Submitted by: Pat Munro

In 2005 GPS (global positioning services) technology expanded to every cell phone in North America. This was prompted by the September 11, 2001 attack on the US, to ensure every cell phone manufactured in North America had GPS built in. Previously, tracking people required specialized and expensive hardware and software installed. Today, cell phone locations, speed, and even altitude can be tracked by easy to download applications, for your mobile, smartphone or by a land based computer.

The following is some information and options on GPS locators, keeping up with the location of your family, friends and employees.

In the beginning, Motorola and Blackberry were the first to break into the market with GPS enabled phones. Both were commonly used for employee tracking however, Blackberry was exclusively used by corporations and government VIPs. The initial intent was to have better messaging capabilities but with the updated capability came the ability to include GPS navigators. Non-government officials and corporations could start using the option too, to locate children and the elderly.

New software and applications are used today for tracking. Such as Google Latitude, Mapquest Find Me, and Wherify. These can be used from any land based computer location and can locate a person right from your home with better software than your phone.

Even without a GPS receiver, your cell phone still can be traced to your location. Called triangulation, this is done by a computer which can pinpoint your phones location based on the measurements of your cellular signal. As the name implies and for best accuracy, the signal from three or more cell towers is used, as well as the angle of approach, how long the signal takes to get there, and the signal strength. Cellular phone triangulation is not as accurate as GPS because obstacles such as mountains, trees and buildings can affect the variables.With a cell phone GPS receiver you can use location tracking and turn-by-turn directions.

In Canada, The CRTC (Canadian Radio and Television Corporation) is presently looking to improve wireless enabled 911 services. By February 2010, Canada will hopefully have a national program which will allow new technological abilitites including real-time locating technologies and a wireless location signature (WLS).

WLS is software that uses radio frequencies to determine location. Using this software along with GPS would create au unbreakable location tracking system. The CRTC is implementing guidelines to include this with the help of the actual providers. Apparently right now in the States, GPS locators are run through the service provider, which has caused some concern and problems with the people using it. Canada has a chance to avoid the confusion and create a nationally based locator system, and surpass the problems that exist in the U.S. right now. Consistancy and accuracy means that we can trust the information no matter which provider the phone uses. Also in the States, 5% of the location tracking tests are conducted indoors, but the statistics all say that 55-60% of cell phone use is indoors. This is another area where Canada can fix the problem by allowing for indoor tracking.

Other information to keep in mind is:

Permission and privacy- Generally the person you are tracking must give permission to do so. Ensure you have read the permission policies with the service provider.

Tracking Persistence – The tracking application on a cell phone must be turned on. Ensure you have chosen the right function for you.

Passive Tracking – Some devises will record location data to be download later. This is called data logging which provides location info even when the devise is outside the wireless network. This is not usually a common feature on cell phones, but most PDAs do have this feature.

Tower Reports- If there is a problem with accuracy from your location; service providers can record the location from the closest cell phone tower.

Speed Alerts Some providers can email or SMS message alerts when speed limits are exceeded.

Usage costs- Costs for GPS location devises include equipment costs, setup and application fees, and provider subscriptions. Some providers may charge a fee for each location report or allot a limited number of reports and charge a monthly premium. Check with your provider.

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