A local southern California high school district is now using GPS to track middle school students that regularly ditch class.  As of now this is a voluntary program offered as an alternative to detention,  fines, or in extreme cases even time in juvenile hall.  There are currently 75 students enrolled in this program, who are required to carry a large GPS device and use it to transmit there location 5 times throughout the school day.  This program is costing the school around $8 per day for each student enrolled.

 My question here is, what is going to keep these students from handing the device off to a friend, and having them check in instead? 

I am glad to see schools coming up with new ideas to try and encourage students to attend class, is this the best way to do it?  I will let you be the judge of that.

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The minute your child is born, you feel an intense responsibility for ensuring he or she has a safe and happy childhood. When they are in grade school you let them begin to venture beyond the yard, and later in junior high school they may be allowed to go shopping with friends. The teenage years bring brand new worries to you as a parent as soon as they learn to drive. They have complete freedom once they begin to drive and the consequences of their behaviors turn potentially life threatening.

While you want to trust your teenagers to make the right decisions and follow your examples, the simple fact is that they probably will make poor choices at times, as part of learning and growing up. If those poor decisions could jeopardize their health and safety, you do not want to find out about them too late. A GPS tracking system installed in your car or the car that your teenager drives can assist you to monitor their activities whenever they are out of your sight.

A vehicle tracking system that is installed in the car cannot be removed or turned off. It will allow you to monitor as much or as little of their actions as you desire. With your own personal web access, you can track the exact location and movement of the car every second. While most parents do not have time or the need for that level of monitoring, it also provides a historical playback feature that can be viewed for up to 90 days. This could allow you to see exactly where your teenager has been during that time. Read the rest of this entry »

Using GPS tracking to retrieve a stolen cell phone is old news, as is using the built in GPS tracking system in your vehicle to get it back after it’s been stolen. Using GPS tracking to retrieve a hi-definition television set, on the other hand, or your computer, or prized antique furniture, is still a relatively new idea to the average person.

This is where consumer-grade anti-theft GPS devices like the DeWalt DS500, the Live Trac PT-10 and the RTV5 come in.

Some of these devices go beyond simply tracking. The DeWalt DS500 Mobile Lock, for instance, will contact up to three people via phone and email if the item it’s attached to is moved. This allows you to contact the police immediately. The G5 and PT-10 are live trackers, meaning that you’ll be able to see exactly where your property is from second to second. Read the rest of this entry »

Today, many people use GPS tracking systems for a variety of purposes, GPS tracking is a fairly new technology that was virtually unheard of 5 years ago. 

What is a GPS tracking System?

GPS stands for (Global Positioning System). It is a satellite navigation system that broadcast location information (latitude and longitude, speed, heading, altitude, etc) across the planet.  The GPS system uses more than 24 global positioning satellites that are orbiting the earth.

How does it work?

The satellites are positioned in each of six orbital planes. The GPS is the world’s only working satellite-based navigational system.  Each satellite moves in the orbit of the planet. It transmits radio signals, which are involved in determining identifying the location, direction, and speed of vehicles equipped with GPS receivers.  These radio signals contain the satellite’s position and time of transmission of the satellite. The GPS receiver evaluates its position by the reading of the signals.  This is calculated by using the data of the positions of the transmitting satellites and the signal’s travel time. After installing the vehicle with a GPS tracking system, a tracking unit is integrated with a GPS. The signal from the navigation system helps a driver to find a location.  Now, it is able to locate the precise position of the vehicle. GPS tracking systems can display information in real-time also. There is a map displayed that will show the current location of the object. The location of the object can be recorded at regular time intervals. Read the rest of this entry »