Note: FreeCellPhoneLookups.com does not engage in or support GPS satellite tracking. Under no circumstances will our service ever tell you the current location of a cell phone. While this service (when used legitimatly) can serve a valuable role, when abused, the privacy implications of this technology are very serious. Please read the following resources on the topic:
- EFF Case Study
- Wired Magazine Article
- Washington Post
- Wikipedia Article
Though using the Global Positioning System or GPS in consumer products has only recently become affordable and prevalent, this system has been used in commercial capacities for several decades for the purposes of navigation and warfare. The infrastructure of satellites necessary for the implementation of GPS of as we know it today is maintained by the United States government. The uses of this technology are becoming more numerous today as the market expands. People are finding helpful ways to integrate into their everyday lives.
The basic principle behind the technology that makes this technique work is the ancient practice of triangulation. Triangulation is very simply the use of two visual landmarks to calculate one’s position on a given plane. As long as the observer knows the actual distance between the two objects, then they may anticipate their location by making themselves the third angle of a triangle. GPS takes this concept and uses a device like your cell phone or car and uses satellites as the landmarks. Based on how far the signal is away from the satellite’s relative position in the sky, a computer can figure the location of the device giving off the signal to within a few feet.
It is easy to see the many uses of this technology. Humans are fallible and can get lost. Many people have been saved from being trapped in the wilderness or found injured because of these devices. Recently, there has been some news of this equipment being used to track people’s movement or spy on them. These cases involve legal complications not completely addressed under current law. Never use this technology without the full knowledge and permission of the devices owner. Failure to do so is not only unfair, but potentially illegal.
Any parent may ask their minor child to carry one of the many GPS “kid safe” trackers on the market. These can come in the form of cell phones with emergency buttons that call the local police department and their parent’s phones or as wrist watches, small add-ons to a teen’s car, or a machine placed in a backpack. Regardless of the shape the tool takes, it works through communication with satellites. Parents are allowed to subscribe to a service on their home computer or own phones that will show them the location of their child or their child’s car at any given moment. This means they can enforce rules about places their offspring are allowed to go or in more dire situations, find them if they have run away or been abducted.
The use of GPS for fleet management, however, requires full disclosure on the part of the company to the driver of the company vehicle. Usually, this is so the employee can make sure they understand all policies about the vehicle and know they are being monitored for lapses in behavior. These mechanisms aren’t strictly for the discipline of employees, though. Many commercial and privately owned vehicles contain GPS technology in order to ensure the recovery of the car if it is ever stolen or involved in an accident that renders the driver unconscious. Many personal use vehicles are similar to fleet vehicles by virtue of the fact that they use the positioning system as a means of navigation. A computer equipped with maps of highways and road systems can instruct the driver where to go using the knowledge of their relative position on the earth. This helps the efficiency of the driver by limiting wasted time consulting maps or getting lost by providing real time directions. By tracking their property though the use of global locating, businesses can make sure their fleet is accounted for and being used properly.
Everyday, more companies and individuals become dependent on the Global Positioning System. The uses of positioning devices continue to multiply as the way people relate to technology develops. Tracking people and property can more effective management and life-saving opportunities.
