China Beidou To Compete With United States GPS System

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Category: Technology

Chinese Seek Satellite Independence With BDS

When the Department of Defense allowed private companies and people to access data from GPS satellites orbiting the Earth the end result was progression. Think about it for a second. Fitness watches, navigation devices, tracker systems and a million different apps for smart phones all use some component of locational technology based on GPS. None of these technologies would even be possible if the government wanted to keep their satellite controlled locational technology to themselves for military and surveillance applications. GPS has opened up an entirely new world for society and eliminated the days when people would write down directions with a pen and paper. Unfortunately, some countries can't handle being second fiddle to the innovative genius of the United States. This is part of the reason why our "friends" over in China have made nearly a trillion dollar investment into the creation of a new navigation and tracking satellite system called Beidou (BDS) that the Chinese hope will rival GPS.

According to information gathered from China Daily, the Chinese government is hoping Beidou will increase the countries' emerging navigational service sector while also making China far less reliant on foreign satellite technologies. With escalating tensions on the Korean Peninsula and China quickly rising to the top as a world super power, this new satellite plan would protect the country if for some reason the United States chose to deny the Chinese access to GPS tracking and navigational technologies. In fact, some groups such as DefensePolicy.org actually believe Beidou will give the Chinese a strategic advantage if any form of hostilities broke out in the east by giving the country the ability to more accurately combat advanced ground and naval forces such as those of elite military nations like the United States.

Commercial Applications of Beidou

The group behind the development of the Beidou system believe that the new satellite technology will open up more doors in the commercial market which could be especially helpful considering the growth increase for the country. With a more accessible satellite guided navigational and tracking technology, limos, taxis and other transportation vehicles will have the capability to instantly locate passengers. This will not only improve business fleet management efficiency, but also significantly reduce fuel consumption while reducing emissions. This would be a huge benefit considering the well documented pollution issues associated with Chinese vehicles and manufacturing facilities known to have some of the worst emission problems in the world.

The network of 35 satellites that will make up the Beidou system are expected to have total global coverage by the year 2020, providing precise positioning, tracking and navigation. Currently, the Chinese have launched a little under half (16) satellites dedicated to navigation.

Applications Of Beidou System

• Military Transport
• Weather Forecast
• Navigation
• Vehicle Tracking
• Commercial Fishing,
• Telecommunications
• Hydrological Monitoring
• Mapping & Routing

Naturally, the Beidou system will feature a number of functions that will calculate timing, altitude, navigation, position and more, but the terminals will also feature the ability to share information with stations on the ground via short message. This is significant because if things play out in the way the Chinese government hopes it will allow the Beidou system to steal upwards of 75% of market share currently owned by GPS systems.

The relationship between the United States and China is cross-beneficial, as the Chinese hold more American currency than any other nation and we purchase all of their cheaply manufactured goods created through essentially slave labor to fill our Wal-Marts. However, should Americans be concerned a country such as China known to violate human rights and harm the environment is gaining access to sophisticated technology?

Kindle GPS Tracker

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Category: Technology

Getting Real-Time GPS Locations Data From Kindle

GPS is all around us, helping us navigate between places, allowing us to "check-in" at our favorite places via social networking, letting us geo-tag and of course giving us the ability to monitor important assets and loved ones. GPS tracking is now an everyday component in our lives and a critical function to many smart phone and tablet system apps. One popular form of tablet system is a device called Kindle Fire developed by the people at Amazon, and with the latest SilverCloud mobile app and web-based satellite imaging program people can now access real-time GPS data using the Kindle Fire!

What Is Kindle Fire

Kindle Fire is a tablet system designed by the people at Amazon to compete against Apple in the fast expanding tablet market. Carrying on with the successful debut of the Kindle e-book reader, the Kindle Fire offered a 7-inch touch screen interface display that provides users with easy access to the Internet, social networking, an avenue to watch streaming movies and popular television shows. Most importantly, the Kindle Fire is a cost-effective tablet computing solution which allows it to effectively stay competitive in a market quickly becoming satiated.  

How GPS Tracking On Kindle Fire Works

Once a person places the SilverCloud GPS on the automobile they want to track, the user only needs to visit the Amazon App Store and download the free LandAirSea live tracking app. With this app a person can enter their pre-activated username and passcode to have instant access to their personal GPS monitoring data.

The LandAirSea app can even be downloaded upon smart phones and competing tablet systems.

For those who are unfamiliar with using apps, the online interface featuring live personal GPS tracking data and driving activity reports can also be viewed in a mobile version (programmed specifically to work on mobile devices without the requirement of an app) as well standard online version. This allows Kindle Fire users the ability to still access their real-time GPS tracking data by simply visiting the tracking website and entering in login information! The best part is since no software is needed the user can retrieve and review personal GPS tracking data from any Kindle Fire or web-enabled solution! This is especially helpful for businesses that want to provide multiple managers access to fleet activity.

GPS Tracking Is Easy

With so many intuitive GPS trackers on the market combined with sophisticated computing solutions and detailed satellite imaging programs, using a GPS tracking device has never been easier. With the expansion in 3G & 4G services, hot spots and businesses offering free Wi-Fi, anybody can have instant access to their personal GPS tracking data.

My Cell Phone Is Stolen How To Find It

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Category: Technology

Recovering A Stolen Cellular Phone

Losing your cell phone totally sucks. It is a pain in the butt situation that can have serious repercussions, especially since so many people house valuable information on their mobile devices. Information such as email addresses, social networking activity, PayPal login info, personal notes, family photographs and so much more data is frequently stored on the cell phone of the average American. Of course nobody wants to have their cell phone stolen, just like how people don't want to drop their cell phones in the toilet, but both occur every single day. However, most people know how to respond if they drop a cell phone in the toilet, whereas many are clueless what to do if their cell phone is stolen.

The very first thing a person should do if they lose their cell phone is contact law enforcement authorities to file a report. Police should be given all the details surrounding the theft as well as the serial number of the smart phone. Most people do not have serial number information readily available so they should contact their wireless provider, get the serial number info and then give all of the information to police.

Many cell phones now can be equipped with apps or registered with services that offer GPS tracking. Some of these mobile GPS tracking devices can snap photos as well as offer real-time locational information. However, just because an app offers real-time GPS tracking data doesn't mean law enforcement are going to call in all available squad cars to arrest the cell phone thief. This is why it is important to gather any evidence of phone use or information that would provide probable cause for police to make an arrest. Police will initiate a search more quickly and effectively if a person has both the real-time GPS tracking data of the mobile phone along with evidence of its use post-theft.

It is very important to note that law enforcement officials strongly advise cell phone theft victims who have mobile GPS tracking apps do not attempt to track down phone thieves on their own! This can result in a very dangerous situation and it is the reason police completely discourage anyone from trying to retrieve stolen property without law enforcement assistance.

Mobile GPS Tracking Apps: How They Work

Mobile GPS tracking apps or location devices are excellent tools to help safeguard costly smart phone or tablet devices. However, the mobile GPS tracking software must be installed upon devices looking to be protected before they are actually stolen. Once a phone is stolen it is too late to signup or register for tracking service. How these location apps operate is pretty simple. When the cell phone is powered on and connected to the Internet the mobile GPS tracking app will ping or check-in with a locator service. When the cell phone sends out this ping it includes detailed reporting information such as real-time location and historical locational data. If the cell phone owner indicates that their property is stolen the pings can occur more frequently so the user can have the most up-to-date information on where their cell phone is located.

Most mobile GPS tracking apps actually do not use satellites to determine location, but rather cellular towers using triangulation to pinpoint where a mobile phone is at. This is important to note because in areas where poor cellular coverage exists, urban canyon environments are common or places where simple drift can occur the mobile tracking services can be inaccurate. Sometimes extremely inaccurate by miles upon miles!

Mobile Tracking Software: Is It Worth Purchasing?

After explaining how mobile GPS tracking apps can sometimes have accuracy challenges some people might be scratching their heads and asking if this digital form of GPS tracker is worth the investment. The simple answer is yes, but with one small caveat: people who use these location services need to realize that they are not full proof solutions to safeguarding their mobile phones. Mobile GPS tracking apps can increase the probability a person can locate stolen property so law enforcement can recover the missing mobile phone, but they cannot guarantee anything. However, experts say that the real value in many of the popular mobile GPS tracking services is that they come with a feature that gives the user the option to erase all data on their mobile device remotely. Erasing all personal data on a mobile device remotely will also erase tracking software, but at least it will delete personal information such as bank accounts, social networking info, notes and other important data that when in the hands of the wrong person can result in identity theft or worse.

Autism Wandering Prevention

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Category: Technology

Autism Diagnosis Increases Wandering Likelihood

Every parent worries about the safety of their child, but that feeling is only intensified for parents who have children diagnosed with Autism. Sadly, the numbers of reported cases of those with Autism continue to climb every decade and still no cure or cause has been detected thus far. However, what has been detected through recent research is that roughly half of all those diagnosed with Autism will engage in some form of wandering behavior, and nearly a fourth of people with Autism will wander for a period so long that parents or caregivers will be concerned enough to contact law enforcement authorities or take additional efforts in locating those who are missing. When taking a closer look at the study, nearly two thirds of kids wandering had what would be described as a "close call" with traffic, and one out of four almost drowned! What the study does show is that those with Autism who engage in wandering can put themselves in potentially very dangerous situations and that is a concern to parents and caregivers everywhere.

The important thing to take from the study is that it shows with conclusive detail that kids with Autism are much more likely to wander than a typical child. However, it is important to recognize not only the fact those with Autism are more likely to wander, but also the hazards and possible steps of prevention for wandering. For example, the researchers also monitored national news reports and found that routinely the media would report a child fatality related to lack of supervision most likely due to wandering behavior. These causes of death included traffic accidents, drowning and exposure to uncontrolled environments. One mother with an autistic daughter explained that her daughter would frequently try to leave the house in an attempt to visit her favorite restaurants or go to a neighbor's home to read a book. Unfortunately, she would get these impulses late at night when the restaurant was closed and neighbor was sleeping, but her cognitive abilities prevented her from understanding these circumstances.

Parents and caregivers monitoring and safeguarding those with Autism always have safety in the forefront of their minds. Part of this is specifically due to wandering behaviors and the challenge of stopping those diagnosed with Autism from wandering. Installation of alarm systems on doors, outdoor fencing with manual locks and even the use of GPS tracker devices designed in the form of watches or bracelets to offer real-time GPS locations are all safety measures currently employed by parents and caregivers looking to enhance security and personal safety.

Although additional security measures are always a positive, they can no way ensure total prevention of wandering and that is why it is so critical that families, caregivers, law enforcement officials and emergency first responders are provided with the knowledge on how to deal with the situation of wandering if it does occur. Wandering by children or adults with Autism is not a health problem but more of a community awareness issue. In fact, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) has went as far as to include wandering as a condition related to Autism, and that the most critical part of managing the condition is first through preventative measures with local community support. For example, if an individual with Autism is equipped with a GPS tracking device bracelet, wanders off and becomes lost, family members or caregivers should be able to seamlessly relay the real-time GPS tracking information to authorities. This will help police or first responders quickly and accurately locate the wandering individual, and it can be especially helpful if the situation involves an abducted child diagnosed with Autism that may not be able to understand the severity of the situation they are in.

Wandering is a behavior associated with Autism, and caregivers or family members need to make the appropriate preventative measures to ensure personal safety. By installing alarm systems, using personal GPS tracker devices and working with the community people can reduce not only the likelihood of wandering but also the quick and safe recovery of wandering adults or children battling Autism if wandering does occur. The most important thing is safety and sometimes it takes team work to ensure it.