It’s unfortunate, but plastic pollution is becoming a growing threat in our oceans and is claiming the lives of our precious seabirds, according to scientists.

In fact, the US National Academy of Sciences published a study that says over 95 percent of our seabirds will have consumed some type of plastic by the year 2050.

Jane Haakonsson, DOE Terrestrial Research Officer, states that with the extinction of animals, ‘ll such as the Cayman thrush, there is a real risk of the same thing happening again.

If you conduct a search on the internet, you’ll find many photos of dead seabirds being full of plastic debris. This is quite sad and plastic continues to be a threat for our seabirds, an alarming indication that fueled the study. The seabirds are of particular interest in the study, says Haakonsson, and their resident birds will hopefully be studied next year.

Across the world, there is plastic floating in our oceans and our birds are eating it unintentionally thinking it is food. Sadly, it results in their death at times; even in their young. Read the rest of this entry »

The annual Hot Wheels report through the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) identifies the 10 vehicles which have been stolen the most in the US. This report evaluates vehicle theft data which law enforcement submitted to the National Crime Information Center (NCIC). It goes over vehicle model, make, and the model year in 2014 that was reported stolen the most.

The most vehicles stolen for 2014 in the nation include:

1. Honda Accord having around 51,290 thefts
2. Honda Civic having around 43,936 thefts
3. Ford Pickup (Full Size) having around 28,680 thefts
4. Chevrolet Pickup (Full Size) having around 23,196 thefts
5. Toyota Camry having around 14,605 thefts
6. Dodge Pickup (Full Size) having around 11,075 thefts
7. Dodge Caravan having around 10,483 thefts
8. Nissan Altima having around 9,109 thefts
9. Acura Integra having around 6,902 thefts
10. Nissan Maxima having around 6,586 thefts

Read the rest of this entry »

There has been a significant drop in the number of koalas — going from 30,000 to 20,000 in only 20 years. Only 200 koalas are estimated to be left in the southern highlands.

Twenty koalas will have a GPS tracking device collar attached to their necks by Southern Highlands Koala Conservation Project researchers for real-time monitoring their movements and exact position. This project involves the Sydney University, Wingecarribee Council and the Office of Environment and Heritage.

Through a 3G network, these collars transmit data to the base stations, as well as the researchers’ smartphones and laptops.

The data collected will be used for finding out where the koalas live as well as to conserve their habitats, according to Mark Speakman, NSW Environment’s Minister.

He says they be able to determine what the koalas are consuming, where their habitat is located and come up with plans of management for protecting the koalas that are more focused.

Joe Stammers, wildlife conservation officer for Wingecarribee Council, says the data on koala corridors can be included into local environmental plans, which will help to make better assessments and decisions for the future. Read the rest of this entry »

The core behind every successful business is customer satisfaction, no matter which industry it operates in. Fleet managers typically focus on speed of service, reliability, and communication to drive a more satisfied customer base. GPS fleet management is able to improve the image of the company in the eyes of existing and new customers by offering key data for strengthening each of those vital facets. So, how else does GPS fleet tracking help with enhancing the experience of customers?

Monitor Arrival Times

GPS fleet tracking helps managers to obtain a more precise estimated time of arrival or delivery. When customers wish to know the arrival of their service order technician, the dispatcher is able to check and let them know. This type of information helps in reducing the estimated time frame that customers have to wait for service.

Solutions like this allow company vehicle arrival and departure time insight. Insight on when employees reach the job site, the amount of time they are there for and when they leave is helpful when you are trying to maximize productivity of the fieldworkers during a day. Read the rest of this entry »

ABC 20/20, a weekly hour-long magazine which is focused on topics of human interests, goes undercover this week using Gio Benitez, journalist, to locate stolen items using modern technology, including GPS tracking devices and hidden cameras.

A trailer previews Benitez finding a stolen bike from a private garage. The stolen bike is tracked through the GPS device and points to a storage facility. To the surprise of the investigators, the bike was traced back to a flea market and to a man named Ricardo.

A lot of these stolen items taken from homes all over the country, end up at popular advertising sites like Craigslist and county flea markets. Another big online company that is cracking down on counterfeit and ‘hot’ merchandise is eBay. Gio Benitez, along with his crew, aren’t the only people using modern technology for tracking stolen items. Law enforcement agencies and policemen use this technology for making arrests. Read the rest of this entry »