Rocky Mountain Tracking

Daily GPS News

GPS vs. the Cabbie

May 12th, 2013

Through the city they rush; what a commotion! What a hurried buzzing! Taxis, cabs; whatever you like to call them, they seem to hold a central role for residents of any big city. From point A to point B they can get you in a jiffy…usually. Sometimes they take so long you beg for divine intervention and other times they whizz past the traffic so speedily you wonder how they even manage it. Well, just maybe they used a GPS system to track a route and gauge the traffic before they even pulled out onto the road.

GPS tracking and navigation systems are tools vital to the travel, transportation, and monitoring needs of today. GPS tracking and navigation units are quickly becoming more and more commonplace in public transportation services. From airplane traffic monitoring, to public bus scheduling, to the quickest route from 42^nd Street to Broadway, GPS systems are helping public transportation providers to manage their work with much more efficiency and customer satisfaction.

Many bus companies have implemented GPS systems into all of their business. This has allowed them to provide civilian bus riders with near real time bus arrival and departure times; company officials have better opportunity to monitor bus routes and stops to help their companies streamline their operations; leadership in the companies is able to monitor drivers’ behavior and to increase bus safety and security; GPS system integration can also assist companies in calculating effective means of fuel usage and savings.

Some may have wondered about the legality of the usage of GPS units in public transportation, especially as concerns cab drivers. In an interview with Business Insider, one New York cab driver had stated that it was not permissible for cab drivers to utilize GPS systems in their work. This statement was later discredited by the cab driver’s employing company, the Taxi and Limousine Commission, who stated that portable GPS units were, in fact, allowed in New York cabs.

Thinking of that conversation in light of the benefits received by various bus companies across the United States when GPS systems were implemented, it would seem that the Taxi and Limousine Commission might do better to make GPS systems an integral part of their operations. Monitoring of company operations and employees can have quite a positive effect on business.

GPS Tracking for Water Lines

May 11th, 2013

Water authorities in Webster County, Kentucky now have GPS tracking for their water lines. With help from outside experts, the multi-step process is starting to pay off. Although the initial unit is operational, the system will require tweaking and more data entry to meet its maximum potential and usefulness. Authorities believe that the GPS system will transform the way it currently operates.

Water Line Database

The water authorities are in the process of building a database to contain all the information that employees would need to know in the field, such as the location of water lines, how deep they are entrenched, and where the nearest valves are located. This data, once collected will be accessible by GPS and therefore employees can get to it readily when they need to fix a problem.

Gathering Current Data

Current tasks for the water district employees include mapping all the existing water lines in the county. Special marking cable which is easily detected from the surface has been used in some of the newer lines, making them easy to find. Older lines are being located with the intent to map them to the GPS unit.

Informational Efficiency

Once it is fully operational, the GPS tracking on Webster County’s water lines will enable employees to locate water lines and shut off valves in just seconds. The GPS unit will provide information as to the depth of the line as well as its size and type. Shut off points will also be mapped and their nearest locations included in the data.

Future Implications

It will be interesting to see whether other counties inside and outside the state of Kentucky take Webster County’s lead to approve the use of GPS units in their water pipelines. Much will depend on exactly how much time the technology saves workmen who are trying to locate water lines and, in emergency or maintenance situations, shut off the water. Perhaps future technology will reveal the nature of problems in the pipe lines when customers call in, or maybe even control water flow from a remote location based on information gathered using the GPS unit. In any case, it is certainly a progressive step for these county water authorities to experiment with GPS tracking as it applies to water lines.

A Smarter GPS Device

May 4th, 2013

Have you ever had your GPS device get confused about your location? A new, smarter GPS system could make that frustration a thing of the past. Researchers in Spain have developed a new, lower cost system that can pinpoint its position better than traditional GPS devices.

Traditional GPS

A conventional GPS unit can pinpoint a vehicle’s location within about 15 meters, provided the vehicle is in an open area with nothing to obstruct satellite visibility. If, on the other hand, a GPS-equipped vehicle ventures into the cluttered city streets, its position can only be determined within about 50 meters of accuracy. Often, tall buildings or tunnels cause the unit to lose satellite communication altogether, forcing the GPS device to estimate the vehicle’s location based on its database of maps. This inaccuracy, although frustrating, is tolerable for simple direction finding, but it will not work for use in the more complex GPS operations anticipated in the future. Scientists hope to eventually use GPS technology to control distance between vehicles, trigger avoidance of obstacles, and other automatic maneuvers, but an accuracy of 50 meters is not sufficient for these applications.

New Technology

The new device developed by researchers at the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid adds an Inertial Measurement Unit to the GPS device. The unit, abbreviated IMU, includes three gyroscopes and three accelerometers. These additional sensors measure the vehicle’s speed and direction changes. All the information gathered is merged in a computer application that then determines the vehicle’s location. With the additional data, this device can pinpoint the position of a vehicle within one to two meters, even in a crowded city.

Its Usefulness

At present, this device is still only a prototype, although it has been successfully installed in a car that is used for research and experimentation at the University. Researchers hope to take the things they have learned and develop a system that can be built into smartphones. Such a system would take advantage of the additional sensors that are already included in smartphones and thus produce the same accurate location result at an even lower cost.

As technology continues to develop, it is exciting to see the potential that exists to take things to the next stage. This device definitely sounds like a step in the right direction and will hopefully result in a more accurate, and thus more useful, GPS device in the future.

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.

New Jersey: GPS Aids FBI in Nabbing Bank Robber

January 28th, 2013

Authorities in Randolph, NJ report a quick thinking teller at a local PNC Bank gave a robber more than he bargained for when that teller snuck a GPS tracking device in with the money, leading police right to the thief, 34 year old Rahman Fulton.

Fulton, of Randolph, has been charged with one count of bank robbery. FBI Special Agent James Scartozzi, in a criminal complaint filed in federal court, said that Fulton walked into the PNC Bank located on Route 10 with a black mask over his head and face, handgun in hand, demanding the teller give him money.

That teller handed over $1,777 and a little surprise: a GPS unit. Fulton was described by bank employees as being between 6 feet and 6-foot-3, and weighing somewhere between 200 and 230 pounds, and according to the complaint filed with the court, Fulton fits this description perfectly.

The FBI tracked Fulton’s movements thanks to the GPS device, which showed him driving directly to his home following the robbery. He remained at home for several minutes, and then headed out to an adjoining backyard. Later, during the recovery process, authorities found two pieces of the GPS later on in that backyard. Surveillance video captured by a neighbor shows Fulton flinging two small objects from his house, landing in that same backyard, according to the complaint.

Police spoke to those in the neighborhood, and upon speaking to Fulton regarding his whereabouts, they determined he was lying. He told police he had been at work all day, but in fact, he had called out due to illness.

If Fulton is convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, or twice the gross gain or loss from the robbery.

GPS Shoes Gives Ruby Red Slippers Competition

December 16th, 2012

“There’s no place like home. There’s no place like home. There’s no place like home.” Click. Click. Click. Those words probably conjure up pictures of Dorothy (and Glenda the “good witch” standing behind her), with her eyes closed and her clicking the heels of her ruby red slippers together to get back home – finally. Dorothy just lived at the wrong time, that’s all.

Well, like the ruby red slippers of Wizard of Oz fame, with just three clicks – and ready to point you in the right direction – the “No Place Like Home” GPS shoes are the real deal.

Created by Dominic Wilcox of the UK, these shoes can help navigate you wherever you may need to go. “I thought about the ‘Wizard of Oz’ and Dorothy and how she clicks her heels three times to get home,” said Wilcox. “I though, ‘Is it possible to make that real in some way using the technology we have?’”

Commissioned by the Global Footprint project to design a pair of GPS shoes, Wilcox originally made a pair for the London Design Festival exhibition; and since they have received so much attention, he has plans to possibly make more.

How the Shoes Work

Although the shoes are still being perfected, the inventors placed the GPS unit inside the hollowed out heel of the left shoe, with the antenna disguised in a piece of red fabric at the back of the shoe. The antenna picks up the satellite signals that are needed to get the directions.

A computer software program allows you to map out your destination and then download them to the shoes with a USB cable. The right shoes contain a line of LEDs that works as a progress bar, and the left shoe contains a circle of LEDs to point out the direction that you need to turn next. These shoes communicate via wireless technology and is powered by a tiny battery – similar to your cell phone’s battery.

Mr. Wilcox design issues with red leather inside and red shoelaces to pay homage to the shoes Dorothy wore in the “Wizard of Oz.” Wilcox works out of London using his creative juices to design a variety of unique products. He is working hard to protect the shoes, which he calls, “a work in progress,” and is also trying hard not to use the shoes even though they do work.

Avoiding “Death by GPS”

December 3rd, 2012

In August 2009, Death Valley claimed yet another life. This time it was a young boy whose mother had followed her GPS unit into the middle of nowhere. Exposure and dehydration nearly claimed the mother’s life as well before she was found by park rangers. The coordinator of Death Valley National Park reports that misdirected drivers are becoming a more common occurrence in the park, led astray by navigational devices with out-of-date maps or devices that depend on a cellular network. Unfortunately, Death Valley has extremely limited cell phone reception.

Touring the Park

Though increasing in popularity, Death Valley remains the hottest and driest park in the United States with summer temperatures averaging about 120 degrees. In the winter, temperatures can drop below freezing, making this vast expanse as deadly in winter as it is in summer. The park covers more than 3.3 million acres of land over two states, and 95 percent of it is designated as wilderness area. Though few and far between, deaths in the park due to an inaccurate GPS device could be avoided altogether if people only used common sense.

Taking the Precautions

Global positioning systems technology has become such a part of society that many people have forgotten how to use a traditional map, but when charting unfamiliar territory, it is important to carry a map and even a compass, especially if navigating off road. Since most GPS units have only the maps they were programmed with at the time of purchase, it is crucial to download map updates whenever available. Another consideration is the lack of cell phone service out in the wilderness. Many smart phones now have GPS capability, but once out of range of a tower, navigation becomes unreliable. It is even a good idea to carry extra water and locator beacons just in case that GPS device goes astray.

Tackling the Plan

Park rangers at Death Valley National Park are trying to work with makers of GPS-enabled devices to get closed or dangerous roads removed from their systems, but so far only TomTom has done what is necessary. They have made 185 updates to the road systems of Death Valley and completely removed 50 roads deemed closed or too dangerous. The park system is also posting warning signs about the climate and the dangers of relying too heavily on a GPS unit. They advise looking out the window, noting the environment, and not being afraid to turn back.

A GPS Face-Off

November 10th, 2012

Probably the two most well-known makers of personal navigation devices, or PNDs, are Garmin and TomTom. But which is better? Although Garmin leads in total sales, TomTom takes the lead when it comes to advances in technology, especially on the phone app side of things.

The Similarities

Both Garmin and TomTom have their faithful followers who would argue that their candidate is the best, but the truth is that both companies offer a wide array of similar features. Both provide text to speech conversion for the relaying of navigation directions and street names. Both provide 3D map views, including terrain delineation. Each company provides an extensive database of points of interest (POI) with automatic rerouting in case of wrong turns or clogged traffic. In other words, Garmin and TomTom provide basic reliable GPS data.

The Differences

Where the rubber meets the road involves the interface. Both Garmin and TomTom feature glass capacitive touch-screen interface, but Garmin gets the highest marks for its easy to use and read icons as well as its colorful and detailed maps. On the other hand, TomTom’s interface provides more information on one screen with its two-line status bar. And TomTom devices don’t display ads like Garmin’s do. Garmin scores again with its breakdown of POIs into subcategories while TomTom uses broader headings like “Restaurants” or “Shopping.” Garmin’s POI system also performs search updates in real-time. However, TomTom gets its best score with its HD traffic service. Even though it costs extra, it is much more accurate than Garmin; TomTom even provides the first year free.

The Bottom Line

With so many PNDs and other GPS-enabled devices on the market, it can be hard to choose. Garmin and TomTom are both leaders in their field, and it may just come down to minor preferences and sale prices. Basic units can go for as little as $100 with more luxury-loaded units going well over $300. Garmin’s top models include the Garmin Nuvi 3790T and the Nuvi 3590MLT, which has been rated as one of the best stand-alone GPS navigational device on the market. The VIA 1605TM and Go 2535M LITE top the list for TomTom.

Even though the world may seem to be moving away from PNDs, instead relying on smart phones and ipads, a separate GPS unit still has an important role to play. And both Garmin and TomTom continue to make advances in GPS technology and its various applications.

Trying to Turn the Tables on GPS Tracking

November 9th, 2012

We all feel a little better after reading a story about the owner of a GPS device recovering that device after someone has stolen it. We like imagining the thief’s face when police knock on the door and tell him they know he is hiding the stolen property in the house. But in Australia, one thief tried to turn the tables when faced with this situation–he attempted to file a lawsuit against the original owner for “trespassing” by remotely activating the GPS unit on his device!

The owner of an iPad was having a hard time getting the police to help him track it down after it disappeared from a work site. So he took matters into his own hands, using his phone to look up the current location of his GPS enabled iPad. It showed up at a townhouse in a quiet neighborhood, so the man travelled there, activated the alarm on his iPad from his phone, and clearly heard the alarm originating from the townhouse’s garage.

This evidence was enough to convince the police to help, so they went with the man to the house, arrested the occupant, and found quite a few other stolen items as well. But the story was far from over.

A lawyer for the thief claimed that the iPad’s owner had violated his rights in a few different ways. For one thing, he had walked around the townhouse on his first visit. But more importantly, the lawyer staked his lawsuit on the claim that the iPad owner had trespassed by sending the alarm signal into the garage. Since the recovery of the iPad was based on that “trespass,” the thief and his lawyer wanted the judge to throw out the case and return the stolen property to him.

If you find this position ludicrous, you’re not alone. The prosecutor quickly presented a number of reasons for the legality of the actions. In Australia, trespassing is not a crime if the individual is looking for something stolen from him. Besides, transmitting signal across or onto private property is not trespassing–consider the many TV, radio, and wireless signals that make their way through your home every day!

Hopefully the judge in this case will call the thief’s “sour grapes” bluff and dismiss the absurd claims.

Thieves Use GPS to Commit a Two for One Crime

November 8th, 2012

Investigators in both Canada and the United States have discovered a new scheme used by criminals to double their crime sprees. By stealing the GPS navigation device from a car, a thief can often find his way directly to the victim’s front door by accessing the unit’s stored address book. Though some may argue that any car thief can get an owner’s address simply by looking at the registration and insurance information often kept in the glove box, the fact is that most thieves are lazy and a device that provides step-by-step directions to a home makes his crime a whole lot easier.

Know the Facts

Though the Federal Bureau of Investigations reported a slight decrease in the number of car thefts from 2010 to 2011, it still notes an incident rate of one vehicle stolen or burglarized every 43 seconds. Statistics show that more than 700,000 vehicles were stolen last year, representing almost $4.5 billion in lost property not to mention losses due to increases in insurance premiums, time spent investigating the crime, and costs involved in replacing the stolen vehicle. How many car thefts involving GPS units are associated with an invasion of the owner’s home is unknown, but statistics show than one in five homes in America will be broken into at some point.

Avoid Being a Victim

If global positioning systems technology is leading criminals to a victim’s home, it only makes sense to keep GPS units out of sight. Because most people carry their remote garage door opener on the visor or dash, it is important to remove or conceal these as well. Another obvious precaution is keeping car doors locked and parking in well-lit areas. People should not program their home address or their friends’ and family members’ addresses into their GPS unit; such information provides a thief with a virtual treasure map, especially if he has just stolen a BMW, Lexus, or Mercedes Benz.

Recover Property Quickly

A car thief may use GPS technology to lead him to a home invasion, but that same technology can lead police to the thief. Tracking devices on a car, either built in or hidden, as well as tracking devices on valuables provide crucial location data to law enforcement and often lead to an arrest. Such advances in technology may in fact be the reason the FBI has seen a decrease in car thefts.