The Trans Am Bike Race (TABR) is one of the most famous cycling events in the world. This self-supported race takes place each year spans a total of 4,200 miles. Starting on the Pacific coast, in Astoria Oregon, and ending on the Atlantic coast, in Yorktown, Virginia, cyclists go through a total of 10 states, traverse various types of terrain, and are exposed to the elements while making the trek.

The Trans Am Bike Race runs across the TransAmerica Bicycle Trail, which was created for the 1976 Bikecentenial event by the Adventure Cycling Association.  The first race occurred in 2014, and a total of 25 people completed it. Participants are timed from the moment they start to the time the reach the finish line, making it an individual time trial. Riders are not allowed to draft or receive assistance from anyone else, which means that they are totally dependent on themselves; they can only use what they carry with them or what the procure from businesses themselves for food, shelter, clothing, and anything else that they may need. Read the rest of this entry »

Street sweeping companies play important roles in cities large and small. Your mission is to keep streets clear of debris and the foul odors a collection of debris can leave behind. Of course, you don’t need anyone to tell you how important your role is for keeping cities and towns attractive for residents and visitors alike. What you may not know, though, is that GPS fleet tracking can help you do your job more efficiently and offer a much better overall profit for your business. These are just a few ways GPS fleet tracking can help you stay on top of things with your business.

Coordinate Street Cleaning Efforts around Peak Traffic Times

Traffic can be a real problem for street cleaning services. Not only does it clog the streets, but it also slows the street cleaners down. Scheduling street cleaning services for times of day when traffic is lowest in any given area helps to minimize the disruptions and allows drivers to maintain a better schedule.

Ensures no Coverage Gaps

It’s true that not all streets need to be cleaned as often as others. Higher traffic streets tend to collect more garbage, leaves, and other debris. This means that these higher traffic areas will need more frequent cleanings. At the same time, you don’t want lesser traveled roads to fall through gaps that could result in costly and potentially lethal flash flooding or other problems. GPS fleet scheduling software can help you to stay on top of the lower traffic areas so that they are worked into the rotation routinely in order to keep them nice and clean too. Read the rest of this entry »

The United States Government is offering a Global Positioning System poster that highlights the basics of how GPS tracking technology works.

The poster, which features a picture of a tractor, an image of a spaceship and tracking satellites in orbit, was designed to teach science and math students on the middle and high school levels, as well as the public at large, about the importance of GPS tracking technology and how it works, particularly in agriculture.

Many people do not realize that Global Positioning Systems have become a useful and important tool in agriculture. Known as “precision” or “site-specific” farming, GPS tracking allows farmers to couple real-time data collection with precise position information. In other words, thanks to this technology, farmers are able to plan and map their farms, take soil samples, scout crops, guide their tractors, document the application of fertilizer – and so much more – much more accurately. Read the rest of this entry »

Only a few generations ago, you had to spread manure in order to fertilize your fields using a tractor or a shovel. In some cases, farmers would allow nature to take its course and have their livestock spread the manure themselves while they grazed in the fields.

Today, however, with the development of larger equipment and chemical fertilizers, many farmers use huge tractor spreader systems to fertilize their fields making soil the process of foil fertilization evolve more than ever.

In order to apply the right amount and type of fertilizer to every section of a farmer’s field, agronomists developed software that utilizes GPS. A few years ago, a survey showed that this evolving technology was being used by around 20 percent of Midwestern farmers. The technology is called variable rate application, according to Iowa State University’s soil fertility scientist, Antonio Mallarino. And he says even more farmers are now using it. Read the rest of this entry »

Four tourists perished in a houseboat accident in January. The accident, which took place in the state of Kerala, India, has lead officials in Kerala to consider using GPS tracking devices to create a safer environment on houseboats for both locals and tourists.

The new GPS tracking program is currently being piloted by Kerala authorities. A total of 100 houseboats have been outfitted with trackers, and the government believes that this will allow them to maintain awareness of the whereabouts of houseboats, which are popular among tourists, but also dangerous, particularly when they are taken into the backwater areas in Kerala.

This new program will use GPS technology to track the location of houseboats and monitor what is happening with those vessels. Officials are considering using a “geo-fence”, in addition to the GPS tracking devices. This fence will immediately alert them if there are any variations or alterations in the anticipated route of the houseboats, which could potentially cause an accident or influence criminal activity. Read the rest of this entry »