GPS fleet tracking December 31, 2006
Posted by Rich in : GPS fleet tracking, GPS asset tracking, GPS vehicle tracking , add a commentFleet tracking is a specialized form of GPS asset tracking that utilizes other technologies as well. Often lumped together under the term mobile resource management (MRM), this technology suite can utilize GPS, RFID, and Wi-Fi. Telematics is another term used to describe this field, which can help reduce fuel, labor and insurance costs, and even the number of vehicles required to meet management’s needs.
A study by C.J. Driscoll and Associates indicates that 1.9 million GPS/wireless devices are used for this purpose, and that the market will grow to 5.9 million by 2009. Automatic vehicle location (AVL) is one of the most commonly used components of MRM.
(more…)
GPS asset tracking catches thieves December 23, 2006
Posted by Rich in : GPS asset tracking , 3 commentsGPS asset tracking has become an important part of loss reduction programs for many industries including construction, transportation and energy. This is highlighted by a recent report from Guardian Mobile Monitoring Systems, announcing that their GPS asset tracking system enabled the recovery of over $25,000 in stolen oil field equipment in October.
Acadian On Watch, a Guardian reseller, provided GPS monitoring, resulting in arrests and the break-up of a theft ring that had been in operation since 2005. The specific device used was a Trimble TrimTrac® locator, designed for periodic autonomous position reporting and/or real-time on-demand polling, and cost-effective wireless communications. Here are some details from the Guardian Mobile Monitoring Systems press release: (more…)
GPS tracking system leads to recovery of stolen bus December 16, 2006
Posted by Rich in : GPS tracking and public safety , 2 commentsGPS tracking systems are typically installed on buses to help keep them on schedule, notify fleet mangers, and keep riders notified about wait times. They aren’t added to deter thefts, which typically isn’t a problem with these large and difficult to hide vehicles. Yet in Ottawa, Canada, a thief decided to make off with a bus that happened to have a GPS tracking system installed:
A transit bus was was idling and unoccupied at the St. Laurent Boulevard transit garage at 3 a.m. Thursday morning, when it went missing.
But police used the satellite tracking device, or GPS, and found it at 4:23 a.m., abandoned near the intersection of Leitrim and Hall roads in the city’s far southeast end.
OC Transpo security superintendent Jim Babe said the stolen bus was one of 750 in OC Transpo’s fleet of 900 that have been equipped with GPS since the city started installing the satellite tracking devices earlier this year.
Via The Map Room
Technorati tags: GPS tracking, GPS tracking of buses, GPS tracking and theft prevention
GPS tracking of employees can cut costs and increase sales December 11, 2006
Posted by Rich in : GPS tracking employees, GPS tracking and privacy , add a commentAn interesting article has shown up at the DenverPost.com, about GPS tracking of employees. According to Larry Overley, president of Landtech Contractors, a landscape company:
“It cuts down on guys leaving the job site. It helps us with our payroll costs because guys can’t fudge on their time sheet. We know when they get to the job, and we know when they leave the job,” he said.
The system, in use for six years, cut labor costs at the Aurora-based commercial landscaping company by about 3 percent in the first year.
Another company has seen increased sales as a result of GPS tracking:
GPS tracking of school buses December 8, 2006
Posted by Rich in : GPS tracking and public safety, GPS vehicle tracking, GPS tracking cell phones, GPS tracking children , add a commentWXIA-TV in Atlanta reports on GPS tracking of school buses. The tracking, done via Sprint Nextel cell phones, has seen costs plummet recently:
“This technology was something that used to be 1500-2000 dollars per bus and that information was not real time,” reveals Robert Lacey, Sprint/Nextel education account manager.
“With technology it brings it down to anywhere from $200 to $300 dollars per bus for the hardware. And, $1.00 to $1.50 a day for service fee.
Technorati tags: GPS tracking GPS tracking of school buses
GPS tracking of employees in Canada December 2, 2006
Posted by Rich in : GPS tracking employees, GPS tracking law , add a commentCanadian federal privacy commissioner Jennifer Stoddart has warned Canadian businesses about GPS tracking of employees. In the end, she seemed to concede that both employees and employers have rights in this arena:
The privacy commissioner accepted that the company’s use of GPS could help locate missing vehicles and help dispatch employees to improve customer service.
However, the commissioner expressed concern about the use of GPS as an employee surveillance tool.
She concluded that it might be acceptable in certain situations — which are defined and communicated to employees beforehand — to use GPS as an employee surveillance tool.
“Systematically using GPS to check up on workers and try to determine how well they are doing their jobs would be going too far,” Stoddart said. “Employers do not have carte blanche to use GPS to constantly monitor their workforce.”
Technorati tags: GPS tracking, GPS surveillance
