Personnel Tracking devices to the rescue

Although the world has become a much smaller place in terms of being able to get around it has also become the unknown to many who have to travel to remote places with their work.

Remote workers travel to places that they are often unfamiliar with. This can either be in his or her own country or the other side of the world.

Many responsible companies now provide their remote workers with personnel tracking devices. These are small units built on GPS technology that allow the company to be able to monitor the whereabouts of their employees and they give the employee the facility to raise a alarm at the touch of a button should they run into trouble.

The devices are small and therefore very discrete. Because they rely on satellite technology there are no problems with cell coverage like you would have with a mobile phone, and they can literally be used anywhere in the world.

Personnel tracking devices are ideal for remote workers in the aid sector who are often based in a foreign country, in what can be very hostile conditions. The aid workers put their own lives on the line to go and help others who need food, education or just help rebuilding a community. In some cases small villages, where remote workers have been based have been set upon by hostiles and lives have been taken. With Personnel Tracking devices and crisis management solutions this can be avoided. Personnel Tracking devices are like having a third eye overlooking the surrounding area, giving your employees a much better chance of survival in these remote, potentially hostile situations.

Employees who travel a lot can also benefit from tracking devices. This will help the employers realise if there is a problem getting to the employees destination, such as a breakdown or a hijack. Very often the vehicle used to travel will also be fitted with a GPS tracking device to help monitor the asset.

Should an employee be kidnapped the tracking devices are very often small enough to remain undetected and they give the employers a very good chance of finding and aiding the employee before it is potentially too late.

5 applications of GPS Technology to assist with Crisis Management

Crisis Management is an important process for any business to go through. It’s of even more importance for those working in remote locations such as aid workers, personnel on business trips of troops at war.

GPS Technology has been able to provide us with hugely improved intelligence with regards to the whereabouts of not only your personnel but also the location of potential conflict that could create a crisis situation.

GPS Technology isn’t limited to people. It can also be used on vehicles and also on buildings.

Here are 5 possible applications of GPS Technology in scenarios where it can assist with Crisis Management.

1) Remote Aid Workers. Tracking Personnel working in remote locations is essential to any operation. Working overseas in hostile countries brings high risks that need to be managed to avoid them turning into a crisis. GPS Technology can help keep the remote personnel in touch with a central base through location management and communication devices.

2) Convoy Tracking. Convoys transporting goods, either food or technology (or even people) can be tracked using GPS technology. This is ideal to prevent ambush or hijacking of the convoy.

3) Maritime Tracking. Boats or ships out at sea can easily become ‘lost’ in terms of knowing where they are. This is where GPS tracking can help. Because there are no obstructions out at sea there is always a clear line of communication to the satellites so it’s a reliable technology to use.

4) Military Tracking. Similar to the remote aid workers, GPS Technology can greatly assist the Army by becoming a third eye. It can help a central communications base keep in touch with those on the ground and advise of locations of potential conflict.

5) Aircraft Tracking. Because GPS technology uses Satellites to communicate with devices it is ideal for Aircraft tracking. Before GPS aircraft would have to rely on radar, which had limited coverage, where as now the locations of aircraft can be managed all over the world. Should a plane go down it is also possible to pinpoint the exact location of the aircraft if the GPS device was still intact.

It’s very possible for multiple tracking devices to be used in one scenario. For example where a vehicle may be fitted with a GPS device the personnel on board could also have their own individual tracking devices.

How GPS Technology in Convoys helps to avoid potential Crisis

Convoys that operate in remote locations are often up against the risk of potential crisis. Crisis in this situation could be simply breaking down in the middle of nowhere with trucks full of food, or even worse, it could be in the form of a hijack putting both the goods and personnel at risk.

Although its very difficult to put measures in place to prevent these types of things happening a risk assessment will be carried out prior to any potential journey. In the event that a risk is breached the situation turns into a crisis, and it’s down to a crisis management team to act quickly to avert danger and keep the convoy moving in one piece.

GPS Technology has been a huge plus in convoy and transportation, especially in high-risk situations such as war and remote aid work.

By simply fitting a small device to a lorry, van or truck, a central location can manage and monitor the position of the convoy throughout its journey. Satellite technology is of huge importance in remote locations, where there are no cell towers, and the line of sight to the Satellites is largely uninterrupted making it a very reliable and powerful tool.

A GPS Crisis Management solution can also be used as a risk management tool. For example, it should be fairly easy to locate the position of an enemy approaching the convoy and advise the drivers via a satellite communications device, usually known as a satellite phone.

Essentially Crisis Management is all about reacting to a hostile situation once it has occurred. The Risk Management element is how the potential crisis is avoided. Naturally if everything goes to plan with the risk management then a crisis may never occur, but a crisis management plan should always be put in place just in case.

Convoy Tracking is just one of many applications of GPS tracking and Crisis Management technology in remote locations. The use of this technology is limitless and can usually be adapted to any situation where there is a risk of hostility towards people or assets.

Crisis Management in war. Technology on your side

No matter what line of work you are in, you never quite know when Crisis might strike, and when that Crisis Management Plan that you have been putting together and tweaking for the last 5 years might need to be called upon.

You never really know what to expect with a crisis, and each crisis brings about its own set of challenges. It’s important that any Crisis Management plan can adapt to these situations.

One of the static variables in Crisis Management is the use of GPS technology.
It may sound like simple common sense, but management of Crisis in hostile situations in remote locations is massively aided by the use of Global Positioning Satellite technology.

Through the use of handheld tracking and communication devices, vehicle tracking devices , aircraft tracking devices and maritime tracking devices your central command post can monitor and advise from a safe distance with reliable intelligence to relay to troops on the ground.
For example, a group of soldiers on the ground might be trapped in a compound. Without GPS tracking they are totally blind and unaware of what is going on around them. With a GPS Crisis Management solution in place they can have eyes looking over them from afar, advising them of advancing enemy troops and hopefully finding them a passage to safety.

Another example of GPS tracking within a war zone is on a convoy. Convoys could be transporting anything from troops to food, and the enemy soldiers will do everything in their power to disrupt this. With a convoy-tracking device in place the central command post can ensure that the convoy keeps moving through a safe passage to its destination.

We tend to take GPS devices for granted these days, having satellite navigation technology in our phones and cars, but there is real, life saving value in these devices when it comes to hostile situations and managing crisis. It makes you wonder how wars were fought without it because it seems incomprehensible that troops on the ground would be out there operating, effectively blind to what is going on around them and where the enemy are positioned.

Crisis Management Tools for Remote Workers

Remote workers, such as military personnel or aid workers, are constantly putting their own lives in danger. Often working in a foreign environment it is imperative thaeepi these workers have the tools they need to manage high risk and crisis situations at all times.

So what is a crisis management tool? It is simply a device that allows remote workers to communicate back to a central command post. The tool may be a handheld device, or a piece of technology fitted to a vehicle (a truck, a plane or even a boat) that allows a central team to be able to monitor the location of, and communicate with personnel on the ground.

Crisis Management Systems are made up of a number of different platforms.

For example, the personnel need to have a device from which they can communicate both verbally and also in a positional sense. This information is then relayed back to the central base where it is interpreted by Crisis Management software. This software allows the central team to analyze the risk and make informed decisions to help manage the current situation.

One of the most important tools in a crisis management situation is the people. The people who use the Crisis Management tools in order to make decisions that can affect the outcome of the crisis. It is imperative that the personnel are all trained and made aware of the crisis management policies.

Investment in Crisis Management should be a number one priority, both in technology and training. Basically, to put it simply, all bases need to be covered and the personnel need to be able to adapt their training to real life situations as the crisis occurs.

A crisis is never a planned event, and so its important that training is given to help personnel adapt to any given situation. It’s all about making informed decisions that can help to save the lives of those on the ground. Through good training, reliable communication devices and a good software platform there is no reason why crisis management can not help diffuse a hostile situation and save lives.

The role of GPS Technology in war

Via a network of satellites that orbit about the Earth GPS, otherwise known as Global Positioning System, technology helps central communication bases to locate the exact positions of troops, convoys, aircrafts and maritime vessels on the ground. GPS devices that utilize the technology are the perfect companion for those working in areas of conflict, namely War zones, as a close eye can be kept on troops from a distance. GPS technology plays a major part in any crisis management situation.

GPS Technology can help to prevent crisis, and in the event of a crisis situation breaking out it helps to manage the crisis by advising the central comms base of the position of the forces on the ground and how they can quickly find their way to safety.

Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) technology isn’t new. In fact, it was in use back in the 1940’s during World War II. Nowadays GPS devices can be so small that they can be carried around on personnel, much like a pager or mobile phone device.

Most people commonly associate GPS technology with satellite navigation in their cars and they don’t often see past this and how the technology can be used to help save lifes in conflict situations.

Satellite technology plays a huge part in war. Not only through the tracking personnel and hardware but also through communication. A Satellite phone can help teams communicate even in the most remote of locations by using the earths orbiting satellites instead of standard cell towers. Satellite phones are ideal in war scenarios as they are often very sparse and open and there is very little to interfere with the satellite communication link (and they are very difficult to cut off as far as the enemy goes!)

In summary, GPS Technology now acts an as overseeing pair of eyes for the military. Without it the troops on the ground would essentially be blind (in modern day terms), but with the use of technology the central command point can now easily communicate with the troops whilst also monitoring their location and helping them avoid conflict and potential crisis. It has become an essential and very important tool that helps to save lives.

Managing Risk and Crisis Management

If you work in an environment that offers a high risk to personnel it’s important that you are aware of Risk Management and Crisis Management procedures within your organisation.

What is the difference between Risk management and Crisis Management?

Risk Management is the simple procedure of identifying where issues might arise and putting procedures in place to prevent them from happening. In the workplace this might be as simple as providing goggles or protective clothing to workers. In more extreme conditions, for example convoy tracking in foreign countries, it might be installing GPS tracking technology into vehicles to help avoid serious conflict situations.

Crisis Management is the plan of action that is put in place should Risk Management plans not work as effective as they should. Once a situation turns into a crisis, the Crisis Management plan kicks into place.

So what makes a good Crisis Management plan?

In any crisis communication is absolutely critical. Usually a designated team or individual will manage the crisis from a central point and its imperative that information is relayed to the crisis management team to enable them to asses the situation and quickly make decisions. The time of decision-making is paramount. A few seconds here and there could make the difference between saving or losing a human life.

Risk Management and Crisis management should never be taken lightly. Many organisations have a dedicated team that constantly look at ways to prevent crisis, or manage crisis in the unfortunate event of it happening. The use of technology (hand held Radios, GPS tracking etc) has made Crisis Management very effective over the last few years. If you work with remote workers, aid workers or have convoy travelling on foreign land you should ensure that you are using the latest technology.

Although the price of Crisis Management technology has come down significantly over the last few years it might still be considered expensive. But then what is the cost of human life? Think about it.