5 Things You Didn’t Know You Could Use a GPS Tracker For

The world is all about surveillance these days. We want to be able to keep an eye on our kids when we aren’t around, so we put family trackers on family phones to make sure everyone can be accounted for. We check in on our Social Media pages to let people know where we were, where we are, or where we’re going. Maybe even after a major disaster, we check in to let our Social Media friends know we are okay. We put tracking devices associated to apps so we can find out items easier. This is a no brainer if you are notorious for losing keys. No pun intended. We buy consumer friendly, very expensive drones that I’m sure if you bought one, you’d want the most expensive GPS system money could buy so if that thing goes down far away from you, you know exactly where to find it. There are apps for GPS, GPS for pictures, implanted in kids watches so we can track them if, heaven forbid, anything should happen to them. There is good surveillance and there is bad surveillance. At the end of the day, there is something to be said about solid GPS data and tracking.

Our government is notorious for looking at any types of technology that delve in the world of tracking and GPS. Our police stations are looking into using cell towers to track criminal activity to find persons of interest. Our government has been tracking citizens since tracking was possible. According to Motherjones.com¹, there was a 1994 FCC ruling that mandated cellphone providers to provide emergency responders a more accurate location of cellphone users who call 911. The rapid increase in cellphone usage required a new path, as the emergency responders could only accurately track the location of land line callers at the time. This opened the door to all kinds of tracking capabilities once providers opened the back door to cell phones, and data supported the efficiency in tracking.

Queue in the conspiracy theories. There are conspiracy theories about the US government tapping into cell phones and computers, which all starts with tracking. There is a disturbing amount of truth the the theories, but that neither here nor there. Nor will it sideline the use of GPS tracking by our government to track its citizens. Regardless of how you view our US tracking capability, it is here to stay and more importantly, growing in importance and efficacy. So let’s take a look at different uses to GPS tracking you may not have known about.

Track Down Stolen Items

GPS is great because of all the apps that have popped up in recent years that help you keep track of items that are easily or routinely lost or stolen, such as cell phones. According to popsci.com², apps like Find My Phone for Apple, Find My Device for Androids, Find my Mobile for Samsung, Tile for other objects easily misplace, and many others. Knowing how expensive cell phones are, it is painful to have one lost or stolen. Once a phone is stolen, the odds of you getting it back without a tracker is slim to none. Luckily with a tracker, you can pinpoint your phones location quickly and easily. It becomes a bit of a deterrent for thieves as they can be easily tracked down and given how expensive phones are now, they could be charged with a felony. Theft doesn’t seem worth it given the risk to reward and how easily cell phone providers have made it to get phones now.

See Another Person’s Location

The ability to see others location may sound ominous initially, but thinking about the practical uses by rescue services and parents makes it less ominous. If you are hurt in an area where there’s not a lot of high foot traffic, the odds of people seeing you and being able to help are slim. Emergency services able to pinpoint your location and send help could be a life saver.

If you have small children, they have new gizmos that look like cool watches your kids would love, however they are powerful GPS trackers. If you are ever concerned about your young ones, or even teenagers, being able to track their location via GPS eases some worry with many parents and loved ones.

Tracking Pets

A great use for GPS not widely known is the ability to track your pets. If you currently or have ever owned a pet, the fear of your pet running away and getting badly hurt weights heavy in the back of our minds. According to thepetstech.com³, 6 million dogs and cats were killed on the side of the road last year. It’s heart breaking to think how many of those animals were domesticated home pets that could have been tracked before it was too late. There are a few ways your pet could be tracked nowadays. You can get your pet a smart collar which appears to be the most popular option. It’s non-invasive and tracks your pet via GPS in the collar. You can also go with GPS implants. This is far more invasive, but according to Vets who perform the procedure, painless and offers lifelong protection. It can’t be lost, misplaced or taken off by pets like collars. If your pet is lost in the woods, the odds of them losing their collar and being harder to find go up substantially. Veterinarians can use a painless procedure to insert a permanent GPS tracker into your pet to ensure lifelong safety.

Keep Track of Business Assets

Another way GPS can be used is to track business assets. If you have cars you use for your business, or maybe you are transporting expensive goods, tracking those items would not only save on insurance costs, but give owners a peace of mind. Location data can also assist with inventory and future shipments. It could help identify shortages and tracking shipments through supply chains. It could also assist with you or employees tracking mileage for tax purposes.

Educate Yourself on GPS Trackers available

Check out different options for GPS trackers and come over to the sane, practical side of GPS tracking.

Sources: 

1 https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2014/04/you-are-here-book-hiawatha-bray-gps-navigation/

2 https://www.popsci.com/find-lost-gadgets-devices

3 https://www.thepetstech.com