Handheld GPS

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GPS Technology Used for Class Projects

Posted on December 10, 2011 by Peter

Everyone knows that if you make learning fun, kids are more than likely going to learn a lot more. One school in Michigan has found a way to use GPS technology to get kids to have fun while learning about latitudes and longitudes. Students in the fourth-grade classes at Stockbridge have been taking part in a fun activity called the GPS Amazing Race that teaches them about these things, and there is even a reward. The students actually get to leave the school during school hours, and travel around town, taking a handheld GPS system with them. They must collect various pieces of data, which they in turn use to open a special box that contains their reward: candy.

Just Like the Television Show

The premise behind this new learning game is a lot like the popular television program, The Amazing Race, where contestants must travel to various parts of the world to find clues. Of course, the students are not traveling that far, but the idea is quite the same. It is also similar to geocaching, a popular GPS treasure hunting game. The students travel throughout town while the GPS devices send them to different businesses. At each business, the students must pick up a clue in an envelope. The clues are numbers, and when students collect all the numbers, they have the combination to the lock on the treasure box, which is located at the school. The box contains bags of skittles for the participants.

School Staff Programs GPS Devices

Before the GPS devices were handed out to the students, staff at the school programmed all of the necessary information into the system, such as latitudes and longitudes for the various local businesses that were taking part in the project. Teachers also noted that many of the students already know how to program these devices themselves, after watching their parents program theirs.

Mistakes Made Along the Way

As the students searched for the businesses to get their clues, there were a number of mistakes made. Some students would enter the wrong businesses because they were not quite sure exactly where the GPS arrow was pointing. All in all, this project was considered to be quite successful, and the students all said that they did learn something about latitude and longitude, and they had a good time doing it. Not only did they learn about geography, the students learned social studies, math and science.

This is the type of activity that not only promotes learning, but also how to work together as a team. Some students had skills in one area, while others had skills and other areas, and they learned how to combine their skills to get the job done. They also learned how to talk with adults in a business atmosphere, which is something that could work to help many young people get over shyness. As GPS technology continues to grow and improve, it is likely that it is going to be used more and more in schools, and a game such as this is just one of many ways that this technology can be used to make learning fun.

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NATO Testing Proves Our Dependency on GPS Devices

Posted on December 8, 2011 by Peter

We all make jokes about how we are tied to our mobile devices, and how we can’t go a minute without them, even though until recent years, we never had them in the first place. Now we are tied to our GPS devices, and when they don’t work right, we get very upset. This was proven last month by NATO. Twice annually, NATO holds naval training exercises off the coast of Scotland. These exercises involve ships and soldiers from 14 different NATO member nations. The most recent set of exercises, which took place in October, interrupted GPS systems, and the public was extremely upset about this turn of events. In fact, people were so upset that they actually interrupted the exercises.

GPS Jamming

There are many training exercises that take place during these bi-annual sessions, and some of the exercises involved using GPS jammers to disrupt signals. Although the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom did much to inform the public of what would be taking place, residents were still pretty mad when their devices were rendered unusable for a short period of time. People were actually warned that their smartphones and other devices would be affected by the jammers long before the exercises took place. Unfortunately, not everyone heard these warnings, and many people were not expecting their devices to just stop working all of the sudden.

People Didn’t Hear Warnings

Even though there were warnings, many people were angry when they were not able to use their devices. Some people claimed that they were given no warning at all, including fishermen who ended up having to discontinue their work until the exercises were over. The Royal Navy received several complaints about the disruption of signals and device failure during the exercises, and it was forced to stop the GPS jamming until they could figure out how to do the exercises without affecting the signals used by the general population.

Questions Raised

Because of all of the problems caused by the naval exercises involving GPS technology, many are wondering just how much damage can be caused by signal jamming. Anyone can purchase a GPS jammer, and some people fear that these may fall into the hands of terrorists who could use the technology in a dangerous manner. Others are worried that they are becoming far too dependent on their devices, including GPS, and that the inconvenience of a disruption could actually be dangerous for some people. In fact, earlier this year, the Royal Academy of Engineering issued a report that stated how we should not be so reliant on GPS technology, as it is not always completely accurate.

Luckily, GPS technology is improving every day. Because of these events, the next time the Royal Navy conducts exercises such as these that there will probably not be the problems that were experienced last month. With advances in technology, and more information being relayed to the public so that everyone will know to expect signals will be jammed and they will be unable to use their devices for a short period of time. Exercises should be able to be conducted without disrupting the daily lives of too many people.

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New GPS Technology Helps Track Missing Seniors and Others

Posted on December 6, 2011 by Peter

It is a sad thing to say, but unfortunately, as many people start to grow old, they begin to have problems with their minds, and they often wander off. This would be fine, but the problem is that they often end up in a place where they don’t know anyone, and they become even more confused than they were to begin with. Many nursing homes and families with seniors have had these problems, and now, there is new technology that can help put an end to seniors and others with limited mental capacity getting lost.

GPS Shoes

New shoes have been created that incorporate GPS technology. This means that with every step the wearer takes, the shoes will be able to report where that person is. When a person wearing shoes with the GPS system wanders off, he or she can easily be found and returned home or to some other safe place. The shoes, which will retail at around $300 a pair, can actually have many other uses, and will probably be made available to many other groups of people, including children. Having shoes like this for children is just one more thing that parents can do to ensure their safety when they leave their homes for school or to play.

The Aphrodite Project

A report from MSNBC showed the Aphrodite Project. This is actually a project intended to protect prostitutes by giving them sandals with built-in GPS technology. The first shoe in this line came from studies of prostitutes in ancient Greece and Rome. These prostitutes would get clients by having flutes and sandals that left special footprints that allowed customers to follow them. This gave the creators of the shoes the idea to have a tracking system in the sandals worn by prostitutes. These women are some of the most vulnerable women in the world, and although they are doing something that is illegal in many countries, they still need protection, and this is a great way to give them the protection they need.

Tracking for Alzheimer’s Patients

As previously mentioned, there have been many cases of seniors wandering off and disappearing, sometimes for many days or even weeks. This tends to happen often with patients who have Alzheimer’s disease, a condition that causes limited memory and other mental issues. If a person with Alzheimer’s disease were to go for a walk while wearing the GPS shoes and became lost, he or she could easily be found. Without a tracking device, lost seniors could end up injured, or suffering from malnutrition and dehydration, depending on how far they have wandered. Sadly, there are around five million Americans who have Alzheimer’s disease, and this number is expected to continue to grow.

The GTX/Aetrex shoe will give caretakers of seniors the capability to be able to monitor the seniors even when they are not right there with them. They can set up a geofence, and if the senior wearing the shoes goes farther than this area, there will be an alert. The senior won’t feel like they are being watched, because they won’t even know that the device is in their shoes. This is technology that could help to save a lot of lives, and one that is certainly going to prove to be very popular once it hits the market.

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GPS: The “Big Brother” George Orwell Was Talking About?

Posted on December 4, 2011 by Peter

The Supreme Court of the United States is concerned about police using GPS devices to secretly track the movements of suspects. In fact, many people feel that this is exactly what George Orwell was talking about when he wrote about “big brother” in his book “1984”. President Obama is in full favor of using this technology to track criminals, and his administration is pushing to have this GPS technology used by law enforcement agencies across the country, while other officials feel that this is going to be a way for the government to constantly monitor all citizens.

What Will Happen?

This case began back in 2005 when police in Maryland secretly installed a GPS device in a suspect’s vehicle. The person in question was suspected of drug trafficking, and his movements were tracked for a month before an arrest was made. One judge said that he didn’t like the way the device was installed secretly, while another said that this action was actually more like trespassing because the suspect did not know the device had been attached. There are good arguments for both sides, and many are waiting with baited breath to see the outcome of this particular case.

If it is decided that it does go against the personal freedoms of citizens for police to secretly install GPS devices on some vehicles, it could lead to many more restrictions for law enforcement officials. For instance, this could greatly curtail the use of mobile phones by police, and even the use of satellites and surveillance cameras, which have both been in use for crime prevention for many years.

Is It Really an Invasion of Privacy?

Many people feel that law enforcement secretly using GPS is an invasion of privacy. In fact, according to the Deputy Solicitor General of the US Justice Department Michael Dreeben, using GPS devices is no different from using other forms of police surveillance, and that it is not going to be used as a way to spy on law-abiding citizens. In fact, this type of technology can only be used while the suspect in question is actually in the vehicle and out on public roads. Once they leave their vehicles, their privacy will not be compromised in any way. Of course, there are nay-sayers who feel that this technology will be used to monitor anyone once they have left their home, and this is where the debate lies. Many people are left wondering if this use of GPS technology is ethical, and just how far it is going to be taken.

Each side has valuable contributions to the argument. Yes, this technology is a wonderful way to be able to track suspects and those who are on probation after committing violent crimes, but it can also be a bad thing if it ends up being used to track other citizens who are just going about their daily lives. Only time will tell the outcome of this case, which is expected to wrap up by next June.

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Alberta Company Launches Titan GPS Smartphone App

Posted on December 2, 2011 by Peter

Certified Tracking Solutions (CTS) of Alberta, Canada has announced that they have launched the Titan GPS Smartphone app on the Android market. This new system has a mapping dashboard interface that is said to be a part of a “worldclass end to end GPS fleet management solution”. One of the biggest reasons why this is so great is because it is compatible with all of the Titan GPS tracking hardware, and there are many different types of hardware that this app can be connected to, including vehicles owned by the average consumer to full fleet management for companies that use a lot of vehicles and have many different drivers using those vehicles.

Start Your Car from Your Smartphone

Most people who have newer model vehicles have remote starters, but wouldn’t be even handier to have an app that allows you to start your car via your mobile phone? Certified Tracking General Manager Bent Jensen feels that this is the most advanced Smartphone remote starting app on the market today. With this app, you can start your vehicle, and you will receive a message telling you that your vehicle is now running and waiting for you to get in and drive. With this app, you can even specify run time and extend it, and you will also receive a message if the vehicle does not start. Just think about how handy this could be. How many times have you thought you started your vehicle on a cold winter morning, only to go outside and find that the car is not running at all? With this new app, you don’t have to worry about this ever happening.

There are four series offered by Titan Tracking, and the new GPS Android app is compatible with all of them. These series’ are: Consumer Vehicle Messaging & GPS Tracking; Advanced Fleet Replay GPS Tracking; DealerSecure™ High Risk Lease Series; and Self Powered “SP” GPS Tracking Series.

Plenty of Testing Done

Certified Tracking Solutions has done much testing on this new GPS Android app. Beta testing was done on the Titan GPS iPhone app for a full year before it was introduced to the public. The company wants to be sure that they are introducing products that are actually going to work, with no glitches. The more testing they do on their products, the better the products are that finally make it to the market.

So, if you want to be able to know where you are going, and be able to start your vehicle, all from your Smartphone, you can now do it with the new GPS Android App from Certified Tracking Solutions. As long as you have your mobile phone with you, you will always be able to get anywhere, whether you are in your vehicle or on foot, and the more that this technology is tested before new items are released, the better the products are going to get, even though they are already pretty great as they are now.

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May the Force Be with You…and with Your GPS System

Posted on November 30, 2011 by Peter

“Right you should turn, then sharp left”. This is how you would hear directions if Yoda were to be giving them to you. Sound crazy? Maybe so, but it is something that you can have with the newest GPS system from Garmin. Instead of the same old voice telling you which way you should turn, you can now have voices from Star Wars giving you your driving orders. You can choose from Master Jedi Yoda, or fallen Jedi Darth Vader, to help guide you on your path to learning all of the secrets of the force, and any place else that you have to get to.

Star Wars Fans Will Love It

One of the really cool things about the new voices on the Garmin GPS system is that they are in character. When you get a message from Darth Vader, it is going to be an ominous one, such as “proceed as indicated. Don’t make me destroy you.” Even people who have never wanted to bother getting a GPS system will want to use this one, because it is just so much fun. Just imagine having Yoda or Darth Vader giving you directions. Even better, imagine the looks on the faces of your passengers who don’t know that you have this system. That could be even better than getting the right directions. At the very least, it is going to be quite a fun conversation piece.

Other Voices Available

Star Wars characters are not the first voices to be used on GPS systems. You can also get systems that sound like KITT from Knight Rider, and others that have the voices of Homer Simpson and Mr. T. These new voices are going to be extremely popular with Star Wars fans, with such phrases from Darth Vader as, “Depart. Your destiny lies with me. Obi Wan knew this to be true.” and “Turn around when possible. I find your lack of faith disturbing. Then, take the third left. Sense your way.” Garmin also intends to bring out systems with voices of other Star Wars characters, including Han Solo and C3P0. There is a separate charge for each voice you use, but if you are a fan, you will more than likely want to have all of them to use on your GPS system. After all, if you are going to use a GPS system to help you get around, you may as well have a system that you can have a little bit of fun with.

So, when you’re traveling through the universe on your way to the outer rim or to save other worlds from total annihilation, you should have a good GPS system that will help you get through the solar system and not hit any asteroids along the way. The newest GPS system is the “force” from Garmin that has everything a young Jedi needs to find enemies and battle the dark side. It is also great for all of your travels and adventures here on planet Earth.

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Should Law Enforcement Use GPS Tracking Technology?

Posted on November 28, 2011 by Peter

Should police use GPS tracking technology on vehicles to track suspects? This is the question that has recently been put before US courts. While this is a great thing for law enforcement to have as a tool, there are many who feel that using this type of tracking method is nothing more than an invasion of privacy, and it a blatant infringement of the constitutional rights of all Americans. Many civil liberties groups have shown concern about the use of this technology for tracking people without having search warrants.

Recently, the US Supreme Court began studying whether or not police could or even should use GPS devices attached to vehicles so they could track suspects. A recent ruling was overturned because a Washington nightclub owner was arrested for drug dealing due to information obtained by the tracking. The US government has actually asked that this conviction be reinstated, which is causing quite a commotion among those who feel that the man was unjustly convicted because his right to privacy had been breached. The question here is whether or not his rights were violated because he was tracked without a warrant being issued for the tracking, which he considered to be “unreasonable search and seizure”.

Device Only Used for Monitoring

The courts heard that the GPS device that was used to track this particular individual was only used when the suspect was in public areas, which could be done with any other type of tracking device and considered ethical and legal. Law enforcement officials say that they are not doing anything that they haven’t been doing for years, but that they are just using tools that are making tracking suspects a lot easier. Police say that this is not an invasion of privacy at all, because they are not using this technology to track ordinary citizens, just those who are already suspected of committing crimes. GPS technology is also used in some states to track convicted felons who are on probation.

No matter what tools law enforcement uses to get the job done, they are going to be questioned about the usage. As GPS tracking becomes more and more common, it will probably not be considered as invasive is it is considered to be at the moment, and will be seen in the same light as other tracking methods that have been used for decades. As with any other type of tracking, a warrant must be issued before GPS tracking can be used to track suspects, and police feel that this type of tracking is no different from tailing someone for hours at a time. Either way, that person is being tracked, but with GPS, the job of the law enforcement officials involved is a whole lot easier. In fact, one could argue that it is actually less invasive to use GPS technology to track suspects, because there is no one physically following the person around all the time, which can feel very intrusive.

There are always going to be arguments about the methods law enforcement officials use to track and catch suspects, but if the end result is that dangerous criminals are being taken off the streets due to GPS tracking, more and more states are going to adopt this technology.

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Manitoba Domestic Abusers to be Tracked by GPS Technology

Posted on November 26, 2011 by Peter

The NDP government in Manitoba are working to make this the first province in Canada to use GPS technology to track domestic abusers and stalkers. The government is working on creating an expanded ankle bracelet program to allow tracking to be not only for car thieves but also for those who are convicted of domestic violence or stalking. It is hoped that this technology is going to help in the enforcement of restraining orders and other restrictions that have been imposed by the court. If an offender wearing one of these bracelets were to get too close to the area where their victim is, authorities would be alerted, and the situation would be taken care of much more quickly than it can be currently.

The Next Best Thing to Incarceration

Obviously, wearing a GPS bracelet is not the same thing as being incarcerated, but it is pretty close. Serious offenders will still receive jail time, and these bracelets are not going to replace that. They will be used for those who have been given probation as opposed to jail sentences, so their movements can be tracked at all times. This is something that is already being used by many of the US states, but this is the first time that this technology is going to be used in Canada. Because of the cost of such a program, it has been rejected by the Ontario government, at least for the time being, but other provinces are setting aside funds to start pilot projects using GPS tracking technology. Alberta has actually earmarked nearly a half a million dollars for a project will make it easier for RCMP officers to track those who have been convicted of domestic violence.

Safety for Abused Women

Many people think that any woman who is being abused should just walk away from the relationship. This is not always something that is easy to do. In fact, abusers can become even more abusive after the victim leaves, because they are furious that the person has walked away from them. This can be an extremely dangerous time for many women who are victims of domestic violence, and having GPS technology used to track the abusers is going to give a lot of women peace of mind that they never would have had otherwise. Tracking bracelets have been used in Manitoba for a number of years now, and the NDP government has promised that this program is going to continue to grow.

Do the Bracelets Actually Work?

Many people question whether or not using these bracelets can actually make much of a difference. There have been reports of young offenders being able to remove their bracelets, and there have also been cases where offenders commit crimes while wearing a GPS tracking bracelet. While there are times when it may not work, this is technology that can help law enforcement officials in a huge way. The technology may not be perfect, but it is going to help keep a lot of dangerous criminals from committing new crimes, which is the whole point of the project.

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Criminals Beware…GPS Technology Can Find You

Posted on November 24, 2011 by Peter

Everyone knows how useful a GPS system can be when you are lost and need to get directions to any place in the world. Law enforcement professionals are now finding that this technology can be used to help them with their work by tracking criminals. Some states are even now requiring that certain criminals have GPS tracking, including level 2 sex offenders. Unfortunately, because this is a newer technology and it is just starting to be used by law enforcement officials, court rulings often differ because there is no real legislation regarding this technology as of yet. But, as it proves to be effect in law enforcement, we will probably see more and more police jurisdictions using GPS technology.

As GPS technology improves, we will start to see more and more law enforcement officials using it. In the past, many criminals were required to wear ankle bracelets so their movements could be tracked at all times. Now, this can be done with a GPS system that the person must carry with them at all times.

How Police Can Use GPS Technology

There have been questions about how ethical it is to track people, especially when they are in private residences. Basically, police have the right to track anyone without a warrant using GPS technology, because it is not as invasive as other methods of tracking. Of course, there have been cases where it was ruled that use of GPS tracking was alright, only to be overturned a few years later in court. Generally, the courts tend to approve of using these tracking devices for criminals who have committed certain crimes, including violent crimes. In 2009, a Massachusetts ruling stated that GPS tracking is fine if the person being tracked is on public property, but once they are on private property, a warrant must be issued to continue tracking that person.

In Texas, domestic violence offenders are required to wear GPS tracking devices, and sex offenders in California must also wear them. This is also true of many other states. The biggest problem with this is that there is a great deal of expense involved for this type of program.

Is It Ethical?

Another problem is that many people question the legality of using such a system to track offenders. In fact, in Massachusetts, it is considered to be “cruel and unusual punishment” to place one of these devices on a convicted criminal after they have been sentenced. Human rights organizations are also questioning the use of GPS tracking of criminals, stating that it is an invasion of privacy. Two of the organizations that are against this are the Electronic Frontier Foundation and the American Civil Liberties Union.

There are going to be arguments from all sides about the use of GPS technology for tracking criminals. In the end, it is probably going to be up to the courts to decide if this is ethical, and if law enforcement officials should continue to use it to help them with their work.

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GPS Systems Keep Track of AWOL Students

Posted on November 19, 2011 by Peter

One of the toughest things that teachers and school administrators have to deal with is finding ways to keep students in school, and to keep them from cutting classes. Many teachers and principals get local storeowners to report if there are any students at the stores when they should be in classes, but this just isn’t enough, and there are other things that must be done to keep kids in school. One of the most recent methods teachers have of knowing where their students are is through mobile phones that have built-in GPS systems. In fact, there are actually some school districts that are using this technology, and so far, it is working, and in some areas, cutting classes is almost completely a thing of the past.

California Students Back in Classes

In California, the Anaheim Union High School District is taking part in a pilot program that uses GPS technology as one way to find students who are skipping their classes; similar programs are being tried out in San Antonio and Baltimore as well. In addition to GPS, the school district is also using automated telephone reminders and teacher/counselor/student coaching. Seventh and eighth grade students who have a history of cutting classes are being put into the program in Anaheim, and are given a GPS tracking device that they need to keep with them at all times during school hours. This way, teachers and school administrators will know exactly where the AWOL students are.

The tracking devices are about as big as a mobile phone, and every morning, students receive an automated call to let them know that they must be in their seat in class at the appropriate time. If they do not arrive to class, they will be tracked down. In addition to being tracked, the students who have these devices must enter a certain code five times a day that will track where they are. They must enter the code when they leave for school in the morning, when they get to school, when they leave in the afternoon, at lunch time and once in the evenings.

In addition to having a GPS system, the students must meet with an adult coach a minimum of three times each week to see how the program is working, and if there are any other things that can be done to keep these students in classes. There is no cost to parents or students taking part in the program, and it can actually save parents a lot of money. There is a $2,000 fine in the area that parents must pay if their children are truant. If this technology proves effective, parents will no longer have to worry about this.

This program is not one that is being forced on students. It is completely optional, and parents are allowed to participate in the monitoring. In other areas where this technology is being used in schools, truancy has dropped significantly, and it is possible that GPS systems could be used by many more school districts in the future.

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