Rocky Mountain Tracking

Daily GPS News

Bomb Scare In Canada Turns Out To Be Geocache

June 3rd, 2013

Police were called when a suspicious package was spotted in an Edmonton park. A concerned citizen called police around 8:30 a.m. on Friday, May 3, 2013. The southbound lanes of Fairway Drive SW and the northbound lanes of 119th Street from 34 Avenue SW were closed off by authorities investigating the potential bomb threat. Following incidents like the Boston marathon bombing, authorities are being extra cautious with suspicious packages and activity. Fortunately, in this case, the container in question turned out to be a harmless geocache, cops confirmed.

Geocaches are containers of varying sizes hidden in parks and urban areas all over the globe. Basically, it is a treasure hunting/scavenger hunting sort of game that implements GPS tracking devices. Outdoor enthusiasts and adventurers in general tend to gravitate towards GPS technology. These navigation devices ensure the safety of hikers, campers, off-roaders and backpackers much more reliably than leaving a bread crumb trail. For starters, squirrels and birds can’t eat the digital trail leading back to your vehicle or camp.

One of these creative adventurous types created a whole game using GPS technology available to anyone with a GPS device! The game is called geocaching. Essentially, interested parties can go to the website geocaching.com and find geocache locations, like the one police mistook for a bomb, to track down. The site provides the GPS coordinates of the container and sometimes provides a few hints as to the location or what to look for. The coordinates provide a general location, as GPS technology is not entirely precise.

Once the geocache is located, the player or players can mark the discovered location as conquered and move on to the next location. Depending on the size of the container, some of the geocaches have little sign-in sheets within them, providing a record of all the players keen enough to discover the cache. It’s an all-around fun game with a twist of technology.

Sports Watch Meets GPS Tracking Device

May 15th, 2013

If you’re a gadget person, or even if you’re not, you’ll have to admit this latest addition to the GPS tracking device market is pretty cool. The Switch series watches for athletes, the newest crossover navigational tool is being premiered in Europe. This handy piece of technology not only tells you where you are and how to get to where you want to go, but also helps you meet your fitness performance goals.

Fitness Watch/Training Tool

This combination watch and GPS tracking device is tailored especially for those who participate in outdoor sports such as running, swimming, biking and other related activities. It’s available through select retailers and, of course, the European distribution network. The Switch and Switch Up watches record performance data for multisport athletes, who may also upload and track their data online using metrics, maps and intuitive charts– all from one spot on the globe.

Stay on Target

Runners will find this crossover watch/GPS especially useful. It includes such innovative features as an “Activity Pacer” which monitors whether the runner is on track with the goal and offers specific targets to get the desired result. As a navigational tool, it allows you to mark and save locations and navigate back to an original spot. You can also configure calories spent based on time, heart rate, speed and distance. Nine customizable sport profiles add to the watch’s appeal.

Bonus Features

If you choose the Switch Up watch, you get a fully loaded product that, in addition to all the features on the Switch watch, also tells you temperature and barometric pressure. Other available accessories include a quick release mount for wrist and bike to allow for easy transition between activities. If you need more than eight hours of battery life, you can buy the optional battery extender pack.

Athlete Friendly

You can tell that this fitness tool is designed for active people: it has an easy-to-read, high resolution display to increase its visibility on the run. The battery’s endurance is eight hours, making its power last as long as the activity. The GPS receiver is highly sensitive so you can depend on its accuracy. Going for a swim, or participating in a triathlon? That should be no problem for the Switch: it is water resistant to 50 meters. It is also compatible with ANT+ sensors, so you can coordinate it with your other technology. This clever sports watch, with its wide range of appeal should be a good fit for many.

Geocaching 101: How GPS Revolutionized the Treasure Hunt

May 10th, 2013

What does a modern day treasure seeker look like? What tools do they use to find their prize? Perhaps the seekers are really just anyone game enough to try, and the maps are really just GPS tracking system coordinates.

In the past, looking for buried or hidden treasure usually required some kind of map. Not just any map, though. Instances of potentially lucrative ventures required specific maps which necessitated particular decoding skills, which called for vast stores of determination and can-do perseverance, which still didn’t guarantee treasure-seekers a payout. If you were to try your hand at treasure hunting today, though, you might find that it’s easier to get your bearings and to plot a course of action using a GPS tracking system.

Geocaching is a fairly new game, having been unofficially “launched” in May 2000 by Dave Ulmer of Beavercreek, Oregon. Ulmer had hidden a logbook and posted the location on the Usenet newsgroup. Within three days, Ulmer’s cache had been found twice and logged once. From there, this modern reinvention of the treasure hunt has caught on as a trend in recreational use of GPS tracking systems.

Rules of play are fairly simple: acquire the coordinates, locate the cache, make an item trade if applicable, and sign the logbook.

Caches are stored in various places around the nation, varying from caches which have logs for finders to record their achievement, caches with logs and hidden items, and caches containing items but without logs. For caches that contain items it is usually presumed that finders will perform a trade, exchanging an item of their own for the item inside the cache. It is also generally acknowledged that geocaches should not contain illicit items, such as pornography, or food or other perishable items.

Some states and cities have specific laws for the conduct of geocachers as they go about their game play, restricting certain areas or prohibiting geocachers from hiding caches in particular public places.

So if you’re the adventure-loving type, you might consider picking up a GPS tracking device and try your hand at geocaching. It’s easier than following a treasure map!

GPS on A Bicycle

May 8th, 2013

When one hears the term, “Global Positioning Satellite”, one might typically think of personal vehicle navigation systems or huge dishes floating in orbit thousands of miles above the earth. We all know that we use GPS for quite a spectrum of tasks, it is true. But for the most part, when speaking of using GPS systems in our day to day lives, we tend not to think of much past the bigger and broader applications. That is why, perhaps, it would be strange to some people to think of cyclists using GPS systems on their bicycles. All the same, the addition of GPS units is a growing trend among cycling enthusiasts and includes many attractive features.

Why would it be helpful for a cyclist to have a GPS system on their apparatus? Many bicycle enthusiasts have lauded the GPS unit available to them as indispensable in planning future routes or in planning alternate paths. GPS allows cyclists to save time and potential frustration by cancelling the need for stops to double check map reading. Perhaps best of all the elements made available to cyclists when the add a GPS system to their bike, there is no longer the constant recurring struggle with the question, “Did we just miss the turn back there?”

Route sharing is another attractive feature, allowing cyclists to connect with one another and create groups online. By creating accounts through internet websites, users of bicycle GPS units can upload favorite routes for sharing, learn about unfamiliar areas through the route experiences of other cyclists, and plan events or meet-ups with friends.

And then there is the element inherent in most GPS systems of today; tracking. How often does one hear of a bike being stolen? And how often does one hear a stolen bike being retrieved successfully? GPS units on bicycles have a definite knack not only for planning route to rides with fellow cyclists, but also for tracking a stolen or missing apparatus. GPS systems for tracking can be easily attached to bicycles and do not prove to be any sort of hindrance to the cyclist during regular riding usage.

Be it for route navigation and planning or for retrieval and tracking of a stolen apparatus, GPS systems for bicycles are quickly becoming invaluable to the cyclist of today.

Bike Spike Provides GPS Tracking Security For Cyclists

April 30th, 2013

Bike riding is popular all over the world. It provides great exercise, fresh air and low-cost, environmentally-friendly transportation. In fact, my husband and I just bought ourselves a pair of beach cruisers with our tax return. We love to ride our bikes along the beach and around town. The only reason I don’t take my bike out more often is because I’m afraid it will be stolen. We have bike locks and take precautions, but I’ve known many cautious people who’ve become the victims of bike theft. Some savvy entrepreneurs teamed up and came up with a GPS tracking device for bicycles designed to provide a little extra peace of mind for bike owners like my husband and me.

The device is called Bike Spike and was funded by KickStarter, an online forum for funding independent projects. Anything from music, design, art, games, films and technology can be funded through KickStarter. The only catch is that in order to get any funding, the project must meet it’s goal within the set timeline. According to the site, about 44% of the projects at KickStarter meet their goals. Bike Spike managed to meet their $150,000 goal and are working on making the product available at around $150.

Bike Spike has developed a GPS tracking device, which doubles as (and is disguised under) a cup holder that attaches to the bars under the seat. The tracking device connects to your smartphone and records all kinds of useful information. Bike riders can record and publish their mileage, speed, route and more. This information can be used to compare with fellow cyclists or simply for one’s own fitness records. Competitive cyclists can use the distance and speed information to better their performance.

The other primary use for Bike Spike is the extra security provided by a tracking device. If you finish lunch, shopping, or a movie and return to the bike rack to find your bike missing, the Bike Spike tracker could help recover your bike. Simply access the Bike Spike smartphone app to locate the GPS device. With any luck, the thief didn’t think to remove the unit. Using security bolts to attach the tracking device will make it more difficult to remove the device should a thief try to remove it.

Elementary School Students Study Nature With GPS Devices

April 30th, 2013

The lucky students at Cleckler-Heald Elementary School in Weslaco, Texas got to try a growingly popular game: geocaching. During a field trip to Estero Liano Grande State Park, these clever teachers implemented GPS technology and scavenger hunting to their nature lessons. “It’s a game, and it’s fun,” explained Jose Uribe, park naturalist. “You’re using GPS to find stuff.” Before the students took off to explore the park and find the geocache locations, Uribe gave them a refresher lesson on wetlands, butterflies and extinct animals, based on what they’d been learning in class.

Geocaching is an increasingly popular game for adventurers young and old. It only makes sense that some fun teachers would think to include it in their lesson plans. Essentially, geocaching is a technology-based scavenger hunting game. It’s most likely that for the purposes of the lesson, this elementary school teacher designed and hid the geocaches for the students. However, there is a larger online community who hide these geocaches all over the world. More than likely, you can search online and find a treasure-hunting opportunity in your neighborhood.

The online geocaching community is comprised of anyone and everyone who wants to participate. The more involved players take part in hiding caches, which are containers ranging in size from a shoe box to a pill box. The smaller containers are more challenging and often called micro or nano caches. The GPS locations of the caches are posted online so anyone with a GPS device can go searching for it. Most of the time, there is a notebook or paper within the cache for the geocachers to sign and indicate they’ve found it. Players often will post which geocaches they’ve found online.

Using the GPS location information, players go to the site where the geocache is hidden. This could be in a park or a parking lot. Depending on the quality of the player’s GPS unit, he or she can get within 20 feet or so of the cache. At that point, it’s simply a matter of using your eyes to locate a likely hiding spot.

SkyCaddie Releases 2013 Sport Series Rangefinder Line

April 22nd, 2013

Spring is upon us, and that means a return to the links. If you’re looking to improve your golf game this season, check out SkyCaddie’s new line of rangefinders.

The Sport Series lineup: the SkyCaddie Aire, Gimme, Voice, and Watch. This means you’re sure to find the golfing GPS device that suits your needs whether you’re a beginning or professional golfer, who’ll love the wireless SkyCaddie SGXw.

The Sport Series comes ready to use right out of the box, pre-loaded with SkyCaddie’s complimentary ‘Par’ Membership. This gives users ‘Front, Middle, and Back’ distance data for 30,000 golf courses all over the world that SkyCaddie has mapped on foot. For instance, there are over 3,300 courses mapped in Ireland and Great Britain, which represents a little over 99% of the total number of golf courses.

The managing director in the UK for SkyCaddie, Jacqui Surman, said, “The Sport Series is for golfers who want more simplicity, without compromising on the unquestionable accuracy and reliabillity which comes with all SkyCaddies. With a range of prices starting at just £129, now there truly is a SkyCaddie for everyone.”

The Watch

Lightweight, versatile, and comfortable, the GPS device Watch offers a highly readable interface and intelligent automation, along with auto-distance update; auto-course recognition; auto-hole advance; and training options for running, walking, and biking including calorie counter and odometer. Wear it like your everyday watch as it offers a calendar, alarm clock, and stopwatch.

The Gimme

Featuring a high-resolution 2.2-inch color display that is readable in sunlight, the handheld Gimme features large and bright numbers in a compact-sized package.

The Voice

If you’re looking to play better, try out the Voice. This GPS device provides distance information in a variety of languages. It is small in size, and features a clip to attach it to your visor, belt, or hat. The SkyCaddie Voice will announce to you distance to the center of the green by a single tap. Tap twice, and it will announce front-and back-of-green distances.

The Aire

The Aire is a smaller handheld device, offering the same pre-loaded maps and features as the rest of the series, with included calorie counter and odometer.

Pick up the SkyCaddie GPS Watch for $199.95. The Gimme is available for pre-order for $169.95, as well as The Aire for $129.95. The Voice is offered for $149.95.

RunKeeper for Android Gets Facelift

April 18th, 2013

Do you use the RunKeeper app, whether iOS or Android? The Boston, MA based GPS tracking app company boasts over 17 million users in over 200 countries worldwide, all thanks to the fact they are now offering the Android version of the app in six additional languages – Spanish, French, Italian, German, Japanese, and Brazilian Portuguese.

Their Android 3.2 update brings more than just additional languages to the digital table. The company wanted to freshen up the GPS tracking app “with Android design guidelines and best practices in mind,” according to a company spokesperson.

To that end, the user interface was overhauled to be more pleasing to the eye while at the same time showing you the information you want to see most often, front and center. A new ‘Me’ tab showcases your personal records, progress, and activity tally over a period of time.

Also added to the app: the ability to schedule in your next workout and receive reminders to annoy you into action, in case you feel like skipping out.

The updated RunKeeper Android GPS app added the ability to view your pace per mile, kilometer, or workout interval at any point during your workout. This is definitely a handy feature for the runner looking to challenge their personal best, as it keeps you informed as to how fast you are running and at the same time how fast you should be going in order to beat your record.

Adam Stroud, lead Android developer for RunKeeper, said, “During the development process, we took the opportunity to not only rethink how our app looks, but also to rethink how we deliver it to our users…While refreshing each and every screen in our app, we took special care to ensure that the RunKeeper experience is in line with the overall Android user experience.”

The updated Android RunKeeper app also offers sharing your workout on Facebook and Twitter, as well as the ability to earn badges for RunKeeper Elite users.

GPS Tracking In Rugby

April 6th, 2013

GPS tracking has been used in numerous applications, but the constantly developing technology is now being applied to the sport of rugby. While this may seem rather surprising, a look at the data that coaches can gather by using such equipment makes its value quite obvious.

The Sport

Rugby is a very physical sport. Although similar in some ways to American football, rugby has a number of differences. Most obviously, rugby players wear no padding and little or no headgear. Instead of the separate offensive, defensive, and special teams of American football, rugby players must quickly switch between offense and defense. Teams are only allowed a limited number of substitutions per game. If a player is injured after the team has used up their substitutions, they must play shorthanded. Another difference is in the guidelines for ball movement. The rules of rugby do not permit the ball to be passed forward (toward the goal). This means that the ball must be advanced primarily by players running with the ball. It is obvious from this brief overview of the game that physical fitness and conditioning is very important for players of this sport.

How GPS Helps

Through the use of GPS tracking, coaches are able to gather valuable data to help them make decisions both during training and in the actual matches. Each player wears a small GPS device that records his location and speed throughout the competition. The device also reports the athlete’s heart rate at any given moment. By evaluating this data during practices, coaches can assess how much effort a player is expending, his level of physical conditioning, and whether he is improving or declining. This allows the coach to tailor the training program to the needs of each athlete. In a match, the coaching staff is easily able to recognize when a player is tiring or his play is declining, requiring a substitution. In addition, the tracker even helps them evaluate the severity of a collision between players.

An Example

Recently, the national rugby sevens team in Kenya has announced that they will be utilizing this technology. They are hoping that the data provided by this equipment will enable coaches to make educated decisions on the field and ultimately improve their overall play.

The use of GPS tracking in rugby certainly seems to be a valuable service. The data gathered by these devices is quite accurate and comprehensive. It will be interesting to watch for application of this technology to other team sports in the future.

GPS Navigation by Vibration

April 4th, 2013

Bicyclists are part of a growing group of users of GPS navigation systems. However, a new device developed by the University of Amsterdam may change the way in which cyclists utilize this technology.

The Problem

Using a GPS to navigate unfamiliar territory on a bicycle is typically a somewhat complicated process. First, the cyclist must input his destination into his smartphone, then he must attach the device to the handlebar of his bicycle. As he sets out on his ride, he must refer often to the screen of his smartphone to learn the direction he should take. This frequent checking distracts the cyclist from his primary focus on the road, which can result in accidents or near misses. In addition, the glare of outside light obscures the screen of the smartphone, and traffic noise makes hearing the voice of the GPS system nearly impossible.

A Potential Solution

Recognizing these problems, Dutch researchers at the University of Amsterdam set out to develop a device that would enable cyclists to keep their focus on the road ahead and on the environment around them. This device, called a vibrobelt, is designed to be worn around the rider’s waist. Once the cyclist selects his destination using the GPS navigation system of his smartphone, he does not need to refer to the screen again. Instead, the vibrobelt at his waist guides him along his route by providing directional nudges just prior to each necessary turn. This guidance enables the rider to keep his head up and aware of his surroundings and eliminates the frequent checks of his smartphone.

The Test

To try out their idea, researchers had twenty volunteers navigate unfamiliar routes using both methods — the vibrobelt and a standard GPS display on a smartphone mounted on the handlebars. Both approaches enabled the cyclists to successfully reach their destinations, but there was one major difference. After their ride, the volunteers were asked questions about the landmarks they had passed along their route. Those who used the vibrobelt had observed significantly more of their surroundings than those who referred to their smartphone display. This difference seems to indicate that the vibrobelt achieved its goal of keeping cyclists focused on their environment rather than on their handlebars, thus improving their safety. This new technology may be an important advance in the field of GPS navigation.