Back in January 2016, Sam Metcalf from the Sparwood Fish and Wildlife Association teamed up with certified biologist Kim Poole to shed some light on elk migration issues in the Sparwood area. The team collared 50 elk with GPS tracking to monitor track their movements and locations for a period of three years, with a view to collaring ten more in the future. The main point of the project being to gain an improved understanding of why more elks are following a homesteader trend rather than being migratory.

The information the team are searching for is focused on identifying elk migratory patterns. Specifically, looking at any differences the animals made in past migrations.

For example, many years ago, during summer, many elk trekked up into the mountains. However, nowadays, many stay down in the fields and valleys. Based on their research so far, as many as a quarter to a third of the animals leave the area during the summer months.

The team is also studying the elk population in terms of management. They have a goal to find out how to best manage the animals in the future, for example, to ensure that people only hunt in certain areas to maintain the natural balance.

The Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations has fully supported the project, which was set in motion in the summer and fall of 2015. The body is particularly interested in the potential of managing the elk and ensuring they’re targeting the right animals. They need to ensure they’re not placing an emphasis on harvesting migratory animals, preferring to target residents.

The various pieces of information gathered by the study shows where the animals have been travelling and the number that are migrating contrasted to how many are not. Rates of mortality are also being recorded. Migratory elk are often prey for wolves, bears and other predators. Ones who live closer to town don’t run these same risks and have therefore risen in number. Some of the animals who were collared in 2016 have themselves been killed, either because of predators or vehicle strikes. Some have died of old age.

To fit the GPS tracking collars, the team uses alfalfa to lure the elk into humane traps. From there, one by one the animals are processed through a cattle squeeze. Next, a blood sample is taken, to determine if the females are pregnant at the time, a tracking collar is then fitted. Then, the animal’s overall health is checked before they’re released back into the wild.

Blood transporter companies carry the power of life and death, literally, to facilities across the country. The cargo you carry is precious and deserves to have every available protection, which is where GPS fleet tracking comes into the picture offering many benefits you may not have yet realized this type of tracking has to offer your transporter service.

Create Alerts that Notify Receiving Facilities if Transport is Delayed

This can be critical – especially when transporting rare blood types that are needed for surgeries or treatments. A delay in delivery could affect the start of a surgery or call for a postponement until the blood arrives. It can also encourage medical facilities to consider alternative arrangements as emergency precautions until the blood you’re transporting arrives.

Ensure the Proper Specimens are Delivered

Human error can cause costly errors. Using GPS tracking and scanning codes helps to verify that there are no mix-ups in the delivery process and that the proper blood specimens arrive at their intended locations. This protects your transportation company and can be crucial for saving lives.

Added Layer of Safety

Blood is a potential biohazard. If accidents happen while this precious cargo is being shipped, it’s important to notify proper authorities of the exact location and the nature of the cargo you’re transporting so they can take appropriate precautions in securing the scene. GPS tracking allows you to track these deliveries at every stage so that you can notify the proper authorities quickly and accurately if accidents occur.

Long Term Tracking

Not all blood and other specimens being transported is going to local facilities. Longer transport of blood requires efficient tracking systems that can operate for the duration of the delivery, which is why it’s important to utilize GPS tracking products that offer re-chargeable batteries that last for days. This allows you to monitor the progress of the delivery and verify receipt on the other end at any time during this span of time.

Establish a Geofence that Coordinates with the Prescribed Route

A geofence can be established according to your prescribed route with alerts set up to notify you if the package strays from the established path. This allows you to swiftly identify potential problems and take appropriate action to correct the problem.

Little things like this can make a huge difference for the security of your drivers, the reputation of your business, and the quick delivery of blood and other medical specimens at critical times.

If you own or operate a blood transportation fleet, contact us here at LiveViewGPS to learn how GPS fleet tracking can benefit your blood transport business.

Lost tools and the time spent searching for misplaced tools on job sites can put a substantial dent in your company’s bottom line. Even one single missing or damaged tool can add onto the time it takes to complete a task and boost the labor costs for a specific task by a wide margin.

When spread across a large project, it can add up to thousands of dollars in wasted labor. Not to mention it can cause your project timeline, schedule, and budget to be blown out of the water.  This is in addition to the costs of repairing or replacing your tools.

Using GPS equipment tracking for small tools is a great way to protect your investment in tools, keep your projects on target, and quickly locate missing or misplaced tools – increasing productivity, reducing costs, and keeping your projects finished on time creating happier customers. These are just a few ways GPS tracking for your small equipment and tools can help you boost your profits.

Locate Missing Tools Quickly

Small tools can easily be misplaced on job sites. They can get placed on the wrong trucks, not put back in the right location, or even go home attached to employees’ belt loops because they’ve forgotten they had them. Then, of course, there’s the outright theft of tools.

Things like nail guns, impact drivers, drills, and power planes for industrial use are small and can easily get lost amongst the many tools you have for business. GPS tracking allows you to pinpoint their locations so you can get back on task quickly – eliminating lost labor and the associated costs.

Identify Tools Stolen from Job Sites

There are many great things to keep in mind about GPS tracking for small tools. It’s not just about identifying their locations at any given time, which is essential for locating and recovering your missing tools. It is also about setting up notifications that send you text messages whenever these small tools leave their assigned job sites. This means that if they go home with an employee or are stolen and taken off your site, you can get fast notifications while the action is taken place. The ability to act quickly, is critical in the recovery of these costly tools and GPS tracking helps with that.

The bottom line is that GPS tracking for your worksite equipment and small tools means more money for you. It reduces expenses, labor, and tool loss and improves productivity on the job for everyone. The big question you need to ask yourself at this point is why haven’t you taken the plunge and made the investment in GPS tracking for your valuable tools.

To learn more about GPS equipment tracking, speak to one of our LiveViewGPS experts by calling 1-888-544-0494, emailing us at : info@liveviewgps.com, or completing our online form. We look forward to hearing from you.