Email

By Greg Bartlett

GPS tracking devices have already come so far in the past 10 years that it can be difficult to imagine where it will go in the next decade. However, GPS technology will continue to advance just like the music industry.
GPS trackers will get smaller and smaller. Right now because of battery space, many devices are about the size of a pager, but as more powerful batteries are made, the tracking devices will be able to shrink in size and become more lightweight.

Satellite and Stratosphere

Tracking systems will also last longer and carry a stronger signal. One major problem with the GPS capabilities of cell phones is that the signal is not strong enough to send a signal when indoors. Stronger signals will also allow the device to be farther away from a cell phone tower and be able to send its location information whether the cell phone has service or not. A longer battery life will mean that the device can stay functional for a longer period of time. This will make it easier for people who want the systems to send frequent signals instead of only once per hour. Many real time trackers would need to be charged every day or two if they sent signals every few minutes.

Passive tracking devices will increase in memory. Depending on how often the device is set to record the current location, passive trackers can last from a week to a month. After they fill up their memory, they begin to write over the old memory. This can be devastating in the case of a business that needs to keep accurate records, so a larger memory would be very helpful for them.

As GPS tracking devices are used in a variety of new ways, the devices will need to become more and more durable. Water resistant devices will need to become water proof. The exterior of the devices will become even stronger and more difficult to tamper with. Devices will also be designed to withstand extreme temperatures and high amounts of pressure.

With the exception of cell phone tracking devices, GPS tracking does not need to make any improvements in the area of accuracy. Despite the distance between Earth’s surface and the satellites, GPS trackers can give their location within just a few feet. In the next several years, GPS tracking will continue to advance, but these devices cannot get much closer to perfect accuracy than they already do.