Imagine driving somewhere new, you’re lost, unsure of where you are at, and the more you try to find your way out the more confused you get. Do you know how safe the area which you’re in is, is it safe to get out of your car to ask for directions or are you risking being attacked? What if you are threatened or attacked, you have your cell phone, dial 9-1-1, but are unable to tell the operator how to find you. Imagine having an accident, or witnessing an accident, but you are unsure where you are, you call 9-1-1 but are unable to tell them where you are. Imagine becoming ill while in your car, you dial 9-1-1, but become unconscious before you can tell someone where you’re at, how will anyone find you? Imagine being on a hike or bike ride when you suddenly realize you do not know where you are, how will you find your way back safely?
The U.S. FCC (Federal Communications Commission) has mandated the E911 (Enhanced 911) which requires that the location of any cell phone used to call 9-1-1 can be determined. This program is divided into two parts; the first requires carriers to report the telephone number of the caller and the location of the antenna that received the call. The second part requires carriers to be able to provide a more precise location. This will require that the manufacturers to install a GPS receiver in all cell phones. The benefit of this not only means that a cell phone can be quickly located, but that cell phones will have the ability to receive driving directions, and to be used as a hand-held GPS out of the car.
There are two ways that a GPS cell phone can be used to get driving directions. The first is to subscribe to a GPS navigation service, which is becoming available but is limited at this time. The second way is through use of a software program. Being able to subscribe to a navigation service has its disadvantages, if you are outside your coverage area your navigation functions won’t work. Plus, not only do you have to purchase a GPS cell phone, you must also pay a set up fee and a monthly fee and be under a 3 month to one year contract.
The second way to get driving directions is to buy a software program, but you need to have a compatible cell phone. The programs and maps are on a memory card and there is no need to pay a monthly fee and since the maps are in the phone you are not dependent on a GPRS connection.
If you want to take your GPS cell phone with you while out of your car, not only are there integrated GPS cell phones, there are GPS add-ons available also.
Another advantage to having a cell phone with GPS technology is that parents know where their children are at any time (as long as they have the phone with them). Some carriers are offering this child location service as a ‘peace of mind’ feature. There is usually a monthly service charge for this service.
Copyright 2006 Angela Carter
By: Angie Carter
Posts Tagged ‘Precise Location’
The GPS And It’s Future
December 16th, 2009
The use of Global Position System (GPS) has become quite diverse from automobiles, mobile phones, tourist facilities, city maps, and even pet collars. GPS works through a network (often called constellation) of 27 satellites that move around the Earth in geo synchronous orbit. These satellites exchange relative data to fix the position of one particular object on the surface. Similar to the Internet, the technology was original implemented for military use in order to help precise control of troops as well as getting accurate information about enemy troops and armament placement and movement. And like the Internet it was soon the commercial use that would dominate global reliance on GPS.
Mobiles phones are now more secure because they are outfitted with GPS tracking devices. It is now possible to use mobile communication and GPS technology to create a new type of mobile phone. The implications of this combination are so vast that those experts who saw only trouble in the future of wireless communication have begun to entertain some hope. There are developments in progress right now that would have seemed strictly science fiction material a few years ago. Some opinions even go so far as to say that the conventional means of human communication might just disappear if the plans under development succeed to their maximum.
Road-traffic management would itself be improved to quite an extent. For example, some of the newer cars are equipped with GPS technology so sophisticated that it acts like an airplane Black Box. The device can record data (for a short duration) like speed of vehicle, whether brakes were applied or not, if the seatbelt was used or not, so on, and of course, the precise location of the vehicle right down to a few feet accuracy. Another interested aspect is that apart from devices like phones and cars, GPS technology is available in sizes small enough to fit into pet collars. The collars can further be programmed to define a territory range and should the pet go outside this specified area, an instant alert is sent to the owner’s cell phone.
Other uses of GPS include making accurate maps, tracking of endangered species, and predicting some types of natural disasters. Farmers too may use the GPS system to get a fix on farmland that is less fertile and to spot wet and dry areas. This allows for better land use and precise farming techniques.
GPS technology is a bit invasive because it permits the precise tracking of human beings at all times. This raises issue regarding privacy of the individual. This is one of the biggest hurdles faced by a wider use of GPS. It is essential that people realize the inherent dangers of any technology while at the same time using it prudently. A good example is that car rental companies could use GPS records and accuse the renter of having violated traffic laws. While such a feature is ideal for the police it is completely unacceptable from a service provider. Controls are required to prevent such violations.
We have already faced the severe problems with identity protection and theft over the Internet and it would be wise to learn from those problems and make sure the GPS implementation comes with inbuilt safeguards and checks to ensure that the rights and privacy of the individual are not sacrificed to technology.
By: Joseph Brochin