Dangerous ash-filled clouds may soon have a new enemy –  GPS tracking technology.

Scientists are currently working on a new way to utilize GPS tracking technology in order to follow some dangerous clouds. These ash-filled clouds, or “volcanic clouds,” have the potential to, among other things, clog an airplane’s engines with their particles. This could mean an airplane starts plummeting with no other course of action.

The technology looks similar to the bars you see on your cell phone when you have a strong or weak signal. This new signal strength technology is used in conjunction with the intensity of the GPS signal, while trying to cut through the volcanic cloud’s large particle-filled plumes. The research in question was originally published in the Geophysical Research Letters journal.

The research for this new signal strength technology came shortly after a volcano in Iceland caused cancelled flights throughout Europe for almost a week. This was two years ago. The ash from the clouds caused too much interruption and made flying too dangerous. Read the rest of this entry »

GPS leads way to advanced asthma research with inhaler sensors.

The GPS sensors are being placed inside asthma sufferer’s inhalers so that their location is tracked when they have an asthma attack. This lets researchers know if any environmental concerns are triggering the attacks.

David Van Sickle, an epidemiologist, is at the head of the research with funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Shortly after receiving funding from the CDC, he funded Asthmapolis which is a company working on the GPS sensor in and device. It is a new inhaler with Bluetooth technology built in, specifically for the use of the study and collecting data. Read the rest of this entry »

A team of researchers from the University of Texas at Austin put on a great show for Homeland Security when they hacked a drone, owned by the school, with nothing more than a homemade tool for spoofing.

While representatives from Homeland Security watched, the research team used GPS spoofing in order to hijack an unmanned drone and compel it to do their bidding by providing new coordinates.

What is GPS Spoofing?

GPS spoofing is a fairly simply attack that tricks a GPS receiver by providing a more powerful signal than the one its receiving from GPS satellites. These signals closely resemble existing signals. They are then altered slightly in order to direct the device to the location the spoofers desire. Read the rest of this entry »

The cat’s out of the bag: New GPS study shows the startling maneuverability and acceleration of cheetahs.

It is no surprise that cheetah’s are the fastest animal on land. But before now, this was only an assumption and not a proven fact. But the newest GPS tracking technology has helped show conclusively that they are not only the fastest land animal on Earth, but to a shocking and insane degree.

Before GPS tracking led the way to measuring their speed, acceleration and maneuverability, it was only measured while cheetahs were held captive. While they have somewhat of a natural habitat, it wasn’t the ideal situation to truly get a measurement. So researchers at the Structure and Motion Laboratory at Royal Veterinary College (RVC) in London started a research study using GPS trackers. Read the rest of this entry »

Fuel costs remain at high levels. They can be a real budget buster for many small businesses. That’s why it’s so important for business owners to look for creative ways to save money on summertime fuel costs. Whether you’re in the business of making repairs, providing deliveries, or servicing other vehicles on the road, lowering your fuel costs is a great way to boost profitability for your business. GPS fleet tracking, like the Live Trac G5 Vehicle Tracking device, can be a vital tool in your efforts to lower your summertime operating costs in more ways than you may realize.

1) Drivers tend to slow down when they know they’re being monitored.

Knowing they’re being watched and monitored for safe driving practices encourages drivers to use reasonable speeds. What does this have to do with summertime fuel costs? Driving over the speed limit actually increases fuel consumption and costs. GPS monitoring forces drivers to make conscious decisions to drive slower or face serious consequences. Read the rest of this entry »