How GPS Works
It is very important to understand how the GPS technology works, before going in
detail about GPS Tracking. There are a few important aspects of GPS
technology that have to be understood to see the unique and useful technology
provided.
Basically, a GPS receiver uses ‘trilateration’, a technology that
permits calculating a given location in earth by measuring the time it takes
the signals of satellites to get the receiver.
There are many issues that could affect the result of this technique; however,
GPS receivers have the ability to correct the induced errors by using the
signal that comes from 3 or more satellites. This multiple calculations
result in a very accurate output of the location of the GPS receiver.
Once a GPS receiver gets the latitude and longitude, this information is
provided to a second component of the system that will use it in a human
understandable manner, like displaying the location in a map. Other uses
involve calculating routes, designing courses of navigation, etc. One
common usage is to store all the different locations where a GPS receiver has
been during a period of time, and then plotting these points in a map to
rebuild the route of the receiver. Additional information calculated by
GPS receivers includes speed, direction, and time.
GPS Tracking
The application shown above is the most basic form of GPS Tracking. By
using a portable device, a user can keep track of a target: where has it been,
when, what speed, etc. GPS receivers can be combined with other
technologies to improve its services and hence its usefulness.
A very common combination of technologies is GPS receivers with cell phones, to
produce the GPS phones. The main product of this combination is seen in
applications of field services, where workers can be continuously connected to
their companies and the companies can keep continuous track of its
workers. This is one of the most important applications of GPS Tracking
Systems.
A second combination and probably the most useful is when GPS receivers are put
together with radio-communication devices. This allows the new device to
transmit through different methods such as radio or cellular networks,
information about the target – a vehicle for example.
The signals transmitted by these devices are received by a central station that
stores, processes and presents the information to its potential users.
Potential users can be Dispatchers controlling its fleets, parents caring about
their children, the policy following a target. The users and applications
of GPS Tracking Systems are endless.
GPS Vehicle Tracking
This is precisely the use that Geosoft USA Corp
brings to its customers. When a GPS receiver is linked to a communication
module and the resulting device is in stalled in a vehicle, the GPS Vehicle
Tracking service comes to life. Each device attached to a vehicle is
assigned a unique code that will identify it within a universe of other
vehicles that have GPS devices.
GPS Vehicle Tracking Systems serves several purposes. Here are two of
those being mentioned. One, drivers will have at the reach of their eyes,
directions to get from one point to the other. Routing and time
efficiencies are among the benefits provided. Another purpose is to
provide information to dispatchers in regards to the behavior of its
fleet. This capability allows the dispatchers to obtain higher
efficiencies from its resources. Controlling fuel usage, routes,
eliminating speeding and unauthorized use of vehicles and assets provide an
immediate benefit to the companies.
Another very interesting usage is being applied by the policy. When a
vehicle that has GPS is stolen, police officers are locating the stolen car in
minutes as the GPS device is telling them where it is. It is also very
useful to use GPS devices to keep track of maintenance tasks on vehicles.
Manufacturers and dealers can keep track of the usage and the times to provide
maintenance service to their serviced vehicles.
If, along with the GPS coordinates, the system relays telemetry information
such as the status of the engine, time since the last service, or even
information not relating to defects, the receiver of this information can make
a decision as to what kind of alert to pass on to the driver.
GPS Vehicle Tracking and
Assets Tracking also opens up the possibility to allow for tracking in
which GPS devices are used to share location and telemetry information between
several mobile resources that are looking for the same objective.
For this type of use, the GPS devices communicate among themselves, providing
the environment for a coordinated effort by sharing on-line, vital information
in real time.
Consumer GPS Tracking
Despite its military and commercial applications, as well as use in aviation
GPS, the principal application of GPS tracking will be in providing an enabling
technology to augment existing systems.
These systems will include cell phones and vehicles, usually in conjunction
with a central point of service designed to keep track of the location. The
reason for this is to keep the cost of the actual
GPS devices down as much as possible in order to supply a useful
technology to consumers at an attractive price.
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