Service dogs are now going hi-tech by incorporating GPS tracking technology into their daily life.

Wearable technology exists for many reasons, and both for humans and now K-9s. Service dogs assist people with disabilities, and many of them will now be wearing vests that includes GPS trackers.

Not only that, but service dogs will actually use technology similar to Siri, where they can bark for 911 in an emergency.

Service dogs are a special type of dog that provide assistance to people with disabilities. They are trained to help people with hearing or visual impairments, seizures, mental illness, diabetes, autism, and many other physical or mental ailments. Read the rest of this entry »

Risk comes with the territory when you manage a fleet of vehicles. This is true if you have five of them or 500, if your organization is public or private. A major part of your job is to manage that risk as effectively as possible.

Types of Risks

Risk comes in many forms. Consider these:

● Vehicles that are stolen.
● Vehicles that are damaged or destroyed in accidents or due to the weather.
● Harm to drivers due to accidents or criminal events.
● Harm to the public due to accidents or crime.
● Medical claims from the public and workers compensation claims from employees.
● Litigation like personal injury suits.
● Damage to your company’s reputation, impacting its bottom line.
● Downtime that gets customers angry.

Here is a closer look at why you need to spend time and energy to manage risk for your fleet as effectively as possible. Read the rest of this entry »

Man Created GPS Drawing To Spell Out Marriage… by GeoBeats

Just in time for Valentine’s Day, comes a story about GPS tracking and, well, love. One man’s wedding proposal goes high-tech when he uses GPS tracking to propose to his girlfriend.

Global positioning systems (GPS) are being used for everything from monitoring the movements and behavior of wild animals to tracking down thieves with GPS trackers hidden in storage containers. It is also being used for more modern uses, where individuals get a little more creative.

One good example of this is when a man in Japan decided to use GPS tracking and mapping technology for one of the most technological marriage proposals yet.

During his journey through Japan, the artist traveled over 4,349 miles in six months. The majority of his trip was done on foot in order to go the route he intended for the proposal, but some of it was done by bicycle, ferry and car. He went from Hokkaido Island on to Hyodo Cliff, and ended at Kyushu Island.

When asked about his idea to propose in this way, Takahashi said: “I wanted to write the world’s biggest proposal, and I found GPS drawing was the way to do it.”

It didn’t hurt that Takahashi was not only an artist by trade, but was also up-to-date on tracking technology at that time. In 2008, people were only beginning to discover how much you could do with GPS technology, and Takahashi knew exactly what he wanted to do with it. Read the rest of this entry »

Upkeep, fuel, and driver pay for your fleet of business vehicles are expensive. When you plan the routes, you reduce costs and speed delivery times. GPS, or global positioning system, tracking devices help you pick routes in the most optimal way possible, allowing you to manage your fleet of vehicles more efficiently.

Here are a look at five key ways you can benefit by using GPS fleet tracking for your scheduling management.

#1. Pick the best route.

Making use of cloud technology and advanced devices, managers now get real-time scheduling and route planning data. The current status of a worker or truck is available instantly, letting a manager make adjustments moment-to-moment. Even at commuter rush hour, it is easy to choose the most optimal route.

GPS technology offers advanced geo-location, 3D mapping and telematics that let dispatchers plan journeys to save gas, reduce wear and tear and speed delivery times Read the rest of this entry »

Some of the illegal immigrants caught crossing the border from Mexico into the United States are avoiding jail time by being outfitted with GPS trackers by the Department of Homeland Security, or DHS.

Outfitting them with ankle monitors costs the government $3.50 a day for each person, with an enrollment fee of $19.50. Jail costs about $119 a day.

The program, still in the beginning stages, is named RGV 250. Since December, the program has started monitoring heads of families who were caught entering via the Rio Grande Valley illegally. The pilot project will eventually be tracking 250 in this testing phase.

Each person was fitted with an ankle bracelet and given a notice of summons to report back. The Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, is recording how soon detainees respond to a summons. If the program proves successful, the goal is to expand the program to 29,000 by the end of 2015. Read the rest of this entry »