Rocky Mountain Tracking » GPS Tracking Systems

Hobbyists Have Fun with Improvised GPS Device Games

Admin — Sun, 19 Dec 2010 16:00:24 +0000

Can playing free games with a GPS tracking device actually be fun? While upon first glance, the answer might be “Huwha?!” the actuality is not as crazy as it sounds. Many individuals have taken up “geocaching,” or finding hidden gems with their GPS tracking systems.

Geocaching works by taking old maps and superimposing them on top of more recent maps in GPS tracking systems. For example, a recent article in The New York Times described a 13 year old boy who used his GPS tracking devices to find an 18th-century graveyard near a suburban shopping center. “We never would have found the place if it weren’t for geocaching,” the boy’s mother said about geocaching.

The hobby is an incredibly affordable one, as it only requires an existing GPS tracking device. Websites include lists of treasures and hidden gems to find – for example, there are 21,000 within 100 miles of Times Square – so geocaching is a cheap and easy hobby that proves to be quite informative.

In addition to old historic places, geocaching has now started to include actual stashes of toys. These stashes are hidden by current geocachers, and their coordinates are placed in registries of geocaching locations. Children and teens find these geocache treasures to delight and happiness.

“It’s become a very family-oriented, safe game,” one geocacher, a president of a High School, told the New York Times. “Most children get the concepts almost immediately; you can hand them a GPS receiver, or a GPS cellphone, with a map, and they know what to do,” another geocacher said.

Article Written by Greg Minton

Smart Business Owners Embrace GPS and Increase Profits

RMT GPS News — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 21:18:53 +0000

When difficult economic times hit, most businesses that were hanging on by a thread folded. The ones that remain have learned how to cope by making significant changes in their operations. Is there more than can be done? Certainly, there is always room for improvement.

Smart Businesses Save Money with GPS

Now that businesses have taken every conceivable action to stay in business, attention turns to the little things. Taken together, these can help keep the wheels turning for a long period of time.

Avoid Hiring

Payroll is the biggest expense for most businesses. The need to bring another person on must be weighed against the expense. There is not only the pay, but also the benefits. And future consideration must be given to health care costs. That uncertainty alone makes it worth holding off on hiring. If you must have a real person to help you consider two alternatives: part-time help or contractor assistance. Neither of these require payment of benefits and you can terminate the arrangements much easier.

Watch Small Expenses

Every expense must be scrutinized. Right down to the utilities that you consume. If you own your own building, put in water-saving toilets. Make sure electrical items that are not necessary to run the business are turned off while you are done for the day or weekend. Turn down your water heater so that it supplies water temperatures that are slightly above warm. Shop for a new bank account that charges lower and/or fewer fees. Credit unions are a good place to look for that. Print fewer documents on your printers. All of these together make up significant savings to your bottom line.

Downsize Major Expenses

Is it time to move into a smaller space from which to run your business? Consider that rent payments often make up thousands of dollars per month. Calculate how much a move would cost you, and then compare that to what a smaller location would compare to your current rent. This would allow you to see how long it would take to make up that money that you spend to move and then begin to save over time. If you own or lease major assets, think about downsizing those or getting rid of some that you no longer use regularly. If you have vehicles, look into used versus new.

Implement Technology

There are two technology implementations that you should consider. First, is an 800 number and associated PBX (phone answering) system. These are so common today that most people do not mind using them. And, once they are programmed correctly, they allow callers to route their own calls and leave messages on voicemail boxes and send pages, etc. You can replace a full-time receptionist with one of these at a fraction of the cost.

Look into GPS Tracking systems. If you own assets that are used outside of the physical confines of your business, tracking them with these devices makes a lot of sense. Should you need to know where a vehicle is (for example), you can look it up on any Internet connection. If one is stolen, you can recover it quickly. Plus, your insurance company might provide a cut on your premiums.

All of the above are not hard to implement. It takes time and will power to make it happen. But, you can make it happen and that might be all it takes to keep your business solvent until better economic times bring more sales.

Houston Police Put On Demonstration

RMT GPS News — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 15:51:03 +0000

Car Safety

When discussing car safety and auto-theft protection many experts will usually discuss GPS tracking systems, car alarms or more simple steps such as parking a vehicle in the garage or locking doors. The experts will usually share statistics about the increase in car burglaries, and some helpful tips on how to prevent the problem.

GPS & Auto Theft

Taking a more hands-on approach to the problem with car-theft and burglary, the Houston Police Department decided to give people a demonstration on how quickly and efficiently the bad guys operate. With the assistance of State Farm Insurance, who provided the police a demo vehicle, the Houston Police staged a mock break-in.

How the demonstration worked was outside of city hall some city officials gathered in a parking lot. An officer, dressed as a civilian, played the role of a car burglar. As the pseudo car burglar approached the vehicle he tapped the passenger windshield with a tool that caused the window to spider web crack. This made little to no noise, surprising many of the people viewing the demonstration. The pseudo car burglar then quickly brushed away the glass and stole items that were inside the vehicle, showing the audience how quick and easy it is for a bad guy to enter a vehicle without causing a scene.

The Houston Police also stated that the car burglar could have easily hot-wired the vehicle and stole the automobile just as easily.

The point of the demonstration was to draw attention to the fact that in Houston nearly half of all burglaries are auto-related incidents. Car burglars will often spot laptops, computer equipment, GPS navigation devices or other valuables. They then target these vehicles late at night.

Although police have stated that it can be difficult to completely stop these acts of criminal behavior, they have expressed that the use of GPS tracking devices and car alarm systems can help prevent the likelihood of the vehicle being stolen.

Ryan Horban is a guest author who specializes in writing about GPS technology and monitoring devices for Tracking System Direct.

Attacking Domestic Violence

RMT GPS News — Sat, 26 Jun 2010 22:55:34 +0000

New CT Bill Aims To Keep Victims Safe

With one stroke of the pen, Governor M. Jodi Rell signed in a new law that would hopefully reduce domestic violence in Connecticut with the use of GPS tracking system technology. In response to her actions, Rell explained the pain and damage caused from domestic violence, and how it was necessary for additional appropriate steps to be made to help eliminate or at lest reduce the problem.

Domestic Violence & GPS Tracking

After a number of high profile domestic violence stories began making headlines in the West Haven and Fairfield regions earlier this year, many people in Connecticut began asking lawmakers to step-up with new and better legislation aimed specifically at the problem of domestic violence. One of those incidents involved a man who shot his wife multiple times before turning the gun on himself. The man, Selami Ozdemir, had a history of domestic violence.

The new legislation attacks the problem of domestic violence in a variety of ways. First, the bill begins with education and teaching teenagers the dangers and warning signs surrounding domestic violence. The next step would involve the actions of a task force designed specifically to target the issue, discovering what are the triggers, causes and best ways to help victims who feel helpless in their most desperate of moments.

GPS tracking systems will also be used to monitor the movements of habitual or high-risk offenders. These people could be classified as individuals with a prior record of abuse, or who violate restraining orders. In response to a question regarding the bill, Gerald Fox explained that the tools provided by the government and legal system to help reduce domestic violence must be strengthened in order to greatly reduce the problem.

GPS monitoring units equipped to the domestic violence offenders will transmit the location of a person, vehicle or asset in real-time. It is a tool that many states have implemented to strengthen their efforts in protecting their community. GPS tracking keeps abusers accountable and retrievable at a moments notice.

Hopefully, the new legislation will usher in a new era of reduced domestic violence in the state of Connecticut and other states will follow this high-tech trend.

Ryan Horban is a guest author who specializes in writing about GPS technology and monitoring devices for Tracking System Direct.

GPS Tracking and Car Alarms Prevent Car Thefts

RMT GPS News — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 12:43:01 +0000

Car Safety

Stolen and Stripped Autos & GPS

Outside of city hall city officials gathered in a parking lot for the demonstration. An officer, dressed as a civilian, played the role of a car burglar. As the pseudo car burglar approached the vehicle he tapped the passenger windshield with a tool that caused the window to spider web crack. This made little to no noise, surprising many of the people viewing the demonstration. The pseudo car burglar then quickly brushed away the glass and stole items that were inside the vehicle, showing the audience how quick and easy it is for a bad guy to enter a vehicle without causing a scene.

The Houston Police also stated that the car burglar could have easily hot-wired the vehicle and stole the automobile just as easily.

Ryan Horban is a guest author who specializes in writing about GPS technology and monitoring devices for Tracking System Direct.

GPS Tracking is Technology to Build Your Business Around

RMT GPS News — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 14:34:22 +0000

Managing assets is the same whether you have a small business or are in the accounting department of a large corporation. Keeping track of the things that are used outside of the walls of your business is a major task. That’s why GPS Tracking is an important addition to any business.

GPS Tracking & Business

For many large corporations, physical assets make up millions and millions of dollars on a balance sheet. For that reason alone, tight control and close management are mandatory. That is why GPS Tracking systems should be instituted into all businesses that are tasked with managing mobile or near-mobile assets. Anything that can easily be moved should be outfitted with a GPS Tracking device.

Protect Assets. When these systems are implemented, location is never a question. Even if the models that just allow for periodic checking on location are used, then that makes them worth the money.

Movable and Mobile. If the assets in question are vehicles, then that is all the more reason to get GPS Tracking systems. Not only can location be ascertained, but also direction of travel and speed as well. Part of managing vehicles is making sure that they are properly cared for on an on-going basis. That is what you get with GPS Tracking systems.

Lower Insurance Premiums. Lowering insurance costs means mitigating risks inherent in the managing and deploying of assets. If lower risk from theft occurs, or even if GPS Tracking systems means finding stolen property sooner, then the cost is worth the investment.

Theft Recovery. If asset are stolen which are being tracked via GPS Tracking systems, then they can be recovered in days, not weeks, months or even years. Or , worse yet, not at all. Theft occurs not only from without, but within a company, too. So, weeding out those types of employees is a positive step, as well.

Maintenance Monitoring. Close control of assets means tracking and scheduling their maintenance. This helps increase the longevity of the assets with saves money in the long run by not having to replace it sooner because of misuse. It is like money in the bank.

Increased Profitability. GPS Tracking systems are like adding profit to your bottom line because of the savings you can realize in other areas of asset management. Fewer employees can manage more devices.

When GPS Tracking systems are added to a business, you achieve a balanced and controlled organization with accountability at its core. The more you use GPS Tracking systems, the more you realize that you cannot be successful without them.

GPS Tracker Leads Police To Keno Robbers

RMT GPS News — Sun, 23 May 2010 01:09:05 +0000

According to the odds, Keno is one of the worst casino games a gambler can play. With the odds of hitting 10 numbers on a Keno card being over 8,000,000:1, losing at this casino game is a pretty easy thing to do. Although the odds of winning at Keno may be low, people gather at Keno parlors everyday to play the game with the hope to have some fun or strike it rich. However, one group of men had a full-proof way to beat the odds at a Big Red Keno Bar in Omaha, Nebraska when they walked into the facility with a weapon and robbed the casino at gunpoint.

Tracking Gambling Thieves

When 5 men organized a plan to walk into a Big Red Keno Bar in Omaha and steal some cash they probably had no idea how that many casinos and banks are now using GPS tracking system technology to protect cash from thieves. After the robbers walked into the keno bar and stole thousands of dollars in cash they likely thought they got away Scott-free. However, quick-thinking employees at the keno bar placed a GPS tracking system with the cash the robbers walked out with, allowing police to easily follow the movements of the criminals.

With the help of the vehicle tracking device, local police were able to quickly track down the robbers and arrest them without serious incident.

Earlier Thursday morning, the accused men faced an Omaha judge where three men of the five men were charged with felony counts of robbery and use of a weapon. The other two accused individuals are being charged with felony counts of robbery without the use of a weapon.

One of the accusers arrested, Demitrius Alston, was denied the opportunity for bail because when he took part of the robbery he was on parole.

When asked about the case, the police who made the arrest stated that they would have never been able to bring the criminals to justice so quickly if it weren’t for the help of the GPS tracking device.

Ryan Horban is a guest author who specializes in writing about GPS technology and monitoring devices for Tracking System Direct.

The One Safety Feature You Need in Your Next Vehicle

RMT GPS News — Tue, 18 May 2010 16:03:22 +0000

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

A certain manufacturer of American vehicles includes a GPS tracking system on-board which provides many useful functions. These systems are usually subscription-free for the first year and then around $15.00 per month thereafter. Is it worth the cost? Just ask someone who has been in an accident and has been able to notify emergency agencies when the system is automatically activated after an emergency.

GPS Tracking for Automobiles

Does it have its downfalls? Of course, and you need to know what they are before you make a purchase decision.

On-board GPS Systems are dependent on a third party to make them fully functional. Unfortunately, you cannot bring up a web page and track your vehicle. You are depending upon the ‘central monitoring office’ to do that for you. And, unfortunately, it is not something that can be done instantly. There’s a series of checks that need to be instituted before tracking can be commenced. And, in that time, anything can happen. Dedicated tracking systems put you in control and allow you to make the best decisions from the data supplied.

On-board GPS Systems are only available on certain makes of vehicles. If you do not like this brand of vehicle, then there go your chances to get one of these systems. It cannot be retrofitted into any other make or model.

On-board GPS Systems are not user serviceable or able to be modified in any way. You cannot download apps or other software to this system to customize it and allow you to add functionality that you need. Smart phones are the best devices that allow this to be done.

On-board GPS Systems can be rendered inoperable by cutting power to the main battery of the vehicle. If a thief wants to steal your vehicle that has a system like this, then all that they need to do is cut power to the vehicle and then transport it to their chop shop. This is being done on a daily basis to the most expensive makes and models of this manufacturer.

On-board GPS Systems have some very useful functions and have played a positive role in helping accident victims to get help and in some cases have helped those who have had their vehicles stolen get them recovered quickly.

Dedicated GPS Tracking devices offer better benefits. Retrofitting to any vehicle, providing instant location and direction of travel and even including ignition cut-off are some of the best reasons to get one. Then, you can use your cell phone as your communications device of choice inside of your vehicle.

Is Amber Alert All it’s Cracked Up To Be?

RMT GPS News — Sat, 08 May 2010 02:05:22 +0000

By Harriette Halepis
Source acquired via the Vancouver Sun, April 29, 2010, Vancouver, Canada – The Vancouver company that manufactures the Amber Alert GPS tracking system has been caught using false information in order to sell trackers. The Amber Alert website states that more than 60,582 children disappeared in Canada in 1997, though this isn’t entirely true.

What the website neglects to state is that nearly 76% of the 60,582 cases reported during 1997 were teenage runaway cases – not child abduction cases.

This is an important distinction, since the Amber Alert system is targeted at parents of young children. The owner of the Amber Alert company, Ken Corey, told press that “it most certainly is not or was not our intention to mislead visitors to our website…by no means do I want to appear to be selling fear, but more of selling ‘peace of mind.’”

Corey went on to tell press that he intends to clarify the numbers listed on his site. According to Corey, the numbers listed on the Amber Alert website were taken directly from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police website. While the RCMP website does list these numbers, the site also states that most children who disappear are teenagers who simply run away from home.

The Amber Alert website does state that 285 parental abductions took place in 1997 – a true fact. Whether or not Corey meant to twist the facts remains unseen. Still, many argue that the Amber Alert device is unsafe. Since this device was devised in order to allow parents to listen-in on and track children (the device is equipped with a microphone that can be activated via cell phone), various child advocates believe that the device is unsafe.

Those who want to stop the sale of the Amber Alert system in Canada argue that this system could put children in danger if it slipped into the wrong hands. Amber Alert claims that the systems are only sold to parents of children, but this doesn’t provide any comfort, since many children are abducted by parents. The Amber Alert GPS tracker will be reviewed by the government of Canada within the next few weeks.

GPS Tracking System Sewn into T-Shirt Provides Parents Peace of Mind

RMT GPS News — Sun, 02 May 2010 01:16:24 +0000

By Greg Bartlett

For parents with special needs children or children who traverse high-risk areas, a new innovative GPS tracking system could be what they have been looking for to provide a little peace of mind. When a child is out of sight, some method of tracking him seems like an invaluable asset to parents. GPS technology is rapidly making that possibility a reality for parents. And with the advent of audio data being available as well, parents can stay well-informed of their child’s whereabouts as well as know what they are doing and to whom they are talking.

Family Safety & GPS Tracking

These ideas seem unrealistic and somewhat futuristic. But technology has brought these ideas to what may soon become a present reality. Just yesterday, the Calgary Herald released a story about Leslie Lauren and Kenneth Corey and the work they are doing to bring this technology to Canada. The technology is called Amber Alert after a girl who was abducted in Texas in 1996. The device itself is about 1½ inches square and is small enough and light enough to be sewn into a t-shirt, carried in a pocket, or deposited in a bag or in a car.

GPS tracking systems function by positioning a tracking device on the object to be tracked. This device then communicates with satellites in the sky. The satellite tracks the device to determine its whereabouts. That tracking data from the tracking system is then available to the user through a browser-based web application. GPS tracking systems can provide location and direction information as well as rich photographic detail of the landscape where the tracking device is presently located.

The new Amber Alert tracking system even provides parents with the ability to listen in on their kids conversations and ambient sounds. A microphone on the tracking device picks up audio signals. These signals as well as the child’s location are available to parents by simply connecting to the GPS device through a cell phone. The child will never know the parent is listening.

Kenneth Corey says the devices might be especially useful to parents with special needs children, and already, the device is being used with elderly people so that caregivers can observe where their loved one is at and listen in to the sounds they are surrounded with. While many people fear the ability of GPS tracking systems and are skeptical about their ability to prevent crime, time will tell whether these innovative devices will contribute anything at all worthwhile to everyday lives.