What Is It?
A Global Positioning System is a method of searching out where an object, place, or person exactly is. It is a worldwide radio-navigation system that is formed from a constellation of 24 satellites and their ground stations. A GPS tracking system can be placed in vehicles, mobile phones, or special GPS devices that are portable or fixed. It works by providing information about the exact location and is also capable of tracking the movements of a vehicle or a person. Initially, this was designed for U.S military purposes and is mainly and controlled by the U.S Department of Defense but today it is used by all people without any charge or restrictions and has eased our lives. So, for example, a mobile tracker can be used by businesses to monitor the progress and route of a delivery truck, it can be used to find where your kids are or even to monitor high-value goods that are in transit.
Exactly How Does It Work?
A GPS tracking system mainly uses the Global Navigation Satellite System Network which incorporates various satellites that use microwave signals which are transmitted to devices with a GPS and phone tracker to provide information regarding location, speed of the vehicle, direction, etc. So, a GPS potentially gives both real-time as well as historic navigation data. The control of these systems consists of tracking stations located all around the globe. These stations help in tracking the signals from the GPS satellites which are continuously orbiting the earth. Therefore, the users of GPS have GPS receivers that convert the satellite signals for them to estimate the actual position and place.
A GPS tracking system can come in handy in various ways. There are two types of systems; passive GPS tracking system and active GPS tracking system. So if it is used for commercial purposes the GPS devices would generally record where the vehicles are headed to. Now, some systems might store all the data within the GPS tracking system also known as passive tracking and some may send the information to a centralized database via a modem within the GPS also known as active tracking or 2 way GPS.
In a passive tracking system, when a location is monitored, it stores its data based on certain events. For instance, this might log data such as where the vehicle or the device has traveled in the last 24 hours. Such data is usually stored on the memory card on internal memory that can be later downloaded on a computer for detailed analysis. Whereas, in other cases, the data can also be transferred using wireless download at a predetermined time or can also be requested at a specific time during the journey.
As for active GPS tracking, this is also called real-time tracking because this method directly and automatically sends the information on the GPS to the central tracking system or portal in real-time as and when it happens which is why it is said to be a better option for commercial uses. If your business has various fleets and you have to keep the track of them, this will provide real-time data about which fleet is where. You can also track your grandparents and children if they’re out somewhere and you’re worried about their whereabouts. Through this system, you can also monitor your employees as they do their work pertaining to fieldwork or if they have to deliver something to someone, or simply if they are wasting time using social media. A lot can be done through GPS. The world is now at your fingertips.
