Rocky Mountain Tracking

By Greg Bartlett

The nation was riveted on October 15th as images of a flying saucer hovering over Colorado filled news channels everywhere. The oblong, silver monstrosity held no aliens, but as state police and even National Guard units scrambled to follow it, what they hoped to find inside was actually a small, 6-year-old boy. The story was even carried internationally by all major networks, and nearly everyone near a TV set or on a news site followed the drama.

News & GPS Tracking

Thankfully, to everyone’s relief, the boy was merely hiding in his attic and discovered by an investigator staying with the family. The incident was actually just the latest in a long string of mishaps for a rather unique family, whose prior television appearances included a stint on Wife Swap, a semi-popular reality show with a habit of exposing familial issues.

As national attention was called to the incident, one cannot help but wonder how a simple GPS tracker could have alleviated the problem. Forget putting a GPS tracker on the balloon. After all, people could see the shiny object for miles. But if the rambunctious first grader had been given a GPS-enabled wristwatch or perhaps a regular GPS tracker to wear with the other gadgets on his belt, parents and investigators would have been relieved to see that the boy was indeed home the whole time, and the world would’ve been spared the opportunity of witnessing the first saucer attack since Roswell.

The incident ended well and will hopefully draw attention to the plight of lost children in the U.S. Hopefully parents—even eccentric ones with gigantic UFOs in their back yards—will make good use of earthling technology like GPS trackers to protect their kids. Gadgets don’t solve every problem, but a good dose of know-how combined with a strict sense of responsibility can keep the kids happy and safe at home.

Update: Turns out the entire incident was a hoax by the parents to garner publicity for their pursuits on reality television. We guess we’ve found something even GPS trackers can’t do: keep a parent from intentionally sucking their own kid into a cheap scam. And sure, all the technological savvy in the world won’t keep an innocent child from blurting out the scheme on Larry King Live.

Besides wasting the time of cops and guardsmen all over Colorado, the true crime by the parents was diminishing the plight of truly lost children. We hope that parents and officials everywhere still take these issues seriously.

By Greg Bartlett

GPS trackers have always been perfect for vehicles. A car’s size, value, and inherent mobility make it ideal for owners to install some sort of tracking system. Individuals and companies can of course put the location and speed data to good use. The protection, accountability, and assurance provided by a GPS tracker are invaluable to keeping both personal and corporate property secure. But what if specialized GPS technology could act directly to keep the driver safe, as well?

GPS & Accident Prevention

In a press release on October 13th, a research team at Auburn University announced a project whose goal was to create a GPS tracker that would collect data from a vehicle’s internal sensors and run it through a computer algorithm which can predict roll or side-slipping. GPS satellites would provide location and speed data as well, and the vehicle would notify the driver if his or her driving was particularly dangerous. The GPS data would also be used by the vehicle to improve its own stability control system.

The project is being funded by Ford Motor Company, who hopes to produce prototypes of the GPS trackers and the accompanying sensor technology soon. Said Ford vice president of research Gerhard Schmidt, “A satellite orbiting the earth could someday prevent an auto accident. We applaud the Auburn team for these advancements and look forward to working together on the next phase of this research, including developing prototype vehicles.”

The effort highlights the ability of trackers and other GPS-enabled technology to increase the safety of drivers and their passengers. The accuracy of these devices is improving all the time, and as the government and other interests continue to bolster the existing GPS network, the capacity for higher volumes of communications traffic will only increase. This in turn will spur additional research into a wide variety of applications. Simple safety notifications and distributed tracking data is only the tip of the iceberg.

GPS trackers have come extremely far in terms of adaptability and integration to existing vehicle systems. Researchers are continually finding new ways in which to use the highly precise data to aid companies and individuals who wish to keep tabs on the use of their vehicles. Whether you’re a parent trying to encourage safe driving habits in your teen, or a fleet manager attempting to provide cost savings through a more efficient logistics system, GPS trackers can be your next best friend in the car.