Rocky Mountain Tracking

Daily GPS News

GPS to Help End Parents’ Questioning, “Where’s the Bus?”

June 16th, 2013

There is a new trend in school and city transit systems. GPS tracking is opening new doors in bus and driver monitoring, not only for transit system officials, but also for parents of schoolchildren.

The day is rainy, the winds are gusting, and the school bus is late in dropping the kids home; many a parent knows the feeling of anxiety that goes with this and similar scenarios. These same parents must often wonder within themselves, “Why is the bus taking so long today?”, or, “If only someone would think of a way to track the bus so we could know where the kids are…”

Well, GPS experts have had the same thoughts, and they have come up with a means of accomplishing just that. Various schools across the country are now beginning to utilize GPS tracking systems on their buses.

How the system works is simple: a GPS device with a link to an online website is installed on a school bus or public transit bus, allowing parents to check the status of their children’s school bus, or general passengers to get updates on the bus schedule.

The purpose of these programs is to give transit systems in towns the ability to keep a close eye on their drivers, and also to give parents a more accurate idea of the whereabouts of their children’s school buses. Delays can be checked out by parents and explained to them through an online tracking website. Route changes can be made as circumstances alter due to weather or road conditions and data can be updated online as necessary.

School Bus Fleet magazine reported earlier this year that the use of GPS technology is growing among schools. More and more schools are finding the monitoring of their buses to be useful not only for communication between bus drivers and parents, but for efficiency and survey purposes as well. The magazine also reported that 38% of schools throughout the nation have installed GPS tracking units on their buses.

Feedback on the usage of the technology is mostly positive, with parents praising the idea for its practicality in both everyday and emergency situations. Because the school and public transit GPS tracking systems are still very new to the market, there is no set price range for the costs of such a service as of yet, though the expectation that parents and not the school will pay for the systems’ installation has been iterated multiple times.

Philippines: Taxi Dispatch System Launched Featuring GPS Device

June 8th, 2013

Three Philippine taxi companies, Sturdy, R & E, and Mabuhay taxi, have announced the launch of the country’s first taxi dispatching system featuring GPS device.

This system will accept job orders from the call center, and the GPS device will help determine who is closest to the passenger requiring a ride, assigning the job to those taxis.

Improving Taxi Service

The drivers of the taxis can put in their bid for the job, as well as find prospective passengers using the system. This allows them to respond to requests faster, and offer better customer service at the same time.

GPS System Welcomed By Drivers

Drivers are being quite receptive to the new program. As of this writing, over 150 Sturdy and R & E taxis have been equipped with the GPS system. Drivers must pay a small monthly fee, and are trained in the use of the GPS system and its associated program.

Mabuhay taxi owner Ryan Tan feels this GPS system will “advance the taxi service in the country as well as improve the income of taxi drivers with the GPS System” and associated booking application. Right now, he has a hundred taxis using the system, and expects to have it installed in a hundred more.

Sturdy Taxi president Jason Enriquez said, “At Sturdy and R & E, we believe good taxi service comes about when taxi drivers are able to earn a decent income and our aim is to provide a quicker turnaround for taxi booking and a more efficient income generation for our taxi drivers.”

Delta PDR for GPS III Deemed A Success by Lockheed Martin

June 8th, 2013

Delta Preliminary Design Review (dPDR) was successfully completed for the next group of GPS III satellites, according to Lockheed Martin. The GPS satellites are part of the US Air Force’s GPS III program to replace aging satellites and help those who rely on the GPS system more effectively.

The GPS III satellites feature eight times the anti-jamming signal power and are three times more accurate than our current system. The design life of the satellites is also improved, and a new civil signal will be added which works alongside international GNSS.

Lockheed Martin was awarded the contract to produce the first four GPS III satellites, and was granted advanced procurement funding for components of the fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth GPS III satellite vehicles. The dPDR covers mutually agreed upon modifications to the satellite’s design, offering new capabilities for GPS III Space Vehicle (SV09) and after. The modifications include a search and rescue satellite payload and a Laser Retroreflector Array (LRA). New navigation signals can be added after launch thanks to a new waveform generator, allowing them to upgrade the constellation without requiring them to launch new satellites.

“We have worked very closely with the Air Force and GPS technology community to make GPS III the most affordable and lowest risk solution for bringing new capabilities to the GPS constellation. The design modifications from the dPDR address ways to further reduce Air Force launch costs by $50 million per satellite through dual launch of two GPS III space vehicles on a single booster,” said Lockheed Martin’s GPS III capability and affordability insertion manager John Frye. “This successful dPDR milestone sets the stage to proceed with SV09 maturation.”

Since the beginning of the program, Lockheed Martin has paid careful attention to affordability while at the same time ensuring the new GPS system is able to evolve with the world’s demand for GPS navigation and timing needs over the next 30 years. The GPS Non-Flight Satellite Testbed (GNST) was developed in order to lower both cost and risk, serving as the ground pathfinder and vehicle demonstrator for the very first satellite. All of the GPS III satellites developed will utilize the GNST in order to provide early verification of ground support and test equipment, space vehicle design level validation, and early confirmation and test of transportation operations.

GPS Tracking for Snow Plows

May 10th, 2013

Many cities are adding GPS tracking capabilities to their municipal vehicles, and one northern Illinois city is now equipping its snowplows with the technology. The manager of snowplow operations reports a number of positive results that have already been seen from use of the technology.

The Task

Throughout the winter, the city of Joliet, Illinois battles frequent winter storms that routinely dump several inches of snow on the area. As snow begins to fall, the city’s fleet of snowplows hits the streets, clearing snow and spreading salt. Keeping the streets clear is a huge job, since it can take more than four hours for the plows to clear just the main routes. Many more hours are required to make all of the side streets passable. Many homeowners grow impatient waiting for their street to be cleared. Some even call the garage, demanding to know when the snowplow will reach their neighborhood. Sometimes, a snowplow must be diverted to clear a specific street, such as when an ambulance needs to reach a particular home.

The Technology

The city of Joliet recently equipped all of its snowplows with GPS tracking technology. With this technology, the supervisors in the garage can instantly see exactly where every snowplow is located. This enables them to give specific information to impatient homeowners. Individuals respond much better to “the snowplow is in the next subdivision and will be coming to you next” than to “the snowplow is working its way through the north of the city and will reach you eventually.” In one instance, the supervisor was able to tell a frustrated homeowner that the snowplow was in fact moving down his street right then.

If a snowplow needs to be redirected for an emergency, knowing the exact location of each plow allows the supervisor to send the closest vehicle. After the snow is over and the streets are cleared, management can review the GPS data to determine how they can more efficiently perform the snow removal for the next storm. Some of the GPS systems even keep track of the amount of salt that is being poured and where it is released.

GPS tracking technology continues to make its way into more and more areas of life and work. While the average consumer may think that snowplows don’t need GPS since they simply travel from street to street in a prescribed pattern, it is obvious from these features that it can render a valuable service.

GPS Tracking Creates Rift Between City Officials and Unions

May 9th, 2013

Police and fire departments in Columbus, Ohio may be facing potential disciplinary actions based on data received from GPS tracking units. The city recently began installing the devices in marked fire and police vehicles with the goal of monitoring speed, fuel usage, and driver conduct. The city hopes to reduce costs and discourage improper use of the vehicles, but union workers say contracts must be renegotiated first.

Jason Pappas, president of the Columbus police union, said that the unions were not against the tracking devices per se, but that any disciplinary measures taken by the city would need to be negotiated under contract. So far, the city has refused.

Some city vehicles already have GPS tracking devices, and those devices revealed that seven firefighters were clocked at speeds of more than 100 mph. While policy does allow fire and police vehicles to drive at high speeds during emergencies if conditions are favorable, city investigators remain unsure as to whether these seven vehicles were, in fact, responding to emergencies.

The new GPS devices being installed will monitor speed, idling time, and vehicle routes in real time, making it easier to determine whether drivers are in fact responding to emergencies at any given time. Other city vehicles are on schedule to receive GPS tracking devices by the end of the year as well, meaning that the results of the union negotiation attempts and disciplinary agreements could affect those other departments as well.

Hundreds of businesses use GPS monitoring devices to keep an eye on their fleet vehicles. The devices help save money by reducing fuel costs, helping employees operate more efficiently, and reducing vehicle and equipment theft. They can keep track of speeds, stops, routes, idle times, and more, enabling companies to better train their employees in cost-effective driving practices and to address improper behavior behind the wheel.

The city of Columbus hopes to take advantage of these benefits by installing new GPS devices in nearly half of their total fleet. Currently, the police and fire unions are involved in informal talks with city officials regarding issues of safety and the protection of union members.

Because GPS tracking devices have such broad potential, policies must be set in place to protect the drivers who are under surveillance. The Columbus fire and police union presidents both hope to reach an agreement that negotiates disciplinary actions fairly while still providing cost-saving and safety-enhancing benefits for the city.

Contract to Build GPS Satellites

May 6th, 2013

Most consumers never think about the GPS satellites that their directional devices use to determine their location. In fact, hardly anyone can state how many satellites there are, who owns them, and how long they have been in space. Yet, this lack of knowledge does not take away from the importance of these satellites. Recently, a leading company was awarded a contract to build another generation of Global Positioning System satellites.

The Satellites

More people than ever before own some sort of GPS device. In order to determine their location, these devices sense signals sent out from satellites orbiting in space. Based on the number of signals it detects and the position of each signal, the device is able to determine its own location. The system works remarkably well, but most users have noticed difficulties. Sometimes a device cannot get a signal, or the connection is quickly lost. These hiccups spur developers to continue to come up with newer, better systems.

The Contract

The U.S. Air Force recently awarded Lockheed Martin Space Systems $120 million to build four more GPS satellites. These satellites are to be part of the new GPS III program, the next generation of GPS satellites. Lockheed Martin is already in the process of building the first four satellites for the program. The satellites are being assembled and tested in the company’s facility in Jefferson County, Colorado. Schriever Air Force Base in El Paso County is overseeing the project. There are reports that the Air Force plans to buy up to 32 of these satellites.

The Ramifications

While these newer satellites will of course have enhanced military applications, the average consumer will also likely reap some benefits. An obvious benefit is simply the presence of more and newer GPS satellites in space. Another feature is these new satellites’ ability to communicate with other GPS satellites, even those from other countries. This communication allows users to pull signals from many additional satellites. Having more signals to draw from should result in faster, more reliable connections for GPS devices.

Although the production of these satellites is not cheap, and launching them into space will have an even higher cost, they come with a wide range of benefits. Our dependence on GPS technology requires us to continue to replace aging satellites and to develop even better GPS satellites that can provide consistent service for the future.

GPS Tracking Stops Bonnies and Clydes

March 8th, 2013

Altura Credit Union in Moreno Valley, California, was robbed one morning at 9:30 AM. Three males, faces covered and armed with guns, went in and exited with an unknown sum of cash. As they jumped into their vehicle, they began to make their way toward Los Angeles. Unfortunately for them but luckily for law enforcement, those bills they’d pilfered were being GPS tracked with a concealed device. California Highway Patrol trailed their GPS signal on their way to their destination and set up a roadblock at an appropriate section of the freeway in question to perform vehicle searches and inquiry. The three bank robbers were apprehended and put under arrest—and the money safely retrieved—thanks to GPS tracking.

An Undisclosed Technique

Some police departments are not so forthcoming about how money is thus monitored, as is the case with Buffalo Police Department in New York. A Bank of America branch was robbed in Buffalo, NY, and the sack full of $100s concealed within the trash. But luckily for the police, who were able to track and reclaim the bag, a GPS monitoring device was left somewhere inside the cash by an employee of the branch; whether it was attached to the paper money itself or elsewhere was not revealed. The equipment used is so miniscule a search of every single bill in the pile might have been necessary to discover it. Either way, the Buffalo police want to keep their currently successful, proprietary GPS tracking technique a secret for as long as possible.

How Connecticut Does It

A similar situation occurred in Groton, Connecticut, at the Navy Federal Credit Union. Though scared, the bank employee there obeyed at gunpoint a man’s handwritten note to fill his sack with what ended up being $5,501 and an additional $2,000, which regrettably for him included a GPS tracking device. The concealed equipment begins transmitting its signal when removed from the drawer. Officers answering the emergency communication center’s dispatches were able to obtain the exact moving coordinates of the thief as they materialized.

When the robber was tracked to the New London Naval Submarine Base and eventually to a specific street intended as an exit, the base police were made aware and, shutting down all possible escape routes from the base, checked individual vehicles on that street. In a quarter of an hour the suspect, based upon the bank employees’ description and monitored money found, was apprehended and arrested.

Drug Dealer Nearly Freed Because Police Use GPS

March 5th, 2013

GPS is fast becoming a favorite crime fighting tool of police departments around the world. But Maryland police had a scare when a drug dealer nearly got off because of their use of a tracking device. The police had a suspect in Antoine Jones and house they knew to be a drug “stash house,” but, lacking a connection, couldn’t prosecute. Using a GPS tracking device seemed like the natural way to prove that Jones was connected to the drug dealing going on at the house and worthy of a conviction. It worked, too. The GPS tracked Jones to house, the DA prosecuted, and Jones landed in jail. But there was one problem. Police didn’t have a warrant to place the tracking device on Jones’ car.

Jones appealed his conviction on the grounds that, without a warrant, police did not have the legal right to track his vehicle. He won his appeal at a state appeals court and, in 2010, his conviction was reversed. However, a Federal Court in Washington reversed the ruling of the lower court on the grounds that Jones failed to prove that police could not have linked him to the stash house with the aid of the GPS device.

While the ruling was favorable for the police and people of Maryland, the situation set a precedent for criminals appealing convictions because police employed the aid of technology to do a task that normally would have been the job of a team of detectives working day and night. Even the ruling of the federal judge left open the possibility that convicted criminals can have convictions overturned if police use GPS without a warrant to do a job that there is reasonable doubt they could not have done themselves.

While on one level the sensitivity to our constitutional rights is comforting, and certainly necessary, the fact that police must now get a warrant to use GPS tracking devices to do in day or two what could have taken a team of detectives a week or more makes their job much more complicated. This issue is unlikely to go away soon, as criminals will continue to appeal convictions and claim invasion of privacy while police will counter that tracking, even if done with the aid of technology, does not violate any constitutional rights.

Cell Phone and GPS Data Used to Determine Traffic Patterns

March 2nd, 2013

Cellphone and GPS data may be able to help alleviate a common problem in urban areas. Those who live and work in these areas know the frustration of the daily work commute. With a large number of drivers traveling the roads in a short period of time, the length of a trip to work can be doubled or even tripled from what it would be at a less busy time of day. A new study performed by researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of California at Berkley may provide a way to address this problem.

The Study

Until now, researchers have studied patterns of traffic congestion based on data obtained from surveys or from the U.S. Census Bureau. Unfortunately, this data has been prone to error since its accuracy depends on those reporting the data. Instead of obtaining travel information directly from the drivers, this new study used anonymous cell phone and GPS data to determine drivers’ travel patterns. Researchers determined a cell phone user’s home area based on his travel patterns and where he made most of his phone calls between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. Using population density information for the region, they were then able to determine which neighborhoods contributed the greatest number of drivers to the roads in a particular area. GPS tracking data obtained from trackers in taxi cabs enabled researchers to determine the level of traffic congestion based on the amount of time it took a taxi to travel specific routes.

The Impact

The present strategy for dealing with traffic congestion is to reduce the overall number of cars by encouraging drivers to participate in car pools, use public transportation, travel at a different time, or work from home. However, canceling the trips of 1% of all drivers would only reduce traffic congestion by approximately 3%. This study mapped the traffic patterns of two urban areas — San Francisco and Boston. Based on the information they gathered, they were able to pinpoint specific neighborhoods that are the major contributors to traffic congestion for that area. If 1% of drivers in those areas rescheduled their trips, the other commuters would note a 14-18% decrease in their travel time. Obviously, that is a very significant decrease. This study’s usage of cellphone and GPS location data could revolutionize the analysis of traffic patterns and management of urban congestion.

SpareOne Plus Phone Featuring GPS Designed With Emergencies in Mind

February 23rd, 2013

The majority of the world has jumped on the smartphone bus. As amazing and handy as they are, they still come with their share of drawbacks, the biggest probably being limited battery life. My iPhone can barely make it to dinner before I have to plug it in, and I barely use it.

Over the weekend New England was hit with a monster blizzard, knocking out power to hundreds of thousands. I remember assuring my iPhone was plugged in early in the day in the event we lost power, giving me a full charge right out of the gate. I even have an emergency backup plan in the event the power is knocked out longer than my iPhone can stay juiced: starting up my car and charging the phone that way. What if a bigger catastrophe were to occur, like a hurricane, and the power was out indefinitely? I would surely run out of gas if I kept charging my phone in my car, and then what would I do?

XPAL to the rescue with the SpareOne Plus, a secondary phone that is powered by a single AA battery. You can turn to the SpareOne Plus in an emergency situation, when you have drained the battery on your cellphone and your landline (if you even still have a landline) is not working.

The SpareOne Plus is a lot more than an emergency backup phone. This handy little device features a built-in GPS tracking device that family members with power can assure you have made it to safety. Think back to horrific Hurricane Sandy: if you had the SpareOne Plus, your sisters in California could log on to a website or use an app on their smartphone to see your GPS location to make sure you made it to the emergency shelter, or if you are still stranded at your home. This GPS tracking technology makes it much more than a link to the outside world. It is more like a lifeline in the event of an emergency.

Since you never know when the power will go out, the SpareOne Plus also features voice confirmation of each button you press. This way, if you can’t see, you can still successfully call for help. Maneuver your way around your pitch black house with the phone’s torchlight. Press the large, prominent red cross button to automatically dial emergency services.

The phone also allows you to call loved ones, as long as you have a GSM-capable SIM card. Just insert it in the back of the phone and start calling. The SpareOne Plus can also be programmed with quick dial numbers, allowing you to call those you love with the touch of a button.

The AA battery included out of the box can last for 15 years in the back of your closet without running out of power. It will allow 10 hours of talk time and 24 hours of torchlight use. There is no word as to the cost of the SpareOne Plus, so we’ll just have to wait and see when it is launched later this year.