Rocky Mountain Tracking

By Greg Bartlett

Do you remember how you kept teasing your kids when they were little that you needed to keep them on a leash? Well, GPS technology has created personal tracking that will keep you up-to-date with their movements at any moment. There are a variety of options available for personal tracking and it can be used for a number of reasons.

GPS & Children

Trackmykids.com has created miniature GPS devices that can be attached to backpacks, belts, or coats to monitor your child’s whereabouts. If you want to know the path that they traveled to school, where they are at the current moment, or even whether they stayed within the boundaries that you gave them, this technology might work for you. This site is one of many that offers child tracking, allowing you to have a logon and password so that you are the only one who has access to that information.

GPS tracking is a technology that has been developed recently in science. Although there are many types of GPS tracking, the basics behind it are the same. There must be some sort of device that is connected the object in question. When the device is activated, it begins recording data or transmitting signals to satellites that are strategically located. These satellites reflect the signals to a central computer that records and analyzes the information. Technicians can then make this information available to the public as needed.

A recent event in news has caused a public outcry in regards to the extent that personal tracking has gone. Several schools across the USA have given their students new computers to assist them with schoolwork. The downside, as many have found out, is that the webcam on those computers has been taking pictures and videos of the students working at the computers, or even of other people that are in the room. While this may not sound bad, these cameras have caught some very compromising situations on tape and several school board officials have been questioned regarding the integrity of such a project.

Personal tracking may be the answer to maintaining the security and privacy of your children, but make sure that you consider all the side effects. These items are easily attained and you can even carry one on yourself so that others know your location in case of an emergency. Check out what GPS tracking can do for you.

By Greg Bartlett

The news seems full of reports of teen driving deaths, around 3,500 in 2008 alone, and many parents wonder how they can keep their own young drivers safe. Certainly, when teenagers are learning, the solution is easy. Parents can sit right next to their children and monitor their every move, telling them to slow down, stop at stoplights, and cautioning them against reckless driving. However, what do parents do once their children are fully trained and learn to drive by themselves?

Teen Drivers & GPS

Many families have started using vehicle tracking systems to solve this problem. These systems allow parents to see exactly where their child is and what their child is doing. If a teenager is going over 70 in a 45 zone, he may find his phone ringing with a lecture from his mom. If another teenager appears to be engaged in reckless driving and won’t answer her phone, parents can track where she is and find her. Although these situations may seem unnecessary and annoying, especially to the teenagers involved, many lives could be saved by using GPS tracking.

Guy Thompson of Lake Oswego, Oregon tracks his 16 year old driver, Maggie using a vehicle tracking device. At first, he admits, he checked on her regularly throughout the day, and Maggie confesses she didn’t like being on a leash. However, the pair says that after awhile, Thompson started checking only once a day, and she grew used to the vehicle tracking device, forgetting, at times, that it was even there. Of course, like any teenager, she wishes her parents didn’t use it in the first place, but she is willing to put up with the process and does acknowledge that it helped cultivate trust between her and her parents. Thompson, however, feels the device is fine. Although, he does add that it needs to be between parents and children.

Although many teenagers may feel these devices signify a lack of trust on their parents’ part, most parents view that miscommunication as a small price to pay for the safety and continued lives of their children. Granted, some children are trustworthy without GPS tracking. Still, many others need the accountability provided by such a device. Parents of teen drivers should seriously consider purchasing a vehicle tracking device, thus preventing their own children from being one of the next 3,500 deaths this year.

By Harriette Halepis

For months now, various states within the United States have been using GPS tracking systems to track the whereabouts of state vehicles and employees during business hours. Time and again, the data gathered from these tracking systems has shown that installing fleet tracking systems is a worthwhile investment. Not only are government and state employees spending less time slacking off on the job, but rescue and police vehicles are now able to reach emergency scenes faster than ever before.

Government Equipment & GPS Tracking

The news about the effectiveness of GPS trackers has begun to spread across the globe as various other countries look towards adopting GPS vehicle trackers. Fiji’s Transport Ministry has begun looking into GPS tracking devices as a way to “…crackdown on vehicle abuse.” The head of the Transport Ministry, Timoci Natuva, believes that GPS tracking devices could “…save taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars in the long term.”

Presently, the Transport Ministry is in the process of studying similar fleet tracking cases from around the world, but the outcome looks positive. If it can be proven that GPS trackers can save the Transport Ministry money, then they “would like to install the system because vehicle abuse is an ongoing issue that goes back to previous governments.”

The idea of installing GPS trackers on government vehicles has been met with some resistance (as it has all around the world), but the bottom line is that a simple fleet tracking system can save a government a great deal of time and money. Presently, the Transport Ministry in Fiji has not decided to install the GPS trackers, but it looks as though GPS-equipped government cars will quickly become a reality throughout Fiji.

As with Fiji, many other countries around the world are beginning to look towards GPS trackers as a way to keep tabs on government employees. Prior to the invention of the GPS tracker, governments had no way of making sure that employees were using state or government time wisely. While some view these trackers as virtual “watch dogs,” others believe that tracking government employees is a necessary way to find out how tax dollars are being spent.

All eyes will be on Fiji as the country decides whether or not to crack down on government vehicle abuse. If Fiji goes ahead with this GPS tracking system, there’s no doubt that various other countries around the globe will soon follow suit.

by James Neely, freelance writer: click | HERE | to check out GPS products from Rocky Mountain Tracking

Auto theft recovery efforts are aided by the use of GPS Tracking systems across the world.  Even in the UK, recovery efforts in 2009 surpassed £12 million.  We are talking about big dollars here in the United States as well.

GPS Tracking & Auto Theft

But, beyond big conglomerate numbers a GPS Tracking device can save you money.  Here’s how:

Lower Insurance Rates

Did you know that many insurance companies provide a discount on your monthly premiums if you have a GPS Tracking device installed and in operation on your vehicle?  It’s true and it makes sense because it lowers their risk and increases the chances of you getting your car back sooner if it becomes stolen.

These days, no one knows how much risk they are at and the best thing to do is to be ready for anything.  GPS Tracking provides you with a measure of security and peace of mind that you might not otherwise have.  Burying your head in the sand and pretending that you are not at risk is no longer an option.

Better Maintenance Monitoring

Everyone can watch their odometer and see when it is time to take their vehicle in for maintenance but, what about the terrain over which you drive your car or truck?  Simple monitoring of miles driven does not take that into consideration.  Watching your driving routes on a PC screen with your GPS Tracking unit will help in this effort.  Being mindful of the terrain and other elements in which you drive helps you better gauge the frequency of your maintenance intervals.

Watching Vehicle Usage

Do others in your family drive your vehicle?  If so, you can monitor their location, destination and speed.  This helps you curb destructive driving practices and enforces rules that you set forth about the use of your car or truck.  This is great for parents of teenage drivers.  It also provides a measure of security when teens venture out on their own.

You need to be ever vigilant in making sure that your vehicles can last as long as possible.  Economic conditions demand that cars are kept longer than they used to be.  Using the above three methods will help you in this effort.

Rocking Mountain Tracking has the best line-up of GPS Tracking devices to meet any need.  Take a look at their products and options for the best fit for your business.  You will find knowledgeable sales persons in helping you get the best unit to meet your requirements.

By Greg Bartlett

With the advent of the internet, e-mail, Google, facebook, and countless other “connecting” devices, our world is becoming more and more “globilized.”  Globalization is the term used to define how the world has become integrated through new technologies and trade.

GPS & Shipping Containers

One result of globalization is companies sending employees overseas for various reasons.  For example, companies such as Michelin, Ernst and Young, L’Oreal, and many, many others send their employees overseas to live in foreign countries while executing business deals for the company or setting up international branches and offices.

Religious organizations send missionaries abroad to live among the people and spread their religious faith.  Other people simply choose to make their home in a foreign country because they enjoy the culture, people, and experiences of living abroad.  Occasionally a student will decide to study at a university in another country for a broadening educational experience.

Whatever the circumstances, an international move can be a source of pressure.  Packing a container of your household goods to be shipped overseas is no small task!  The last thing anyone wants to hear, after facing an overseas move, is that their container was lost or damaged.  One way to prevent losing your container (or at least knowing exactly where it was when it was damaged!) is to use GPS tracking devices to insure that you are always aware of the location of your property.  GPS satellites (there are approximately 24 satellites in space) track the latitude and longitude of the person or item wearing the receiver.

This information downloads constantly to the internet or a mobile device.  There are both active and passive GPS tracking devices.  Active devices download information as it occurs while passive devices are more of a record of what has happened.  If you have invested in a GPS tracking device, if and when ever have a question about the location of your container or goods, the information is right at your fingertips.  Occasionally, containers and goods shipped overseas can be docked at the wrong location and charges may accrue if they are not picked up within a certain amount of time.

When you arrive at your new foreign home, you don’t want to wonder where your belongings are located.  If you are using a GPS device, you will never have to worry about losing your goods once they arrive at your overseas destination.

By Greg Bartlett

With 26.6 million people diagnosed with Alzheimers, far too many families understand the risk and concerns that go along with caring for a victim of this disease. Alzheimer patients will often wander away from their family and/or caretakers without giving any information about where they went.

GPS Tracking & Alzheimer's

Since the invention of GPS tracking, it has been used in several ways. Police can track criminals on parole, parents can track their young teenage drivers, and suspicious spouses can monitor their possibly unfaithful mate. Recently, several states have discussed widening its uses and implementing GPS devices into their Silver Alert Programs.

The tendency of Alzheimer victims to wander has given rise to Silver Alerts. Similar to Amber Alert, Silver Alerts allow caretakers and family to broadcast, over the television, radio, or other media, information about a missing Alzheimer sufferer. GPS tracking can make finding someone in these dangerous and too often heartbreaking situations easier. Families can put a GPS device into the shoe or some other piece of clothing of a loved one. Alerts will be sent to family members phone or computer if the loved one passes a certain line. Also, GPS tracking devices can help families avoid situations like that of 77 year old William Young, found dead in a river after wandering from his house several days earlier. One can only wonder how Young’s situation and other like it might have ended differently were Young outfitted with a GPS device.

GPS devices have already been useful in similar situations. In fact, due to the success of GPS tracking in such circumstances, Indianapolis is discussing making these devices mandatory for Alzheimer victims. Discussion continues on this possible piece of legislation. Many groups feel the move is unnecessary, others feel it will save lives. However, both sides agree that an optional GPS program, at least, will greatly decrease the chances of more missing or dead Alzheimers victims and their grieving families. Regardless of whether a law is passed, all families dealing with an Alzheimer Disease situation need to consider GPS tracking.

Many families and caretakers may wonder if the price of a GPS tracking device is worth the investment. However, with prices always falling and the safety of a loved one in question, these devices are worth the investment. Those with a loved one suffering from Alzheimer Disease should start looking into the devices immediately.

By Harriette Halepis

Source Acquired via San Antonio News — In January of 2010, certain schools within Bryan, Texas, began tracking truant students using GPS tracking devices. Due to a decree handed down by Justice of the Peace Tommy Munoz, those students who were considered truant were slapped with GPS bracelets and tracked throughout the daylight hours.

GPS Tracking & Truancy

Many were sceptical as to whether or not this GPS tracking system would work, but as the months passed the class attendance within those Bryan, Texas, schools began to rise. This prompted other schools throughout the Texas area to adopt similar methods. San Antonio is one area that quickly adopted the GPS tracking system, and (as the San Antonio News reports) it’s one system that is proving to be highly effective.

Districts within the San Antonio area were simply “…looking for a solution…” when they came across the Bryan, Texas, case. Shortly thereafter, “…they tracked down a pilot program that gave them 25 GPS units and 12 weeks to try them out….” The result has been astounding. For the first time in a long time “…the students have been going to school…”

Which students get to carry GPS bracelets with them at all times? Well, that’s up for the counts to decide. Those students who prove to be more truant than the rest will find a court ordered GPS sentence, while students who attend class daily will go without being tracked.

The students who are forced to carry the GPS tracking device with them must check-in with an authority figure at different points during the day, and lying about one’s whereabouts won’t work - different codes tell authorities where a student is at all times, so there’s no escaping the GPS system.

Texas is proving to be a flagship state as far as tracking truant students goes, but it’s only a matter of time before other states begin to adopt this way of keeping kids in class. Thus far, nothing is working better at keeping kids in school than the constant electronic watchdog that is the GPS device.

By Greg Bartlett

GPS trackers have become headline news in the last several years and the steps that they have taken in technology have been absolutely phenomenal. Nowadays, even your cell phone could be used to track you if necessary and some of the more advanced Blackberries and other products can easily be traced to find your location. One online program makes it possible for you to program any phone of your choice with GPS capability so that you can find it at any time you want.

GPS Tracking Uses

A GPS tracker can help you to watch your employees and their travel time to and from a client’s house. It can also let you know where your children or wife are at all times, whether you simply want to know for information’s sake, or even if you have had problems with them in the past. GPS can also tell you information about your vehicle, how fast it is driving, where it is, and how long it has stayed in one location. There are many options available with GPS tracking, but it depends on what you need it for.

GPS tracking is an exciting new technology, but it doesn’t require a lot of work on the part of the user in order to make it work. All you need to do is simply buy the device and activate it. Once you have completed that, it will do the rest of the work, sending the signals to a series of satellites that will then transfer the information to a computer. The data is then organized on the computer and used as necessary.

GPS tracking can also be used to track animals, such as in the case of a group of scientists with a wolf pack. These scientists wanted to keep an eye on the wolves, as their population has been dwindling in the state of Oregon, and to be sure that they were still doing well. Another use of a GPS tracker has been to recover stolen trucks. Companies have been able to recover several thousands of dollars worth of materials as a result of this tracking program and the program has become very useful.

Although these specific examples may not apply to you, a GPS tracker could be very helpful to you for a variety of reasons. There are several options available online to you; all you have to do is to start looking.

by James Neely, freelance writer: click | HERE | to check out GPS products from Rocky Mountain Tracking

We have heard a lot of talk about the good that GPS Tracking devices can do for those with Alzheimer’s and related dementia disorders.  But, what about those who are not quite to the point of having been fully diagnosed?  Should they be left out of consideration?

Elderly Drivers & GPS

Consider the following story out of the Cincinnati, Ohio area to reinforce this point.  In this account, an elderly couple became lost on their way to a local store and ended up almost two hours and one state away.

Look, no one likes to speak up when it is time to tell elderly parents that it is time for them to surrender the keys to their cars, but it must be done.  This story could have had a disastrous ending for the couple and their family.

What makes this even more difficult of a decision is that with budget cuts abounding, it is hard for some citizens to find public transportation when they need it.

The one solution to help those who are still driving and are in this situation is to install a GPS Tracking device into vehicles that are driven by those who are at greatest risk.  Here’s the reasons why this makes sense:

Instant Location

With GPS Tracking installed, you never wonder where the vehicle is located.  In fact, you can monitor the location from a PC in your home or office.  Noticing where the car is and noting that something does not look right, can help trigger an assistance call to check up on the drivers / family members.

Trip Monitoring

Are your parents ’snow birds?’  Do they travel the Interstates for long periods of time to get to and from their winter homes?  If so, then a GPS Tracking device is a MUST HAVE for them.  No one likes to think about their parents on the road by themselves with dangers all around them.  GPS Tracking allows you to breathe easier.

Speed Watching

Reports from these GPS Tracking units allow you to view speed data.  You can make sure that the drivers of these vehicles are obeying posted limits.  Also, should they be stopped and issued a ticket for excessive speed, you can fight that ticket if the evidence shows that they were in compliance with posted limits.

Banding Together

One solution to help the elderly get around to locations that they need to go is to find a transportation organization that specifically targets them for rides to and from stores in the area.

If you parents are still on the road, use a GPS Tracking device.  If you need to make a decision to revoke their driving privileges, then good luck.  It is not an easy situation either way, but one that must be met head-on.

By Greg Bartlett

Fleet vehicle theft can provide huge payoffs for the criminals who make it their business. When tractor trailers and their contents are stolen, it’s difficult for police to recover them, and traditionally the rate of returned vehicles has been low. That is, until the advent of GPS vehicle tracking. Fleet vehicles that have been equipped with GPS tracking devices can be monitored from a company computer and their whereabouts determined at any time. That means that as soon as a theft occurs, police have access to data that will show them the exact location of the missing vehicle, enabling them to find not only the vehicle but usually the perpetrator as well.

GPS Vehicle Tracking & Businesses

Companies who have installed GPS vehicle tracking in their fleet vehicles have reported an excellent return on their investment. When dealing with large, expensive vehicles that can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars each, the savings of recovering just one stolen vehicle can make the purchase of GPS tracking devices worth it, since that’s one less vehicle that has to be replaced. If employers suspect their drivers of performing personal business on company time, they can monitor individual drivers as well. Whether the employees are selling company products for personal gain, operating a personal side business on company time, or simply using the company vehicle for personal driving, managers can nip these behaviors in the bud by having the information they need to confront employees with specifics.

As GPS vehicle tracking technology improves, transmitters are being built smaller, enabling discreet placement so that the devices cannot be easily detected or removed. The transmitter sends signals to a computer detailing the vehicle’s movements over time and this information can be viewed either in real time or as a report of activities over a given time span. Real time information helps track down stolen vehicles in as little as an hour from the time they were stolen, while data reports can help employers confront workers with hard facts if they deny misbehavior.  Some cities have begun using the devices to ensure that employees are performing their jobs as expected as well.

Businesses that have asked themselves whether GPS vehicle tracking could help improve their bottom line will be pleased with the cost saving efficiency that can be encouraged with the help of the tracking devices. It’s an excellent way to keep tabs on both employees and vehicles, while making sure they make the most of limited resources.