Dr. Bradford Parkinson, who is thought of as the Father of GPS, is set to win the 2016 Marconi Prize.

 Today, the global positioning system (GPS) is something nearly everyone uses on a regular basis, but it wasn’t always the case. During its original developments, the system was denied funding due to lack of probable use. Nearly 50 years later, Dr. Bradford Parkinson, who is largely responsible for its creation and success, is winning the prolific Marconi Prize for this very technology.

 Parkinson, currently a professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics at Stanford, is going to receive the honor. The Marconi Prize is a prestigious award given out to the best and brightest in communication and information science. It is given annually, along with $100,000 of prize money. It is only given to those who create technology that helps humanity, which the GPS tracking and navigation system undoubtedly does.

 The development of GPS began back in 1972, when Parkinson was a colonel in the Air Force. He belonged to a USAF program called 621B, where satellites were going to be used for a new global navigation system. Parkinson has previously represented the idea to the government, but they denied funding. It wasn’t until this project for the Air Force that it became a reality. There were still budget issues, but Parkinson didn’t back down and instead proceeded with his sketches, which he still has to this day. Read the rest of this entry »

GPS fleet tracking offers many potential benefits to concrete contractors – perhaps a few you may not know about. If you’re looking for ways to improve your bottom line, consider these benefits of GPS fleet tracking as a great start for your concrete business.

Improves Record Keeping

If you’re like many concrete contractors one of the biggest pains in your day is chasing down drivers for documents, like signed invoices. GPS fleet tracking is customizable to a large degree so that drivers can collect signatures and instantly send them to you via tablet device so there is no more chasing involved.

Increases Work Speed

You can use the GPS fleet tracking tool to help route your drivers to the next job more efficiently. That saves time to and between jobs. Additionally, you can establish geographic boundaries that let you know immediately when drivers stray from their designated routes to take care of personal business on company time. This will help avoid wasted time between jobs greatly improving efficiency among your employees. Read the rest of this entry »

Spring has sprung, and with the warmer weather and longer days comes the start of the busy season for farmers in Iowa. They will spend the days of spring applying herbicides and nitrogen fertilizer to their land, as well as cultivating, before planting their crops.

For one Iowa farmer named Robb, the application of fertilizer to his land differs from some other farmers; he uses GPS tracking technology to apply his fertilizer.

Why does he do this? Because it helps him follow the same path where he applied the fertilizer when he heads out into his fields with his planter. This tactic allows him apply less fertilizer to the land, which allows for greater cost control.

Farming can be expensive, and given tight budgets, it’s vital for farmers to strategically sow their land. In addition to using GPS  tracking technology for farming to apply fertilizer to his land, Robb also sprays his own fields. He purchased a spray broom for his tractor, which is also helping him save money on fertilizer. Many farmers hire companies to spray their land, which means that they have to not only pay for the herbicides that are used, but they also have to pay for the services that these spray companies provide. Read the rest of this entry »

A well-known and ever-increasing technology in the location-based fleet management systems and workforce is geoFencing. It is set up to play a vital role in the development of new applications.

In a nutshell, geofences can be thought of as virtual perimeters on a map. They can be a square, circle or another shape created for a specific purpose. Geofencing, just like a physical fence, can be used for monitoring and recording exit and entry of a place within the ‘fence’ automatically.

How GeoFencing Improves the Overall Productivity of your Fleet Business

The good news for fleet businesses is that geofencing offers a truckload of benefits.

Arriving and Departing from Work Sites

It’s important that your fleet drivers arrive on time at a job site. With geofencing, there’s no need for time cards. This technology will alert you when your workers arrive on a job site and the time they began work. They no longer will have to clock in or fill out timesheets. With this technology, drivers are unable to use fleet vehicles and equipment without authorization since you will be alerted each time a vehicle leaves a designated area and therefore allowing you to track where your equipment is during work hours. Read the rest of this entry »