So many of today's media seem oblivious to what GPS and tracking really is. This just irks me no end, since in many cases GPS has been around longer than the writer-reporter has been, the writer probably has more education than I have, and, at the practical level, GPS is just not that hard to get. Anyway, rant switch off, here's a news team who did a good job:
http://www.wbir.com/news/news.aspx?storyid=23766
Many people think GPS has been tracking prisoners for years. truth be known the 'ankle bracelets' so popular and widely known for years are just proximity devices. The bracelets send signals to a base station, normally mounted near the monitored person's phone. If the monitored person leaves the proximity of the base station, the base station dials the monitoring agency and provides them the incredibly useful news that the monitoree is no longer there.
If a person came to me with a business plan to build and sell such a limited system I'd fall out of my chair laughing .. it's about as useful as a two-wheeled tricycle. real GPS devices like the WBIR news team profiled actually track where people are ... seems somewhat more useful to law enforcement from a non-law enforcement person's perspective.
The TV report clearly illustrates web-based monitoring, including the use of a GPS-related technology called "geofencing". law enforcement can draw a 'fence' around places that the monitoree should not be (like maybe schools for sex offenders) and around places that a person should be, like perhaps work places for a work-release monitoree (or a school for parents to monitor their teens, but he that is a different rant).
Very nice job by the WBIR team and if this post mostly seems like Chinese, you should visit the link and see how well it's explained.
Dave
http://www.satviz.com/
19 March 2005
18 March 2005
Changing the Law Just Made It Worse
Today I saw some troubling new news regarding the Federal Hours Of Service (HOS) regulations for commercial trucking. The law was changed at the beginning of the year, with wrenching results to some areas of the industry. The reason for the change in the law was trumpeted as a step to reduce drivers working too many hours and having fatigue and sleep related accidents. Well, as recorded in the Electric Trucker http://www.thetrucker.com/stories/03_05/0315_more_drowsy.html
Not only are more drivers suffering drowsiness and sleep incidents at the wheel, but at least 25% are violating the law, to drive longer, make more money and put themselves and others at risk. For years the law has been enforced by self-recorded paper log books, maintained by the drivers themselves. See an excellent example and explanation here:
http://www.alanburkhart.com/TruckersHours.html
It's no coincidence that for years these books have carried the name "swindle sheets". Sometimes this appellation is earned by cheating people but much more often it's a case of everything being so darned complicated and hard to check up on. You would think, giving the huge costs and serious safety issues involved that this would be handled by computers. Well, you'd be wrong. Exactly 1 (yes one) major long haul carrier keeps their drivers safe and legal solely by means of on-board GPS tracking and a computerized log program. (The company is Werner Enterprises and their GPS tracking partner, Qualcomm, and hats off to them for doing it). There are tons of logging programs that keep the "swindle Sheet" electronically, but the data is still dependent on the drivers memory, integrity and ability to code with the ever more complex regulations.
The purpose of today's rant is to wonder why more companies don't make use of simple, cheap GPS logging systems that could save lives and millions of dollars per year? Perhaps they are waiting for even more government regulations?
Dave
www.satviz.com
Not only are more drivers suffering drowsiness and sleep incidents at the wheel, but at least 25% are violating the law, to drive longer, make more money and put themselves and others at risk. For years the law has been enforced by self-recorded paper log books, maintained by the drivers themselves. See an excellent example and explanation here:
http://www.alanburkhart.com/TruckersHours.html
It's no coincidence that for years these books have carried the name "swindle sheets". Sometimes this appellation is earned by cheating people but much more often it's a case of everything being so darned complicated and hard to check up on. You would think, giving the huge costs and serious safety issues involved that this would be handled by computers. Well, you'd be wrong. Exactly 1 (yes one) major long haul carrier keeps their drivers safe and legal solely by means of on-board GPS tracking and a computerized log program. (The company is Werner Enterprises and their GPS tracking partner, Qualcomm, and hats off to them for doing it). There are tons of logging programs that keep the "swindle Sheet" electronically, but the data is still dependent on the drivers memory, integrity and ability to code with the ever more complex regulations.
The purpose of today's rant is to wonder why more companies don't make use of simple, cheap GPS logging systems that could save lives and millions of dollars per year? Perhaps they are waiting for even more government regulations?
Dave
www.satviz.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)