GPS tracking devices are helping to find illegal loggers in the Brazil rainforest.

Illegal logging is a major problem in many rainforests around the world, including Brazil. The greatest rainforest to many is, of course, in the Amazon, and regardless of the deforestation laws, illegal loggers are still managing to cut down trees there — and get away from local law enforcement.

However, technology is now helping to track these logging thieves down, in hopes that more of the rainforest can be saved from illegal logging practices.

The tracking of illegal loggers is being carried out by rainforest activists. The rainforest activists went to Para, regardless of the tricky and dangerous areas, undercover, in order to place GPS tracking devices on trucks.

By going undercover, they found out who was suspicious and might be logging illegally in the rainforest. Once the GPS tracking devices were on the suspected illegal logging trucks, the investigators were able to examine the route they took in the rainforest. Read the rest of this entry »

We’re in the midst of the busy holiday travel season, so it’s a good time to talk about suitcases.

Technology and travel combine with the new travel suitcases that are built with everything from GPS tracking to smartphone technology.

Suitcases have been becoming more technologically advanced for a few years now, and the newest ones are no exception. They won’t just keep your belongings in one place, allowing you to travel by plane or car safely, but they also provide extra benefits via your smartphone and GPS tracking technology.

A new high-tech “smart luggage” suitcase in the works is called Bluesmart, and can work with an iOS smartphone, like an iPhone, or an Android phone. It is specifically designed for traveling by plane as there is a feature that lets you connect the main suitcase with your carry-on luggage. While it is still just a prototype, the creators of Bluesmart soon hope to make a working model. Read the rest of this entry »

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 »