If you are wondering how in the world asthma has anything to do with GPS technology, you’re not alone. As strange as it sounds, David Van Sickle of the University of Wisconsin has combined GPS technology with an asthma inhaler in the hopes of better understanding asthma and what triggers it.
Van Sickle is a scholar in U of W’s Department of Population Health Sciences and his goal is to discover the danger zones that could be life-threatening to asthma sufferers. The project is in its infancy, but he hopes that some day his work will help researchers find out exactly why individuals get asthma.
The asthma inhaler will have a GPS unit built into it. Each time the person uses the inhaler, the location will be tagged by the GPS unit. The researchers will keep a record of where the asthma attacks take place and will designate these locations as potential danger zones. This data will be collected for a large group of participants and hopefully patterns will emerge.
The end-goal is to save lives and perhaps even assist scientists in discovering why people have asthma at all.
Just when you thought it couldn’t get any better, Google strikes again. GPS users can now connect their device to a computer and import waypoint and track data into Google Earth, adding a whole new dimension to your latest travel adventure.
Plug-in applications like Goops, GPS 2 Google Earth, GPS Visualizer, Franson GpsGate and Earth Bridge, among others, enable real-time tracking and navigation, allowing you to see where you are in real-time and track where you have been. Most of these applications can also display timestamps and even the speed you were traveling during your trip.
These plug-ins work with most GPS devices, and can create and save trip files in Google Earth (KML format), so that you can share them with your family and friends. Retaining internet connectivity to view your trips isn’t necessary, as Google Earth will display the most recent images stored in the cache on your computer.
The partnership of these technological tools is natural and the future uses are limitless—from planning your next sightseeing trip to plotting water sources in areas of severe drought and everything in between.
Users new to GPS tracking systems and technology can access www.GPS.gov, a U.S. government-run website filled with information about the many GPS applications currently being used throughout the national and international communities.
This website is a vital resource that provides detailed descriptions of the many uses of GPS, in plain speak, for even the most unseasoned user to understand. While this site is clearly government maintained, it does not get lost in confusing acronyms and head-spinning technical jargon.
Several of the current GPS applications are well-known, such as using GPS receivers in your car, handheld devices while hiking, and tracking transportation and infrastructural problems. Other applications, like precision farming and analyzing environmental issues in remote areas, are less common, but no less important.
The website also offers helpful links to civilian and military support through the U.S. Coast Guard GPS Navigation Center and Department of Defense’s Global Positioning System Operations Center, and aviation support through the FAA’s Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) Program Office. In addition, a link to the National Executive Committee for Space-Based Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) website gives information on current policy and oversight.
If you want to know the latest GPS and GNSS news, GPS World Magazine has their finger firmly on the pulse of this continuously growing industry. The publication doesn’t just cater to the home user, but encompasses the business and government sectors as well to give you the full spectrum in all things GPS.
Recent featured articles have covered varied topics—from sensitive data security and accessibility on the business level, to precise point positioning (PPP) performance and limitations, to vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communication-based advanced driver assistance programs, and everything in between. New GPS devices and gadgets are introduced, and the latest technological and industry news are regular staples for the publication.
GPS World Magazine offers both print and digital versions of their monthly publication free to qualified U.S. and Canadian subscribers (international residents must pay for a subscription to the printed magazine).
GPS World’s companion website, www.gpsworld.com, is chock full of extras not featured in the print version of the publication, such as a Buyers Guide, Career Locator, and a full complement of archived issues from the last several years.
Parent-set curfews and agreements with their teenage children are neither always enforced nor adhered to. Eager for new experiences, and sometimes, the sheer need to defy parental authority to assert themselves, teenagers hide behind pretenses and be where their parents don’t want them to be. It’s a good thing that today, tracking teens with GPS is now possible, affordable, and easy to do. GPS stands for global positioning system, which uses satellite technology and radiowaves as a means to track where your teens are by placing a small GPS receiver on their person, the vehicle they are using, or both. The key to this teenage low jack, as some call it, is for the teenager to not know where the GPS receiver is. Otherwise, he or she will spend time finding and removing it.
Various GPS devices come in many forms, some powerful and reliable and because of that, a bit bulky; others small and convenient, non-descript, easily ignored in a glove compartment, or passed on as a keepsake or a keychain. Placing multiple GPS receivers on your teenager’s bag and car is often the best strategy. On your GPS tracker, you can easily tell where he or she is at any time, catching a white lie in the process. Your kids may find this annoying, however their safety is typically your primary concern.
In today’s high tech world there are many electronic gadgets made for anything you can think of including keeping track of your valuables. The Global Positioning System or the GPS is one such device and there are a lot of different uses for GPS tracking devices than just downloading and saving maps from the satellite.
Some of the more popular uses of the GPS include wildlife tracking, employee position reporting, surveillance, vehicle tracking and inventory tracking. There is a practical use for GPS technology in every industry. GPS tracking devices are currently used by both public and private agencies for a variety of tasks.
GPS tracking systems are particularly helpful in keeping track of endangered animals in the wild to monitor their migration patterns. GPS technology is also used by the military, police and even private agencies. They can keep track of people wherever they are in the world. Companies are also using GPS technology to keep track of their vehicles, equipment and other assets in an effort minimize potential property losses.
GPS tracking devices are also useful as personal security devices. Parents enjoy the extra security in having their children wear clothing items or jewelry that contain sophisticated GPS tracking devices so they can locate their children if they become lost. You can also embed a small GPS locating device into you luggage or a laptop computer and be able to track its exact location. These are items that are prone to theft and through an embedded GPS tracking device you can find it wherever it goes.
Today the use of GPS tracking systems by businesses and individuals continues to increase. This is mostly due to the fact that the technology has rapidly evolved enabling far more options in size, range and reliability.
GPS technology has been so effective that its use among military, law enforcement and asset management professionals is indispensable. GPS tracking devices help save lives, fight crime, locate valuable property and increase the overall safety and security of companies and families.
Both private and public investigative agencies have relied on GPS tracking systems to help them gather necessary, actionable evidence about sexual predators, cheating spouses, wrongful use of equipment and vehicles, child custody violations, embezzlement, insurance fraud and many other improprieties.
However there are a lot of states and local governments that have passed laws in order to limit the use of GPS tracking systems on private vehicles. The accepted rule in using GPS for a private citizen is that anyone can use this device on vehicles that they own, lease or rent.
However, before purchasing and using a GPS device, it is best to consult your state’s attorney general office just to make sure you’re not violating any state law. Violations can result in serious legal liabilities and inconveniences to anyone.
Learning how to drive is one of the most important events in a teenager’s life and most of the time they can’t wait to do it. The new independence and responsibility are a huge stepping stone for them on their way to young adulthood. While this experience can be exciting for teens, the same cannot always be said for the parents.
In addition to the usual list of safety concerns parents have to worry about, the thought of their teens behind the wheel opens up a whole new level of anxiety. This is why you should consider installing a GPS tracking system in the vehicle your teenager will be using. This provides parents with some peace of mind since they will know where the vehicle is at all times.
Some parents also choose to use hidden GPS devices to track their teens. These devices are popular because your child is not always going to be in the car when they are outside of your jurisdiction. The great advantage of using a hidden GPS tracking device is that they are usually so small that you can hide them anywhere inside your teenager’s car. Popular locations include the glove compartment, under the seat, inside an armrest or just about anywhere else inside the car.
There are even GPS tracking devices that are identical to key fobs so that it looks like it belongs to one of the cars. These are great because your teen will keep the device with them when they are away from the vehicle. This is especially helpful if they park their car and get inside someone else’s.
Global Positioning System or GPS started becoming available to the general public back in the 1980’s. In the beginning, the GPS tracking system was developed by the US Department of Defense for exclusive use by the military. Eventually it became a common, widespread, and easy to implement technology for both commercial and non-commercial uses.
This technology paved the way for using GPS fleet tracking for transportation, freight and other companies who own a large number of fleet vehicles like trucking companies and taxi services. These companies use GPS tracking devices to track where their drivers and vehicles are located at any given time.
Aside from monitoring their drivers and their vehicles, companies use GPS as a safety precaution just in case any of their vehicles gets stolen. The GPS can also be used by drivers to call for help during emergencies and having a reliable GPS tracking system makes it easier for companies to find the location of the vehicle in question.
One of the most well known consumer uses of GPS tracking devices are the popular dashboard-mounted navigation systems. These are great tools for people in need of digital mapping to their desired destinations. Another popular use of GPS technology comes in the form of personal GPS tracking devices. These can be used for everything from personal safety to teen or spouse tracking to asset management.
Whatever your GPS needs are, www.TrackingTheWorld.com is the place to visit to obtain the appropriate GPS device to meet your requirements.
