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By Greg Bartlett

Often what surprises people most about the versatility of GPS trackers is their ability to monitor something of nearly any size. Your dog can wear a special collar; your packages can include a small locator; and your car can be fitted with an integrated tracking device. But when we look at something several hundred miles wide, like say, a hurricane or typhoon, how in the world can GPS trackers even begin to help?

GPS & Storm Tracking

In August of 2005, a lone Air Force P-3 flew directly into the path of Hurricane Katrina to deliver some very particular cargo. 36 GPS dropsondes loaded with barometric readers were flung into the middle of the storm. For the hours following the drop, these specially-modified GPS trackers transmitted location and weather data while swirling around the storm. Thanks to their small parachutes, the dropsondes could remain aloft long enough to present a clear, multi-layered picture of the wildest parts of the storm.

Just recently, the Taiwanese government employed a network of GPS-enabled barometric readers to gauge the strength of an oncoming typhoon. These GPS trackers performed a similar function to the dropsondes in 2005 and provided valuable data to authorities involved in disaster response.

Neither deployment could prevent disaster, however. As both Katrina and the recent typhoon in Taiwan demonstrated, information alone won’t avert damage to homes or loss of life. However, properly managed, the data from GPS trackers can allow authorities to identify the path and progress of storms, as well as those occupied areas which will suffer the most.

As an alternative to radar and satellite, GPS trackers are gaining favor among scientists for their portability and adaptability, as well as the comprehensive temperature and barometric data each sensor can provide. Satellites and radar are limited in the kind of on-hand data they can transmit. Used in conjunction with GPS trackers, however, they can give authorities a highly detailed picture of nearly any kind of storm.

Like nearly every application of GPS, the technology simply provides information to decision makers. Whether the GPS trackers provide location data on truck fleets, shipping containers, or just Fido, how the user responds to the information will determine its effectiveness.