We’ve told you about the states with the most vehicles stolen, colors of vehicles most likely to be stolen, where motorcycles and watercraft are likely to be targets for thieves. Now, a new report by the NICB reveals the most stolen sport utility vehicles and crossover utility vehicles in the United States, looking at the makes and models, and what states they were stolen from.

The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) found that 21,711 sport utility vehicles (SUVs) and crossover utility vehicles (CUVs) were stolen between January 2010 and December 2013. They not only looked at the three years as a whole, but vehicles stolen in each year, what types of vehicles within these broader categories, their classifications, and the states that had the most thefts.

Classifications for SUVs included compact, midsize, large, premium and pickup SUVs, while CUV classifications included compact, midsize, large, and premium.

The NICB is a not-for-profit organization in the United States, and is headquarters in Des Plaines, Illinois. It is a leading organization in detecting and preventing insurance fraud, as well as vehicle theft. They provide various statistics and analytics, training, and public awareness. Read the rest of this entry »

GPS tracking technology is evolving at a rapid pace and making scientific discovery easier than it’s ever been before. One practical way it’s being used today is in the tracking of rehabilitated sea turtles.

This method is currently used in Australia, in the U.S. at the Gumbo Limbo Nature Center, as well as in European countries to track the movements of turtles that have been treated, rehabilitated, and then released back into the ocean.

Thanks to the efforts of young advocate, Isabel Dow, in Australia, a sea turtle named Gemma who had been admitted to the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital due to floating syndrome in September of 2013 was fitted with GPS trackers to help researchers understand her behaviors and motivations a little better.

Floating syndrome is a condition that prevents turtles from diving. When turtles can’t dive the ocean becomes a lonely and lethal environment for turtles who can no longer dive in order to feed, navigate via currents, or avoid predatory animals. Read the rest of this entry »

Odense, the third largest city in Denmark, has come up with an ingenious plan to track the whereabouts and congregation of the homeless population through the use of GPS tracking devices.

The plan is simple, homeless volunteers agree to carry the tracking device in their pockets for one week in exchange for three warm meal vouchers in exchange.

The small pilot program involves 20 volunteers and will specifically gather data on the places where the homeless eat and sleep as well as how they live.

Why is Odense going to all this trouble?

The GPS devices allow city planners to observe the normal activities of the homeless in hopes that they can provider shelters, coffee rooms, and warming areas in locations where they are needed most.

This also helps social workers know where the people who need their help most are generally located. In a city that had nearly 6,000 homeless in 2013 – 1,349 of which were between the ages of 18 and 24 (nearly double the homeless population in this age group from the year before), these services are sorely needed. Read the rest of this entry »

The Phoenix Business Journal reports that 69 percent of workers in the U.S. admit to wasting time on the clock daily. With payroll costs steadily rising in practically every industry, it makes perfect sense that employers are looking for new ways to eliminate waste and maximize productivity in your workplace.

GPS Tracking and the Law

Fortunately, technology is rising to the occasion and can provide you with many tools to help fill that need. Before you begin though, it’s important to understand your rights, risks, and responsibilities when it comes to tracking your employees with GPS.

At the moment, there is some degree of uncertainty about the side laws will eventually come down on. Technology is evolving faster than lawmakers are able to find common ground or agreement. One thing to remember is that there is a fine line between keeping track of employees in order to ensure they are where they are supposed to be and invading their privacy. Read the rest of this entry »

A park in Minnesota is undergoing a research project that is meant to protect people who are at risk of wandering from their park. They will use GPS tracking devices for this project.

In Twin Cities, Minnesota, a research team is utilizing the advanced technology of global positioning systems (GPS) and GPS tracking technology to locate visitors who might become lost. This typically includes people who visit their parks that are at a higher risk for wandering, such as those with Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, or autism.

“This technology is a great public safety tool,” said Three Rivers Police Chief Hugo McPhee. “It is ideal for guests with Alzheimer’s, dementia or autism — anyone who has the potential for wandering. With this tool, a vulnerable individual will be able to go camping and enjoy an outing with family, but at the same time the family can have peace of mind that their loved one won’t wander off.”

There are currently four gadgets that are being tested, each of which includes a personal GPS tracker that can be worn by the person that needs to be tracked. There is an alert, which sounds like an alarm, if that person wanders off too far. It also includes a GPS mapping tool that lets the caregiver see exactly where they have wandered off to, just in case they miss the first alarm. Read the rest of this entry »