GPS Tracking in the Work Place

GPS (Global Positioning System) Tracking technology was first introduced into systems used by the US Department of Defence back in 1973. Prior to that the technology had been undergoing design and investment dating back as far as the 1960s.   24 satellites were launched between 1989 and 1994 as the US declared that the technology was to be made available for civilian use in 1983.

GPS Technology allows us to pinpoint the exact location of devices, in real time, as they travel around the earth making it an ideal solution for tracking assets, vehicles and personnel.

The network of satellites that orbit the earth are still managed and maintained by the United States of America, but now used freely by the rest of the world.  Many manufacturers and resellers of GPS Tracking devices have no appeared on the market which has significantly driven down the cost of the technology and made it accessible to both businesses and consumers alike.

The GPS Tracking devices work by regularly sending co-ordinates to the network of satellites that are they relayed back to earth, sometimes to a central computer system.  This information can then be viewed by civilians using mapping software which allows them to visually determine the location of the device and asset / personnel that it is attached to.

So how do businesses benefit from GPS Tracking Technology?

Many people tend to think that business involves sitting behind a desk and working on a computer, but in reality a business could own thousands of vehicles or even have employees working in remote parts of the world.  This is where GPS can help.

Attaching a GPS Tracking device to any valuable asset, such as a vehicle or even consignment in delivery, means that the business is able to keep a track of, not only its current location, but where it has travelled during its journey.  It is able to calculate the average speed of the journey as well as identifying if it has gone off course or stopped for any lengthy period of time.  Vehicle Tracking devices can help to reduce the operating cost of your fleet.

GPS Tracking technology in company vehicles could not only help to reduce fuel costs (as employees know not to abuse the privilege of driving a company vehicle) but also help to reduce the insurance costs of the fleet as there is more of a chance of the vehicle being recovered in the unfortunate event that it is stolen,

For employees and personnel, GPS Tracking is particularly useful for remote workers.  A remote worker is defined as someone working away from the general place of business, so it could be a sales person visiting other companies 200 miles away or it could be an aid worker visiting a unfamiliar, unstable country thousands of miles away.

GPS Tracking technology can not only be used to react to situations, but also to help avoid potential risk.   Risk Management is an important part of any business as they have a duty of care to show for their employees, assets and customers.

GPS Technology can help businesses manage risk and also potentially save money for a relatively small investment.

Personnel Tracking aiding Remote Workers and Saving Lives

Many people live in a world without conflict, where they can go about their day to day lives without consequence. What they don’t always realise is that there are people who go to work every single day around the world that constantly put themselves in high risk situations in order to help or save others.

For remote workers, for example aid workers; it can be very difficult to perform your daily tasks knowing that you have to constantly look over your shoulder every 5 minutes in case a situation evolves. This is where Personnel Tracking devices can help.

Personnel tracking devices are small personal devices that can be carried around on the person (consider a pager for a guide on the size) and they can help central management teams monitor the locations of teams on the ground. Many personnel tracking devices on the market also act as panic alarms, so in the event of a crisis one quick engagement of the panic button and the central team is alerted of the situation.

Personnel tracking devices aren’t just for workers in the third world. Business travelers can also benefit from being monitored and security guards and government workers can also utilize the devices for their own safety.

Personnel tracking devices are often discrete in their appearance. It would normally be difficult to know if someone is carrying one or not.

Personnel Tracking devices that utilize GPS Satellite technology can be used anywhere in the world. This is because they use a network of satellites that orbit the earth, rather than local cell towers like traditional mobile phones.

Personnel Tracking devices put the employees mind at rest when working in high risk situations and they also let central management teams know the whereabouts of their employees. Personnel Tracking devices play a huge part in crisis management and can help save lives.

Crisis Management Technology saves the day!

At times the world can be a tense place, where conflict occurs and the potential for loss of life becomes real. At times like this risk management and crisis management plans need to be put into place to ensure that the lid is kept on potential issues to ensure that crisis plans remain dormant.

Taking safety for granted is a non-starter. Consider aid workings, on duty in a 3^rd world country. There may be reasons for certain groups of people to set on these people, who are simply doing their jobs, and with the use of GPS technology and communications their jobs can become less of a risk to their own lives and they can continue to help others.

GPS Technology allows for centralized teams to monitor the location of remote workers, whilst being able to keep in uninterrupted contact with people on the ground, in the air and at sea.

The Crisis Management technology is designed to fit a purpose. This means that a device that is used for personnel tracking is a different device that is used to track aircraft. For example, a personnel tracking device could be a small portable device, where as a tracking device used for aircraft would perhaps be fitted to the plane itself. In most cases, the devices are discrete and where required small enough to be portable.

Crisis Management plans are important, because the team responsible for management of the situation must be able to react instantly and make quick fire decisions on the spot. If they don’t then lives could be lost. The GPS technology that they use aids them with the tactical approach to making the right decisions.

GPS Technology is ideal in remote locations as the equipment uses the network of satellites orbiting the earth to pass communication from one device to another. This means that there is no need for localized cell towers, as is needed with mobile phone technology.

Now that GPS technology is affordable, where lives are concerned the question isn’t if to use it, it’s where to use it.

Crisis Management Technology that can be applied in different applications

The term crisis management tends to scare some people a bit, and so it should. Crisis management is essentially a plan of action that is called upon when risk has been exploited. A crisis situation may or not involve a human life (or more than one human life) or it may involve hardware and assets that are extremely valuable to a company or mission.

As it has evolved over the last few years, GPS Technology has provided companies and nations with the facility to be able to not only trace their assets but also monitor potential situations that may lead into a crisis.

By using small tracking and communication devices central teams can monitor and advise troops on the ground, aid workers, boats and ships out at sea or planes in the air on what action needs to be taken to avoid a potential crisis.

In the event that crisis cannot be avoided it is down to the central team to act swiftly ensuring that the situation can be monitored using GPS tracking and communication remains in place through satellite phones.

GPS Technology can be applied throughout different applications. Examples of which can be found below:

Personnel Tracking – By asking personnel to carry around a small tracking device it is possible for the central team to know the exact location of the individual and where they might be in association with potential risk or hostility.

Vehicle Tracking – Ideal for convoys, these tracking devices can help convoys avoid potential hijacking and loss of life or consignments.

Maritime Tracking – For boats and ships that set sail GPS technology and communication is paramount to a safe passage. As weather systems are monitored it is possible for a central management team to relay this information to the ships captain and arrange a new course.

These are just three simple applications of GPS technology and where it can help avoid a crisis, however it is not limited in its use. For example you could also use it during an expedition through a mountain range, or a business trip to the far east.

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.

GPS Tracking, Personnel Tracking and Crisis Management

The increase in popularity of GPS technology has meant that GPS tracking devices are now more popular and more affordable than ever before.

GPS technology now plays an important part for workers, both in the corporate world and remote workers serving the forces.

GPS can be used for many different tracking appliances, from Maritime Tracking, Military Tracking, Vehicle tracking and Personnel Tracking. Examples of where remote tracking might be useful include peace workers, aid workers, government workers in areas of conflict, military workers and maritime.

Remote workers, especially those that work in abroad, may find themselves in uncomfortable situations from time to time but by using personnel tracking devices their locations can be monitored at all times, and conflict can often be avoided by it happens. It’s all about being proactive rather than reactive. Aid workers often work in high risk environments for the benefit of others, often putting themselves in dangerous situations. Thanks to GPS tracking devices the risk can be reduced as the location of the workers can be monitored from central management bases.

Personnel Tracking devices aren’t just about tracking the location of the remote workers. They are also about being able to communicate with people in remote locations helping to aid with crisis management. This is why satellite technology is so useful, because no matter how remote the location they can still make contact through Satellite phones keeping in touch with the central base at all times.

Another example of where Personnel tracking might be used is search and rescue operations, especially in high risk areas such as mountain ranges. They might even be used for sporting events such as skiing or mountaineering. The uses of GPS tracking devices are totally flexible.

Satellites are ideal for both tracking and communication. The network of satellites that orbit the earth enable GPS devices to clearly communicate without having to rely on local cell towers (which is how mobile phones work). Occasionally, if the area is heavily built, or dense such as a rainforest then signal might be an issue. Sometimes, heavy cloud or adverse weather might also affect the GPS signal, but generally speaking GPS technology is the ideal way to implement a personnel tracking solution.