We use fences for protection virtually every day. They deter criminals from entering homes and businesses. They also keep children and pets from wandering away from the backyard and into the street. Fences provide a measure of safety. Not all fences are physical, though. Virtual fences can provide protection, too. Geofencing is one method of virtual fencing that provides safety in the real world.
What is Geofencing?
Geofencing is the act of creating a virtual boundary, or “fence,” around a certain area. You can maintain your geofencing boundaries with GPS tracking. One might set up a geofence around a school zone, a neighborhood, or several other types of areas.
How Does It Work?
Geofencing starts with determining your boundaries. You use your GPS tracking system to set up your fence around your pre-determined area. The next step comes from software. Geofencers use software to receive alerts when a GPS tracker enters or exits the fenced-in area. This tracker could be carried by a person, or attached to a vehicle or other asset.
Who Can Use Geofencing?
The short answer is: anybody. GPS tracking used to be expensive and complicated. Only the most tech-savvy people could set up geofences. Tech-heavy businesses would use geofencing for different reasons, but the average person wouldn’t have had access to the software. Today, though, anybody who wants to use GPS tracking can set up virtual fences of their own. The software has become much more intuitive and user-friendly, and people have come up with several uses and benefits for the technology.
Why Use Geofencing?
Anybody can use this type of GPS tracking, and there are many different uses for it. A farmer might put GPS trackers on cows, for example, and receive an alert when a cow wanders too far. Police departments can place geofences around the homes of somebody on house arrest to make sure the convicted person doesn’t leave the designated parameters. Geofencing can also keep registered sex offenders away from school zones. Parents can establish geofences, too. If you want to give your kids more independence and safe parameters at the same time, you can set up a geofence with your children. Geofencing has a multitude of potential uses. Essentially, it’s only limitation is the boundary that you choose.
Tracking the World
Do you want to try geofencing for yourself? Tracking the World can help get you started. Tracking the World has over a decade of experience in GPS tracking solutions. We help with law enforcement, government, and private citizen GPS tracking needs. Contact us today if you’re interested in GPS tracking and geofencing.
You’ve probably seen them in your own community…large metal bins for dropping off clothing donations. As it turns out, not even donations given in good will are exempt from those who rummage through clothing bins in hopes of reselling or keeping the goods. One Baltimore company, that originally thought donations were down, has successfully retrieved stolen goods, and led authorities to recycled clothing thieves with the help of GPS tracking software— and in the process found out that donations weren’t down after all. By placing GPS tracking devices in various clothing items–in pockets, liners, etc., and using GPS tracking software, the company has successfully retrieved several batches of stolen clothing. Company officials use geofencing, a feature of the tracking software to receive cell phone alerts whenever one of their GPS tracking devices leaves the immediate area of the clothing collection bins. The clothing collected by the company is bailed and then shipped to third world countries.
Source: http://www.wbaltv.com/news/donation-bin-company-uses-gps-to-stop-thefts/26419958#!Yy8jc