Researchers track bears near Yosemite National Park with GPS technology during the ongoing drought in California.

California has been dealing with a massive drought for several years, though it has gotten worse in the last year. Much of the state is in a drought situation, including areas where water usage is being monitored.

With high and dry temperatures year-round, and hardly any rain, it is also causing animals to come out from hiding in search of water and food. This includes bears that make the areas around Yosemite National Park their home.

As a result, researchers are tracking bear using global positioning systems (GPS). The tracking collars monitors movements and behaviors of the bears, particularly when they might be on the move toward civilization where they can become a danger to others.

Researchers also want to know more about how the drought is affecting the bears. With little water and little vegetation due to the drought, they are concerned about the health and wellbeing of the bears. Read the rest of this entry »

Spring has arrived, and lawn care is serious business and you need to keep your crews on task and on target. GPS fleet tracking software is one way to accomplish this important goal and it can help improve your profitability in the process.

Here’s what you need to know about GPS tracking for all the lawn services you offer and why you need it for your lawn care company.

Schedule Routes More Efficiently

No matter how well you think you know the area, there’s almost always a surprise or two when it comes to routing efficiently. It’s not always about the number of miles traveled, after all.

When you schedule your drivers more efficiently, it doesn’t matter if you’re running a tree removal service or a grass cutting crew, you fit more jobs into a day increasing your profits by leaps and bounds.

Force Greater Employee Accountability

When you use GPS for fleet tracking and routing purposes, you force your employees to follow the prescribed routes. This prevents them from making off-route pit stops and running personal errands on the clock. Read the rest of this entry »

The National Zoo reports that there are only about 1,600 giant pandas remaining in the wild, making this beautiful animal an endangered species.

While these low numbers might indicate that the giant panda would be an isolated and somewhat lonely creature, a new study from Michigan State University indicates that may not be the case.

Researchers from Michigan State University used GPS telemetry, by attaching a GPS tracking device to five pandas belonging to Wolong National Nature Reserve in China and tracking the movements of the animal over time to estimate the home ranges and core areas of five giant pandas.

Appearing in the Journal of Mammalogy, the study called “Space Use by Endangered Giant Pandas” reveals that interaction between the male and two of the female pandas during the fall months, a time of year once thought to be light on interaction between the species.

The study involved three adult female pandas (Mei Mei, Zhong Zhong, and Pan Pan), one adult male panda (Chuan Chuan), and one adolescent female (Long Long).

Part of what makes this study so exciting for researchers, according to study co-author Jindong Zhang, as reported in Demanjo, is that “This was a terrific chance to get a peek into the panda’s secretive society that has been closed off to us in the past.” Read the rest of this entry »

GPS fleet tracking offers many benefits to fleet owners, operators, and drivers. These benefits represent the cream of the crop for all parties involved.

1) Cut Fuel Costs

Whether you have five vehicles in your fleet or 50, fuel costs are no laughing matter. GPS tracking offers numerous opportunities to cut the cost of fuel from creating more fuel efficient routes and eliminating route crossovers to helping drivers avoid traffic jams and slowdowns that are less fuel efficient.

2) Enhances Customer Service and Satisfaction Experiences

Who doesn’t want satisfied customers? GPS fleet tracking systems help you provide your customers with more accurate windows or appointment estimates. This makes customers much happier and even more likely to call on your business to meet their needs in the future.

3) Improve Route Efficiency

Whether it’s zig-zagging across town to take care of business as it rolls in or simply crossing over other drivers that may be closer to take care of customers in a first come first served manner, inefficiencies in the routing process cost companies money, man hours, and, in many cases, overtime pay for employees.  GPS tracking and routine services can eliminate the cross over by measuring routes according to driver location rather than who’s likely to finish next. Read the rest of this entry »

Getting your bike stolen when you’re in college can be a disaster. Most students are living on tiny budgets. Replacing a bike is expensive. Often a student’s two means of transportation are walking or biking. Sadly, bike theft is common on college campuses. According to the FBI, bike theft costs owners over $350 million each year.

In a four-month period, Reed College in Portland, OR had more than 30 bicycles reported stolen. In response, the campus police are taking proactive measures to catch thieves and make bike theft less tempting.

In addition to increasing the number of patrols on campus, the school is attaching GPS tracking devices to specific bikes, called bait bikes. The results are impressive. Here is an example.

At 2:30 in the afternoon a device was attached to an bike abandoned in a theft-prone area. By 8:30 that same evening, the GPS tracking device sent a message to campus patrols that it had been moved. Read the rest of this entry »