Email

By Jackie Gately

Geo fencing notifies you when an electronically tracked asset in motion, such as a car, boat, or person equipped with a vehicle tracking device, crosses a virtual boundary. The notification can be sent to a cell phone, email, Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), or a web-based tracking software. It usually includes the time, date and location that the virtual boundary was crossed, allowing for an immediate investigation or response to the situation.

The geo fence may be used to monitor whether a tracked asset stays within certain boundaries. It can also warn of an asset’s approach to a location, in the case of reverse geo fencing.

Geo fencing uses a Global Positioning System (GPS) vehicle tracking or other equipped with GPS technology to compare the asset position to predefined virtual boundaries. The geo fence may be established as a simple shape, such as a rectangle surrounding your yard, or as large, polygonal, overlapping areas. It can also define “off-limits” destinations, like an address or geographic area.

Most commonly used to manage mobile employees–a topic of hot debate–geo fencing applications are in their infancy. A broad range of applications potentially lies ahead. The following lists just a few of the current geo fencing uses.

Use a geo fence to:

• Manage a fleet of delivery drivers, service technicians, sales representatives, school buses, taxis, snowplows and town vehicles within a region
• Limit fleet travel and sales regions to specific routes
• Ensure up-to-the-minute safety of valuable, hazardous or dangerous cargo
• Manage employees by exception rather than scrutinizing trusted employees
• Provide advance warning of arrival at customer sites, docking bays, and ports in order to minimize loading and unloading delays
• Prevent crossing of city, state, or region borders or out of country cargo shipments
• Provide warning that a child, family member or pet is leaving a yard, block, or city limits
• Remotely disable vehicles if a boundary that has been crossed is restricted, unauthorized or unsafe
• Alert victims of the approach of a known violent or sexual predator
• Track domestic violence or sex offenders to enforce probation stipulations
• Prevent vehicles from being stolen or used for unauthorized or illegal purposes
• Prevent wildlife from infringing on livestock or crop raiding, such as in the case of Kenya’s Save the Elephant group.

Jackie Gately is a freelance writer. She can be reached at jackiegately.wordpress.com.