GPS tracking is a way of working out exactly where something is. A GPS tracking system, for example, may be placed in a vehicle, on a cell phone or on special GPS devices which can either be fixed or portable units.

GPS (Global Positioning System) works by giving information on exact location. It can also track the movement of a vehicle or person. So, for example, a GPS tracking system can be used by a company to monitor the route and progress of a delivery truck, it can be used by parents to check on the location of their child, or it can be used by drivers as an aid to navigation.

A GPS tracking system uses the GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) network. This network incorporates a range of satellites that use microwave signals which are transmitted to GPS devices to give information on location, vehicle speed, time and direction. So, a GPS tracking system can potentially give both real-time and historic navigation data on any kind of journey.

A GPS tracking system can work in various ways. From a commercial perspective, GPS devices are generally used to record the position of vehicles as they make their journeys. Some systems will store the data within the GPS tracking system itself (known as passive tracking) and some send the information to a centralized database or system via a modem within the GPS system unit on a regular basis (known as active tracking).

A passive GPS tracking system will monitor location and will store its data on journeys based on certain types of events. So, for example, this kind of GPS system may log data such as turning the ignition on or off or opening and closing doors. The data stored on this kind of GPS tracking system is usually stored in internal memory or on a memory card which can then be downloaded to a computer at a later date for analysis. In some cases the data can be sent automatically for wireless download at predetermined points/times or can be requested at specific points during the journey.

An active GPS tracking system is also known as a real-time system as this method automatically sends the information on the GPS system to a central computer or system in real-time as it happens. This kind of system is usually a better option for commercial purposes such as fleet tracking and individual vehicle tracking as it allows the company to know exactly where their vehicles are, whether they are on time and whether they are where they are supposed to be during a journey. This is also a useful way of monitoring the behavior of employees as they carry out their work and of streamlining internal processes and procedures for delivery fleets.

Real-time tracking is also particularly useful from a security perspective as it allows vehicle owners to pinpoint the exact location of a vehicle at any given time. So, if there is a robbery, the owner of a vehicle will know exactly where the vehicle was when the robbery took place. And, the GPS tracking system in the vehicle may then be able to help police work out where the vehicle was taken to if it was stolen. Many fleet operators find that having a GPS tracking system in place actually works as an extra security deterrent for this reason.

When you hear about General Positioning System (GPS) system, you should first consider the GPS receiver. It is the part of the device responsible of processing the signal sent by the satellite in the space to find out your actual location. The receiver is usually placed on the dashboard of your car or underneath it. It renders on a dedicated output device your screen your destination.

The entire GPS is a constellation of about 27 satellites rolling around the center of the Earth at a steady speed. Amongst these satellites, 24 of them are responsible of processing signals emitted by the receiver and the remaining satellites are used for storage purposes on case of an unplanned event. The GPS receiver is responsible of hooking up with satellites used for storage purposes and working out its position from that satellite by computing their distance. The mathematical tenet used for this purpose is named trilateration.

Trilateration can be achieved in two dimensions and also in three dimensions. The rationale of this mathematical principle is to work out a triangle where you are located at the center of it. As soon as the GPS receiver emits its position and makes a connection with other satellites, it immediately works out three nearest points and computes your position.

Three types of GPS receivers can be noticed: those which can be installed in a car, lightweight and mobile GPS receivers and tracking GPS receivers. It is obvious that portable receivers are a huge boon for outdoor activities.

Finally, it is good to know that the actual process of GPS receivers is a little bit more intricate than what was described in previous sections. However, throughout this article, although the main objective was to give a broad overview how they work in theory the next paragraph will delve into advanced details about GPS computations.

From previous sections, we learnt that the GPS receiver computes its distance to the nearest available satellites in space by noticing the time spent by the emission of a given signal from the receiver to the satellite. There are another category of GPS receivers that you have not mentioned throughout this article. In order to overcome the lack of precision of the traditional GPS receiver, differential GPS receivers were born. Their rationale is to estimate the level of GPS errors at a stationary receiver station with a location that was already computed before. Since the Differential GPS hardware at the station is already aware of its own location, it can work out its receiver’s level of errors in a straightforward way. The station then broadcasts a radio signal to all Differential GPS-equipped receivers in the nearby area, providing signal correction information for that area. In general, accessing this correction information makes Differential GPS receivers much more correct and precise than traditional GPS receivers.

The most essential function of a GPS receiver is to pick up the transmissions of at least four available satellites and combine the information in those transmissions with information in an electronic almanac, all in order to figure out the receiver’s position on Earth.

Vehicle tracking is an essential business tool for the modern commercial fleet for all logistics and security fleets.

Whatever your business type, if you have a commercial fleet of vehicles, keeping your team’s movement transparent is vital when it comes meeting deadlines for your clients. Having your fleet kitted out with a vehicle tracking system keeps you up to date with the location of your driver and can mean you can reallocate a job to another driver in order to make the deadline.

This technology is a cost effective means of keeping your business on track and it works using GPS satellite communication with the receiver unit in your vehicle. GPS tracking systems work by receiving exact microwave signals from satellites, which can determine a vehicles precise location, speed and direction.

Once a GPS tracking system has registered your vehicle via satellite, its receiver unit can track the vehicle’s position as often as every minute. The co-ordinates picked up by the satellite are then translated into a longitude and latitude reading of the vehicle’s whereabouts and are then displayed in the form of a map on a computer screen via the Internet.

The exacting nature of the mapping technology means you can assess the location of your vehicle as well as its speed, location and direction. Ultimately the collating all of this information gives you greater opportunity to monitor any vehicle’s progress alongside the rest of your fleet. Once you can oversee how your vehicles are being driven and how long they are on the road for, you will have peace of mind that the efficient service your business advertises is the service being provided.

Having access to such a vast scope of status reports on all vehicles gives you real time access to your fleet’s movements so you can manage your assets remotely and even work out faster routes if there’s a problem on the road. Using this kind of tracking system cuts the cost of communication with your drivers and means you can solve any problem as it occurs without making expensive phone calls to mobiles.

Vehicle tracking systems run on data push technology which means you can also have real time updates as to any vehicles status. This means you can resolve any traffic problems by despatching a new vehicle to the client rather than lose out on meeting a deadline while checking the engine vitals of the delayed vehicle at the same time.

Using this kind of data push technology as a base for your business’ tracking requirements means you can even see whether a vehicle is stationary and even if the door has been opened. In terms of security this feature can be useful in detecting possible robberies or interference with high value goods. It is also very helpful in the event of a vehicle breakdown and allows you to despatch a new vehicle to the client faster than ever.