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 »

GLONASS, the Russian version of our GPS used for navigation and GPS tracking, suffered a significant setback when the Proton-M rocket carrying three of their navigational systems crashed almost immediately after takeoff.

The rocket burst into flames on live television just moments after takeoff landing a sharp not only to Russian plans for GLONASS, but also to the honor and prestige of the commercial space industry that has been quite lucrative.

For some, this incident has a feeling of deja-vu as a similar incident occurred in December 2010 when another Proton-M meant to carry three satellites into orbit crashed into the Pacific Ocean.

Proton failure has been a persistent problem over the years and blamed for the 2010 incident, an August 2011 satellite failure, and another failed launch in August 2012. This crash resulted in the loss of two communication satellites.

The latest incident occurred at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Unfortunately, the debris from the crash combined with the 600 tons of toxic fuel has spurred concerns over contamination of the steppe surrounding the facility. Stores were order closed as was public eating establishments. Locals were asked to stay indoors with windows closed.

The crash happened 17 seconds into the flight, according to the Russian Space Agency and crashed in a giant fireball just over a mile from the launch pad.

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