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This is one of a selection of general interest articles relating to the application of GPS tracking.
To find out more about how Zest Tracking helps its clients to exploit GPS tracking, whether it is for vehicle tracking, mobile phone, or Blackberry tracking or dedicated tracking units please explore the rest of this site, or contact us for an informal discussion
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The improvement in functionality over our previous system is amazing ...we
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Vehicle Tracking
GPS Vehicle Tracking, Will It Be Able to Work For My Business?
We can think of a GPS vehicle tracking system as having two main elements.
Firstly, within the vehicle is fitted a GPS position detector that can calculate the vehicle’s current location from the signals it receives from the array of orbiting GPS satellites. This is connected to a transmitting device that sends the location data wirelessly to the second element of the system, a tracking server. Usually the data is sent over the mobile telephony network, for example using GPRS.
The in-vehicle sub-system is often further expanded to take advantage of the data communications function. With additional electronics, information other than location can also be acquired and sent back to the tracking server over the GPRS network.
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For example, GPS vehicle tracking systems may be extended to send alerts for different mechanical warnings such as low oil pressure, high water temperature, brake light failure, low battery and so on. Systems can also be integrated with the fuel sensor so that fuel usage can be monitored, and even sudden changes in fuel level (for example following fuel theft) can be quickly identified and acted upon.
Systems will also often incorporate an emergency button so that the driver can quickly contact an emergency contact, should the need ever arise.
Some GPS tracking systems will even enable a remote operator to send instructions to the vehicles own computer systems. This can be especially useful in the case of vehicle theft, where it would be useful to be able to remotely bring a vehicle to a halt and to know that when the command to stop the vehicle is sent, that the vehicle is in a suitable and safe location (and not in the middle of a busy motorway!).
The second broad element of a GPS Vehicle Tracking system is sometimes called the tracking server. This is where the intelligence resides and the system can be configured to meet the specific requirements of the business. The tracking server can also be used to send data to other business support systems should this be required.
For example, by monitoring the GPS position data as it is received, then the tracking server can infer what speed the vehicle is travelling at, and can generate alerts – perhaps as an email to notify managers and even the driver that a speed limit had been exceeded as well as where and when this occurred. Clearly this will allow the transport manager to reinforce good and economical driving habits with his drivers.
Of course one key function that all tracking systems will provide is the ability to see the position of any vehicle superimposed upon a map so that the user can readily find out where a given vehicle is at any given time, and indeed where it has already been during that journey.
Another common capability of a tracking server is to be able to set up what are called “geo-fences”. These are lines on a map that form a complete boundary around a given location. If a vehicle is detected to be moving across one of these borders, then alerts can be configured to notify individuals of the event. Typical examples where this may be applied could be as follows;
In the construction industry, expensive construction vehicles might be expected to remain on site for a prolonged period. In the event of theft, then as soon as a vehicle is moved away from the site, then the business can be immediately alerted and appropriate action taken.
In a distribution business, geo fencing alerts can be used to warn managers when a vehicle leaves or enters a predefined area. You can even add the time element to this. So if a vehicle does not or does enter or leave an area at a specified time then an alert is sent. This can be very useful to monitor the progress of deliveries or journeys that need to be made by certain times.
All of these alerts can be via email, SMS or both. This means if the manager is out and about or not always at his desk he can still receive alerts to his phone. This is very useful for the modern manager who it often called away to deal with various requests.
From the above, it should be clear that GPS vehicle tracking systems are highly adaptable to many different situations. However, in order to get the best return on investment, a business should be clear about what specific benefits they are seeking, and therefore what particular capability their system will need. Armed with this, then a reputable GPS vehicle tracking solution provider should be able to configure a system that works seamlessly with the business’s own operational processes.