel, New York, Puppy, speak, Tweets, Twitter

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This entry was posted on Friday, February 12th, 2010 at 5:18 pm and is filed under GPS Tracking, Personal 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.