Woman Stranded in Woods with Low Cell Phone Battery
GPS Tracking
The emergency GPS tracking ability of a cell phone can give some people a false sense of security:
“Oh, if I go missing, you can just track me by my cell phone.”
Plenty of people in emergency situations have been found after the GPS tracking feature on his or her cell phone was activated. The lifesaving qualities are inarguable, but the technology is not infallible.
A standalone GPS tracking device collects more information, is more accurate, consistent, and is usually faster.
Misplaced confidence in a cell phone and lack of preparation recently left one woman stranded in a remote forest for 18 hours; when a real-time GPS tracking device, similar to vehicle tracking devices, would have located her immediately.
Diana Haley, 59, an experienced hiker who prefers solo adventures, got more isolation than she expected when she lost her way in the 5,000-acre Baxter’s Hollow nature preserve near Baraboo, WI. The woman, from Middleton, WI, planned only to explore nature for a few hours when she lost her bearings. The trail is unmarked and poorly defined and the terrain is rocky.
The adventurer called 911 and connected with the police department, but her GPS tracking and rescue was hampered by a poor signal and a dying cell phone battery. Authorities tried to trace her path using the GPS tracking feature on the cell phone, but they lost contact.
Tracking dogs, a helicopter, an airplane, and an army of searchers were dispatched to the nature preserve. Despite it all, the crews suspended the search due to the dark and cold. The woman was found alive, but not until the next morning.
How a Real-Time GPS Tracking Differs From Cell Phone E911 Tracking
The basic GPS tracking prompt mandated by the FCC on all cell phones (called E911 for enhanced emergency calls) must be authorized by emergency personnel. Additional GPS tracking applications, such as GPS navigation, are available on the phones through the wireless provider, usually at an extra charge.
With real-time vehicle tracking systems, the user/owner can get a location report at any time, and incremental position updates allow the user to remotely “follow” the device in its travels, on a personal computer or Web-enabled handheld, almost exactly as it happens. Signal capture is more sensitive and more accurate than GPS tracking on cell phones, because the device is engineered specifically and exclusively for tracking purposes. The location of the GPS tracking receiver can be seen on an animated street map or on a satellite image, even when no dedicated streets are present. Direction, speed and duration of stops are noted.
Because GPS tracking systems are becoming increasingly lighter, more portable, and more cost-effective, vehicle tracking devices are being used in creative ways by people on vacation.
A similar story with a much more pleasant outcome is that of a 19-year-old hiker from Great Britain. The young man, a recent graduate, took a months-long backpacking trip through Australia. Stowed in his equipment was a compact, real-time vehicle tracking unit. It was purposely placed there so that the adventurer could electronically chronicle his once-in-a-lifetime trip. A second motivation for GPS tracking was that his mother wanted to have peace-of-mind that he was safe. She was able to log onto a computer and see where her son was, at any moment.
If the Wisconsin hiker had carried a real-time vehicle tracking device along with her cell phone, it would likely have spared her a long night of cold and worry. A GPS tracking device would not only have told rescuers where the woman was, within feet of her present location, it would have showed them where she went throughout her ordeal.
Source: Baraboo News Republic
Tags: cell phone, emergency, GPS Tracking, lifesaving
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