GPS Police
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| GPS Police Inc. | |
 |
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| Type | Private corporation[1] |
|---|---|
| Founded | Calgary, AB (2003) |
| Headquarters | Calgary, AB |
| Industry | Technology |
| Products | Vehicle Tracking |
| Website | www.gpspolice.net |
GPS Police provides subscription-based GPS vehicle tracking, and free mapping tools used by Oilpatch professionals in Canada. The tracking device is one part of an aftermarket vehicle tracking system that allows vehicles to be tracked from the internet.
The device communicates through GPRS on GSM networks like Cingular/AT&T in the USA and Rogers Wireless in Canada, and tracking by GPS technology. The tracking devices can be installed in a car, commercial truck, and heavy equipment. The user is required to have a computer with an internet connection to display the location of the device on a digital map.
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[edit] History
- June, 2003 GPS Police Inc. was incorporated in the province of Alberta.[2]
- September, 2004 the company's Network Operations Center was certified by Aeris.net Communications for providing wireless communication and telematics.[3]
- December, 2006 the company got recognition from Royal Canadian Mounted Police and CTV news for tracking a stolen vehicle to an illegal chop-shop where RCMP made arrests and recovered a large amount of stolen equipment.
[edit] Applications
The Fleet management application of this technology is likened to that of a time clock where the vehicle can punch-in and punch-out at jobs or locations, measure driven distance & time and report this information in real-time. GPS Police markets itself across the United States and Canada providing the ability to alert someone in real-time of a driver's potentially unsafe or wasteful driving habits, such as Not wearing a seatbelt, excessive speeding, excessive driving, excessive idling is strongly supported by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Workers' compensation board. Work Alone Legislation in Alberta[4] requires companies whose drivers work alone to have the ability to locate them in case of an emergency or if the employee doesn't check-in at regular intervals.
[edit] Maps
The company provides several free online mapping tools. [5]
- ATS/LSD (Alberta Township System) - GPS Police is the only company offering an ATS/LSD mapper which displays the result on Google Maps. In 1910, ATS became the official mapping & survey system used in the province[6]. ATS or LSD is still used by the Oil & Gas sector throughout North America with services or interests inside the Province of Alberta[7], as well as in parts of British Columbia and Saskatchewan.
- GPS (Global Positioning System) - Entering the Latitude and Longitude coordinates into the system will plot that exact location. The GPS is currently the only fully-functional Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS). More than two dozen GPS satellites are in medium Earth orbit, transmitting signals allowing GPS receivers to determine the receiver's location, speed and direction.
- UTM (Universal Transverse Mercator - The UTM coordinate system is a grid-based method of specifying locations on the surface of the Earth. It is used to identify locations on the earth, but differs from the traditional method of latitude and longitude in several respects.
[edit] Privacy Concerns
Vehicle owners, drivers and critics are aware of the possible privacy implications of using a vehicle equipped GPS tracking devices. It raise questions about whether police or others could make use of GPS tracking, whether legally or illegally, for surveillance or stalking [8]. Still other proponents of the technology, including the Federal government of the United States, are pushing for laws so that cell phone tracking can be used in the case of emergencies.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Industry Canada (July 2006). GPS Police Inc.. Retrieved on February 13, 2007.
- ^ GPS Police (June 2003). Incorporated in Alberta. Retrieved on February 14, 2007.
- ^ Aeris.net Communications. Certification Listing. Retrieved on February 14, 2007.
- ^ Government of Alberta (September 2000). Working Alone Safely Guide. Retrieved on February 14, 2007.
- ^ Baseloc.net. ATS/LSD + GPS + UTM online mapping tool.. Retrieved on February 14, 2007.
- ^ Alberta Land Surveyors Association. History of Alberta Land Survey. Retrieved on February 14, 2007.
- ^ Alberta Land Surveyors Association. Alberta Township system. Retrieved on February 14, 2007.
- ^ CBC news (January 2007). GPS and privacy. Retrieved on February 14, 2007.
