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By Greg Bartlett

Sometimes expensive equipment has to be moved, and naturally those responsible for the protection of the equipment are concerned. For instance, the Army recently moved vehicles, containers, and other assets from Virginia to North Carolina via transport ships. Any time equipment like this is moved, there are some concerns about its security and location.

For the Army, though, these concerns were lessened because they used GPS tracking. The Army could monitor all the assets being relocated, tracking their progress and making sure they knew exactly where each vehicle and piece of equipment was throughout the entire trip. With GPS tracking, officials didn’t even have to have a human present to keep track of the assets, but they could still know precisely where each item was while the GPS did most of the monitoring work for them.

The military has also used GPS monitoring for other moveable assets, such as temporary piers, vehicles, and landing craft. With the ability to instantly find any item being tracked, determine its speed and monitor its activities, GPS tracking can be an incredibly useful management tool. It doesn’t require personnel on site but still allows those managing the assets to know where every item is and to track the progress it makes.

If an item is stolen or accidentally moved to a wrong location, the military can locate the item quickly and retrieve it. Losing a piece of equipment or a vehicle is practically impossible if the GPS monitoring device keeps track of it at all times and allows the military to find any piece of equipment within moments, no matter where it is.

GPS devices can even send alerts if a piece of equipment is moved or goes outside predetermined boundaries. If, for instance, someone had tried to move a military vehicle off a ship before it reached North Carolina, the Army would instantly have been alerted and could investigate. Alternatively, if a piece of equipment is removed from a military base and thus outside its set boundaries, an alert would be immediately sent to authorities.

Equipment and vehicles used by military and companies can be expensive to replace, and when they must be transported there is always the danger that something will be stolen or misplaced. With GPS tracking, that fear can be eliminated since every item can be instantly located, constantly monitored, and protected against theft, unauthorized movement, or even just getting lost.