ways to track people or cell phones | My Blog

I have often blogged about devices and apps to help locate people who have conditions that could see them become disoriented, for example people who suffer from diabetes.

I have blogged a lot about tracking devices like bracelets, watches and other devices containing GPS.

This one on my SoLoMo Consulting page talks about using the free apps that often come with your Smartphone or are in many cases a free download. These apps like Find My iPhone are typically designed for if you misplace your mobile, or if you misplace it, however they can easily be used (with agreement) to locate your missing teenager, family member or other person you have a close relationship with.

When we had the earthquake in Christchurch in 2011, one of the very common stories I heard was about families that were separated and the angst when people couldn’t locate their partners or family members. This type of app is a ready made solution without having to purchase any other technology. Often in a situation like this, people can become disoriented and may not be able to easily advise others where they are. These apps will show their exact location on a map. What a great tool for Search & Rescue in emergencies, even looking for people underneath rubble, if their mobile still works.

Generally most people are never more than 20 feet away from their mobiles according to recent research. Have you set up an app like this on your mobile? Why not give the URL and password to your close ones. It could be the best 5 minutes investment of your time ever.

For more info on devices and apps for tracking people, check out some of my other blogs here and  here.

SoLoMo Consulting

See on Scoop.it – Location Is Everywhere

Cell phone GPS tracking isn’t illegal. You can see where everyone is by knowing their number here http://t.co/LUj8hYU7c9

Luigi Cappel‘s insight:

This is a quick and important read for anyone that doesn’t have smartphone tracking set up on the mobile.

Huge numbers of mobiles are lost or stolen every day, but the siple addition of an app can mean that you can locate it. Interestingly it doesn’t include the app I use, which is Find my iPhone. It not only allows me to locate it, but can wipe all data from it and make it unusable as well as set off a loud noise.

The other valuable thing is, as it says in this quick and easy to read story, is being able to find someone you are close to, who is missing, hasn’t turned up where you expected them. If you…

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GPS Tracking of Elderly People Update and Orcon Update

First of all I’d like to give you a quick update on the personal tracking unit I’ve been testing. It’s going really well. Please note I do not work for the company who is developing it, although if they go to market they will be using our mapping data, which I have been testing it with.

So I have tried it out in various parts of the country and it can track me wherever I go. If you had the logon and password to my account you could see where I have been on a map. You can play back my travels around Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. When I was in my car you could see emergancy button

how fast I was driving and my exact route.

If I hit the red emergency button a text message gets sent to a phone (in this case mine). I had it sent to my wife when I first set it up because then she cpould see what I was up to and I thought that would be interesting. Stupid really because I couldn’t see if it was working and she was geting really worried because on some days she would get lots of messages saying that I had an emergency.

Basically the message gives my name and says I had an emergency. If I was inside at the time I sent the emergancy it gives the last known street address, which is usually the correct address because it has a movement sensor and will take a fix every time the device moves which obviously was set off last time I got out of the car. It uses the GeoSmart Reverse GeoCoder to retrieve the nearest street address to the co-ordinates where it was taken. The reason it gives the last address, is because with current satellite technology it can’t get a fix inside the house unless I am in an optimal position. This will of course improve when the Gallileo

It operates as a phone so a call centre can call me if they think there is a problem. It also can function as a phone with a number of preset buttons, which is great for elderly people who only have a few people they need to ring and find mobiles confusing.

A footnote on Orcon, I got a call today saying that they are onto it this time. They said the engineers that have been visiting don’t have sophisticated enough test gear to test a phone line for interference that wouldn’t affect phones and event ordinary ADSL. So hopefully I will see an engineer, at least this time they phoned me:)