GPS Vehicle Tracking - A Guide To The Tools Available
By: Steve Armstrong -
GPS What does it stand for?
Global Positioning System Now, it is mainly used for navigation,
both terrestrial and marine. Initially it was used by the U.S.
military for locating and identifying friends as well as foes. The
system uses military and commercial satellites for tracking
anything that moves and has an emitter with or on it. Error
margins, for GPS, are nowadays within 100 meters, and this can be
narrowed down by using differential base stations (DBS). However,
they are hard to use since their range is quite limited.
A new substitute for the American satellites will be the Galileo
Satellite System, developed and realized in Europe. The first
satellite, called Glove, was launched in late 2005 from Baikonur,
Russian Federation.
GPS What can I do with it?
Here are just a few of this wonderful piece of equipment. For
instance, if you get lost, your GPS unit can pinpoint you your
current position, or, it can make a breeze from an awful task such
as planning a trip. However, its main uses are in vehicle tracking.
Most trucking companies have GPS units on all of their trucks. This
way it is very easy to finding out where a trucker has been to, or
where he currently is. Since the first GPS units were installed on
trucks and cars, specialized companies and sites appeared.
Lets look at a two GPS units and their characteristics.
Garmin StreetPilot 2730
This is one of the latest products available on the market. Its
producer presents it as being a great utility, even when drivers
know exactly where they are. Some of its features include access to
the XM NavTraffic (a data-traffic information service, based on low
orbit satellites, covering all of the USA), allowing it to suggest
faster routes, before traffic-jam. The navigation map on
StreetPilot 2730, graphically represents any incident affecting the
road, including man-made, like road-construction, or accidents.
Weather forecasts are also shown on the GPS unit, for as many as
162 cities. The StreetPilot 2730, also reads MP3s, and the music
can be sent to the cars stereo through its stereo jack or through a
FM transmitter. The unit is equipped with an antenna, Garmin GXM
30, which can be placed on the roof of the car, or on the
dashboard. It is waterproof and has a magnetic end, for easier
placement.
Initial GD-70X
This little gizmo has a 7 color LCD, the obvious GPS navigational
system, as well as a DVD player, thus making it ideal for family
vacations. It can pinpoint your location on the map, as well as
playback your favorite movie or tracks. It has a set of maps which
includes both Canada ant the US. Its map database includes over two
million points of interest and it has a 250MB internal memory,
large enough for downloading maps and POIs. An interesting feature
are the voice directions, which will help you focus on the road, an
still know where you are, and what kind of conditions you are
facing out there. Also, it includes a day/night mode, making it
easier to read according to the time of use. The incorporated
CD/DVD player can keep the passengers entertained as well, and if
you dont have a car stereo (who doesnt), you can always listen to
its built-in stereo speakers.
These are just two of the many products on the market that can help
you with GPS vehicle tracking.
Steve Armstrong produces www.gps-vehicle-tracking-pa.com which is full of information on GPS vehicle tracking
Article Source: http://www.articledashboard.com