We certainly understand the benefits of GPS tracking devices that are both compact and lightweight. But, do you think it’s possible to build a GPS tracker that’s small enough and light enough to be carried on the back of a bumble bee? Funded by a $500-thousand dollar grant from the Department of Agriculture, Oregon State University is working on the development of GPS trackers to track the movements of bumblebees with the goal of better understanding the dramatic decline of bee populations in recent years. The development of the GPS tracking device for bees will take 1-2 years. Without bee pollination, it is estimated that one-third of the world’s food supply would not exist. Read the full article about GPS tracking and bees.
As we have mentioned before, the GPS tracking industry continues to grow rapidly. We just found a new CBS report that profiles some of the ways individuals and businesses are using tracking devices and GPS tracking software to their advantage. Here are just a few mentioned in the article, plus some of our own:
- GPS tracking for teachers in school emergencies
- Devices which allow police officers to deploy a GPS tracking device that affixes to a fleeing vehicle to avoid dangerous pursuits.
- GPS trackers “built-in” to school uniforms
- GPS shoes
- Tracking devices for school buses
- GPS tracking for playing golf
- GPS trackers in the NFL
- Tracking technology for environmental causes
Read the entire CBS report on GPS tracking.
Get more GPS tracking news and offers when you subscribe to TTW!
Enduro Pro GPS Tracking Device
TrackingTheWorld’s all-weather EnduroPro GPS tracker offers an ideal choice for extreme weather conditions, from recent summer heat waves to below zero temperatures. Designed to provide accurate and reliable reporting in the most extreme conditions ranging from -40° to 185° Fahrenheit, the EnduroPro is also water-resistant to IPX-5 standards.
The Enduro Pro offers features not typically found on GPS tracking systems in the same price range and of comparable size. Gilbert Walz, CEO of TrackingTheWorld, said the tracker is also known for its versatility. “The EnduroPro tracker is used for a number of applications, including asset tracking, covert tracking, and personal protection.”
Time to first fix for the Enduro Pro is 29-seconds from a cold start, and less than one second from a hot start. The tracker includes a built-in motion sensor to extend battery life, which powers down the tracker when it is not in motion, resulting in one of the longest battery lives available for trackers of similar size. The device is equipped to operate for up to 16-days on a single charge based on five minute reporting intervals and one hour of reporting per day.
An ultra-compact tracker, the EnduroPro weighs 60-grams, and measures 67.5mm x 40mm x 21mm. Additional technical specifications include Quad-Band 850/900/1800/190MHz operation, GSM phase 2/2+ compliance, a 1300mAh, 3.7V Li-polymer backup battery, 50-channel all-in-view tracking, and a uBlox 6 GPS receiver. Designed for use with TrackingTheWorld’s GPS tracking software, the Enduro Pro provides fixed-time reporting, geo-fencing, emergency alerts, and customized reporting options.
Interface options include a mini-USB port for PC connection, an LED indicator for power, GSM, and GPS statuses, power and function buttons, and an MMCX RF connector for utilization of an external GPS antenna.
Here are our favorite GPS tracking news stories for Friday, June 7, 2013:
GPS Inventor Says Self-Driving Cars to Come
Brad Parkinson, former United States Air Force colonel credited with the invention of GPS, says that the future of GPS tracking technology is self-driving cars. Due to the advancement of GPS tracking technology, Parkinson said self driving cars could be just a few years away–especially since companies like Google are already testing them. Parkinson is now a professor at Stanford.
Source: http://www.cnn.com/2013/06/07/tech/self-driving-cars-inventor-gps/
GPS Technology for Tsunami Warning Systems
The BBC recently reported that GPS tracking technology may soon be used to increase early warning time in the event of tsunamis caused by earthquakes. According to the report, GPS will be used to measure even the slightest changes in the geography of the coastlines in countries most likely to be affected by tsunamis to provide faster warnings than current tsunami warning systems which use seismic activity data.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-22572096
NASA Working On GPS for Navigating Space
Popular Science reports that NASA is developing an “intergalactic” GPS system aimed at facilitating space travel anywhere in the universe. Navigation for space travel currently relies on radio signals sent from Earth, but those signals weaken with distance. The GPS project is designed to rely on light beams produced by neutron stars known as pulsars which spin rapidly and emit steady beams of light.
Source: http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2013-06/nasa-working-intergalactic-gps
Australian officials have turned to GPS tracking units to track and monitor the whereabouts of a flying fox in hopes of learning more about the transmission of the Hendra virus and reducing its spread to other species of bats and horses.
The GPS tracker unit will track the feeding, sleeping and flying time of the flying fox. Flying foxes are one of more than 60-species of bats in Australia , and include 4 of the world’s largest bats. Queensland has reported 11 horse deaths due to the Hendra virus this year.
Source: http://news.ninemsn.com.au/technology/8289714/flying-foxes-being-tracked-with-gps
Read more about GPS tracking or visit our home page at http://www.trackingtheworld.com.
