Rocky Mountain Tracking

Daily GPS News

The Cool Part is the Cane

May 18th, 2013

GPS device developers are raising cain in an effort to protect and serve the world’s elderly. One developer in particular is showing off an experimental cane with a stellar set of applications which might change the way managed care facilities work.

The idea itself is genius: The device is a standard cane with some pretty lights on top. The lights communicate to the cane’s user using icons. They help the user know which way to walk, etc. Let’s say, for instance, that a person, perhaps elderly and losing mental faculties, needs to navigate a managed care facility in order to go to the restroom. The cane itself would provide direction to the person, lighting up with arrows telling the user how to navigate the hallways–and even talking in order to provide direction.

But there’s more to this thing: This super-cane includes Bluetooth, WiFi and GPS tracking technology. The cane would help facilities track every cane user throughout–or even without–a facility. The cane may have a built-in accelerometer to detect falls or other sudden physical actions.

GPS for a Better Tomorrow

What does tomorrow’s world look like thanks to GPS? There’s obviously so much more to the industry now than tracking cargo, telling drivers how and where to navigate. Navigation has become fleet management; cargo tracking has become M2M inventory tracking and management. With GPS devices now almost ubiquitously integrated into smartphones, the devices themselves are hive-mapping areas, updating them; the GPS devices are creating the data, curating it, managing it, and making it more convenient for the end user. GPS gadgets provide hyper-accurate and meticulous measurements of sporting events.

How “Super Canes” Might Affect Consumer GPS

But few devices are designed to give the elderly better quality of life. Could the “super cane” be simply installed on an older person’s smart phone as an app? Yes. But that’s not the point. The idea of the device is creating something new, a user experience that individuals not familiar with computers and smart phone gadgets can understand. It is a well thought, challenging and visionary device, causing software and hardware developers to give pause and really think about how humans communicate with machines.

And that’s what concept products are all about. They may or may not end up on the market; that’s not the point–it’s about thinking and creating machines to build a better world.

Britain: GPS Tracking Of Stolen Vehicles Put To The Test

May 18th, 2013

GPS tracking devices have been relied upon by many private investigators for a long time. They are effective in locating just about anything all over the world, especially expensive items like iPhones and cars.

Over in the UK, the Telegraph reported recently on a CCTV video released by the West Midlands Police showing two men stealing a BMW 118D from a hotel parking lot in Ladywood, Birmingham in under 15 seconds. This certainly shows the merits of a GPS tracking device when it comes to recovering your stolen car. The two men, brothers, stole a total of 13 cars over the period of 20 days, a combined value of about £250,000. The GPS tracking device, very well hidden on the BMW, directed police right to the garage attached to the brothers’ house in Brierley Hill’s Old Bush Industrial estate in Birmingham.

The brothers were sentenced to four years in prison for conspiracy to steal motor vehicles at Birmingham Crown Court.

GPS: Recovering Cars Quickly and Easily

Investigating officer DC Matt Dyer of the West Midlands Police said, “This was an organized, sophisticated operation with high performance cars being stolen in less than 60 seconds. Their method of entry was somewhat rudimentary, but once inside they clearly demonstrated technical skill to start the engine very quickly.

“Our investigation led us to recover all but one of the cars they stole. Car theft is a very risky business given that so many are now fitted with (GPS) tracker devices and that our road network is covered extensively by Automatic Number Plate Recognition cameras which allow us to monitor vehicle movement.”

Private Investigator Agrees

Private Investigator, an independent detective agency out of Birmingham, also relies on GPS tracking devices. They also turn to the devices in cases where one spouse is said to be cheating on the other to see where it is they are going. As soon as the device is affixed to the vehicle, tracking can begin. The use of tracking devices on the vehicles stolen by the brothers allowed the owners to be reunited with their property.

Says Kristy George, spokeswoman for Private Investigator: “In my professional opinion these brothers were lucky to have stolen as many cars as they did with all the crime prevention modern technology available. An expensive vehicle like a BMW should be fitted with a GPS tracker for the owner’s peace of mind.”

Lawmakers Trying to Limit The Use of GPS Tracking By Law Enforcement

May 17th, 2013

Legislation was introduced by a bipartisan group of lawmakers from both the House and the Senate that requires police to obtain a warrant prior to collecting data from a suspect’s tablet, cellphone, car, or any other electronic device.

The Geolocation Privacy and Surveillance (GPS) Act addresses both location records held by cellphone service providers and real-time tracking of people as they move about town.

A total of 9 representatives in the House along with two senators brought the bills forward respectively. Among them: representatives Jason Chaffetz, John Conyers, and Jim Sensenbrenner, and Senators Ron Wyden an Mark Kirk.

This legislation will not only require a warrant: it will also deem illegal the use of any electronic device to track a person’s location covertly. This part of the bill addresses the problem of the jealous boyfriend who tracks his girlfriend with an app he secretly installs on her iPhone. It also relates to companies as well, requiring their employees to grant permission to gather GPS location data.

“New technologies are making it increasingly easy to track and log the location of individuals. We need to make sure laws are keeping up with technology to protect our privacy,” said Chaffetz. “Put simply, the government and law enforcement should not be able to track somebody indefinitely without their knowledge or consent or without obtaining a probable cause warrant from a judge.”

Wyden agrees: “The GPS Act provides law enforcement with a clear mandate for when to obtain a warrant for the geolocation information of an American…It also provides much-needed legal clarity for commercial service providers who often struggle to balance the privacy of their customers with requests for information from law enforcement. Finally, it protects the privacy and civil liberty of any American using a GPS-enabled device.”

There is an exception: the bill allows GPS tracking in emergency situations or issues of national security.

No Royalties for GPS Hardware

May 13th, 2013

GPS hardware will be royalty-free as a result of a recent agreement between the United States and the United Kingdom. This arrangement quells fears that US developers would be required to pay large fees to the originating company in the UK.

The Background

GPS technology has been around for a number of years and has a variety of applications. Besides its well-known use of providing driving directions, GPS devices are used in agriculture, finance, and aerospace. Satellite networks are the important framework behind GPS technology. Various networks exist including the Galileo, Glonass, and Compass networks.

The Claim

A company in the United Kingdom, Ploughshare Innovations, developed a number of GPS hardware pieces that are used in the satellite network system. This company is actually a state-owned subsidiary of the Defence Science and Technology Lab, which is the research arm of the UK Ministry of Defence. In the Spring of 2010, Ploughshare told US developers that they were asserting patent rights on various components of the satellite network. Thus, they demanded royalty payments for any sales of devices utilizing the technology.

The Argument

This claim aroused a great deal of uproar in both the US and the UK. Government officials were concerned that requiring royalty payments for the use of technology would cause US developers to come up with new systems, making it impossible for the two countries’ networks to communicate. They also cited concerns about decreased availability of GPS technology for civilian applications and even litigation that might try to recover royalties from actual users of the technology. The governments of Russia and China also expressed concern that such a move would harm their satellite networks as well.

The Agreement

The recent agreement states that GPS hardware shared by the US and UK is open-source. This term means that it is freely available to the public and no royalties can be charged. The arrangement illustrates the close relationship that exists and continues to grow between the US and the UK in matters of technology. It also emphasizes the important role that GPS technology plays in everyday life.

Although the general public may not even be aware of this agreement’s existence, its absence would likely have had major effects. The arrangement classifying Ploughshare’s GPS hardware as open-source prevents what could have been a major setback for the field.

GPS Tracking Locates Rite-Aid Pharmacy Robber

May 11th, 2013

Robbing a store isn’t as easy as it used to be, thanks to GPS tracking. These days, robbers have to worry about more than just covering their faces and avoiding cameras. They also have to worry about the possibility of being tracked once they leave the store.

On April 11, a man attempted to rob a Detroit Rite-Aid pharmacy by brandishing a gun and demanding cash. The store manager put nearly $5,000 dollars into the robber’s pillowcase. But he also managed to slip in a GPS tracking device, a little something extra that the thief hadn’t bargained for. Once the thief and his accomplice drove away, the device was activated and police were able to stop and search the vehicle just a few miles away.

GPS technology has proved helpful to law enforcement in a variety of different circumstances from hold-ups and bank robberies to tracking paroled sex offenders. In addition to showing location, many devices can alert officers if the wearer crosses a specified boundary, making them useful for monitoring off-limits areas like schools and playgrounds.

In the case of the Detroit robbery, a quick-thinking store manager was able to make the police officers’ job much easier by including a device that led them right to the suspects. And that’s not the first time police have tracked down robbers using a GPS device. In August of last year, Chicago police apprehended a bank robbery suspect using a tracking device that had been included with his stolen bag of cash.

There has been some question as to whether tracking devices should be used in certain cases (such as placing a device on a suspect’s car without a warrant in order to monitor his movements), but for the most part the relationship between the location-monitoring devices and law enforcement has been a positive one. And although the Supreme Court’s ruling last year stated that monitoring a vehicle’s movements with a tracking device constituted a search, it did not specify whether, in every case, that search would require a warrant.

Warrantless tracking is undoubtedly the last thing on the mind of the Rite-Aid pharmacy thief, however. He admitted to committing the robbery and is now facing charges of interfering with interstate commerce, which is a federal crime. It’s just one more victory for GPS tracking.

GPS Animation in Google Earth

May 8th, 2013

Imagine taking GPS data and viewing it in action on a 3-D earth. This is GPS animation. Since the version 4 release of Google Earth in 2006, this amazing concept is fully possible.

The Basics

Since its inception, many people have enjoyed the features of Google Earth. Users are able to enter GPS coordinates or location information and get a bird’s eye view of the area. The resolution and accuracy that are available are simply amazing. When version 4 of the software was released, it included the ability to upload time-stamped data files. Since the program can then tell exactly when the user was at each point along a route, it can play back an animated view of the activity.

How It Works

In order to utilize this feature, users must have a GPS device with a connection that allows them to upload data to their computer or directly to the Internet. Google Earth can read either KML files or GPX files. Once the data is uploaded, the program paints the GPS track over the area, tracing the route that was taken. A control bar allows the user to vary the speed at which playback occurs. Individuals are using this feature to illustrate everything from ski trips to sailboat races. One user even produced an animated version of his family’s excursions in the manufactured snow of Stone Mountain, Georgia.

Other Features

Another popular feature of Google Earth that many people enjoy is the 3D models. For instance, in the Stone Mountain area, there is a model of the mountain itself, complete with the huge carving on its side. There are even 3D models of the cable cars that take tourists to the top of the mountain. Although a man by the name of Peter Olsen did the model of the Stone Mountain carving, most of the models were built by Bill Molony. He certainly did an impressive job of making his models look quite textured and realistic.

Although it seems that the process might require a bit of technical knowledge, the ability of users to produce accurate GPS animation from their activity data on Google Earth is very gratifying. Savvy individuals will glean great enjoyment from utilizing this feature both for their own viewing and for sharing with others.

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.

Court Ruling on Placement of GPS Tracking Device

May 6th, 2013

Law enforcement’s use of GPS tracking devices gained a major victory in a recent Pennsylvania court case. Despite an attorney’s attempt to suppress evidence gathered from the search of a vehicle tagged with a tracker, the Pennsylvania Superior Court ruled that the police had followed correct procedure and that the evidence was admissible.

The Event

Pennsylvania state police and county detectives were told by informants that Edwin Burgos made trips twice each month to Georgia and Michigan to obtain marijuana. Acting on this information, police obtained a court order to place a GPS device on Burgos’ vehicle. Several days later, the vehicle made a trip to Georgia. When Burgos returned, police stopped his truck, searched it, and found marijuana in the truck’s toolbox.

The Court Case

When the case against Burgos came to court, his attorney, James M. Polyak, petitioned to suppress the evidence obtained from the search, stating that it had been illegally obtained. To back up his argument, Polyak cited a January 2012 decision by the U.S. Supreme Court that requires search warrants to be issued before a GPS tracking device can be attached to a suspect’s vehicle. Based on this Supreme Court ruling, the Berks County Court judge ruled the evidence inadmissible. The prosecution appealed the decision, stating that the ruling was a misapplication of the Supreme Court decision. Upon further review, the Pennsylvania Superior Court granted the appeal. The higher court ruled that the court order that the police had obtained served the function of a search warrant. Therefore, the placement of the tracking device was legal, and the evidence obtained as a result was fully admissible.

The Ramifications

This case appears to be the first one in Pennsylvania that falls under the purview of the January 2012 Supreme Court decision. Therefore, it is the first test case to begin to determine the exact ramifications of the ruling. As such, it is certainly a positive sign that the Pennsylvania Superior Court chose to recognize the court order as filling the place of the required search warrant. Of course, regardless of the exact nature of the court permission for placement, police must still demonstrate probable cause and cannot simply act on suspicion. This court decision should continue to give authorities the latitude necessary for them to use GPS tracking devices to gather evidence against likely criminal offenders.

Additional Measuring Instrumentation Improves GPS Function

May 5th, 2013

Many users of smartphones may be able to identify with the inconvenience of Wifi’s and GPS navigation’s quick drain on their device’s battery. Technology companies are working on that in the form of two new positioning chip prototypes (one that includes flash) that will require surprisingly low amounts of power (as little as 10 mW total).

GPS in Positioning Chips Receives a Little Extra Help

The difference is in the prototypes’ access to different measuring instrumentation to help calculate more accurate coordinates. Current rival chips still rely primarily only on GPS, as well as other similar systems like Russia’s GLONASS, to triangulate position. The prototype positioning chips incorporate the new-ish trend of “consulting” a magnetometer, accelerometer and gyroscope by comparing the appropriate measurement device with current GPS data and correcting for errors.

Tweaking GPS Accuracy

The internal comparison method has been since used in aiding technology companies developing GPS navigation for cars to gain the most accurate speed, location, and route anticipation possible. The supplemental information to GPS provided by magnetometers, accelerometers, and gyroscopes has provided navigation systems with an even greater boost in precision than using previous methods (which act much as a normal mobile device or smartphone would in calculating an approximate location when fresh data is lacking).

The allowance for alternative calculation (other than GPS) answered the problem designers of internal car navigation systems were faced with when their GPS devices lost or distorted the signal from satellites or cell phone towers because of tall buildings or large formations obstructing communication. The navigation system would then have to assume the next current location without being updated; researchers had put the amount of distance off by 49 feet. But with accelerometers and gyroscopes measuring velocity changes and feeding those updates to GPS, that margin of accuracy has narrowed to an impressive 3-7 feet.

Improving on Last Year’s Model

The use of additional measurement instrumentation seems guaranteed to bring the functionality of GPS positioning chips and GPS navigation to an all time record high. Battery life in smartphones, mobile devices, or tablets will be significantly boosted, and the technology will be instrumental in the further development of smart or unmanned vehicles.

Astonishingly Accurate GPS Technology

May 5th, 2013

Up until now, consumer-level GPS tracking data has been accurate for only up to 9 feet or so. How many times have you been frustrated by being misled by your device? Many factors can contribute to this situation: the speed at which signals are sent from satellites, atmospheric disturbances, signal interruptions, terrain, travel speeds and more. Some GPS users have complained about missed turns and inaccurate destination information. Hope is on the horizon, however, thanks to new research and development.

Position Precision

New technology has improved positioning data in 50 to 90% of tests—in fact, GPS tracking may be accurate to as little as 6 feet which could mean the difference between missing a turn or not missing it. How is this possible? The technology integrates a system of three gyroscopes. These gyroscopes coordinate to monitor a vehicle’s direction and land speed and then superimpose that information over the GPS map. Even when a satellite signal is interrupted or when there are poor reception conditions (such as in deep woods or the inner city), the system promises surprising accuracy.

Clever Spaniards

Who were the geniuses that developed this technology? They are researchers in Madrid, Spain at Carlos III University. In addition to having succeeded in making vehicle GPS devices more accurate, these scientists are currently working on developing the gyroscope-based system for integration with smart phones. The smart phone app will likely revolutionize the GPS market, as it will meet the needs of drivers by providing GPS tracking in one device as well as improve geocaching to pinpoint accuracy.

Affordable and Consumer-Friendly

The scientists who have been developing this extremely accurate GPS tracking technology predict that it will be relatively inexpensive for installation on any vehicle, too, making it widely accessible for many consumers. That’s good news, because the market is demanding a better product at an affordable price. Right now, only the military has access to precision GPS products, and it is very costly.

Right on time

Gyroscope-based GPS technology will hit the market at just the “ripe” time to alleviate many navigational irritations that occur with the current products. Look for the availability of new products as well as an improved app for your smart phone. GPS reliability should escalate greatly with the onset of this Spanish marvel.