Police are testing the use of handheld PCs with GPS data to speed up their investigations of road accidents.

The Highways Agency is working with police forces in Surrey and Warwickshire as part of a three month trial, which began last week. Via handheld PCs, police will get access to Ordnance Survey data to pinpoint accident location along with any other information that they need.

Road accidents can take as long as six hours to investigate, during which whole roads or motorway lanes and sections may be closed, and the trial is aimed at speeding up the time it takes for police to make a site survey and get traffic moving again…

Don’t be put off by the fact that this article is only UK-related.  Most of my readership is in North America and Asia, but believe me this has two major implications world-wide. (more…)

Satellites Bring Sensor Data from MachineTalkers for Viewing on the Qualcomm QTRACS GPS Tracking System

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. –(Business Wire)– April 3, 2006 — MachineTalker(R), Inc. (OTCBB:MTKN), developer of smart wireless security networks, announced today that the Company’s MachineTalker(R) units are now transmitting sensor data and security alerts that can be monitored on the QTRACS website of communications technology giant Qualcomm(R), Inc. (NASDAQ:QCOM).

So what’s the haps here? A big investment in telematics data to complement the already hugely successful Qualcomm Omnitracs GPS truck tracking system. The newsworthy part? (more…)

Rusty Wallace, a long-time successful NASCAR driver is now working for Microsoft to promote the Microsoft Streets & Trips 2006 with GPS receiver package.  This is a neat offerring that combines a very capable mapping and routing program with a no-hassle GPS receiver that simply plugs into a USB port (on a laptop or smaller Windows Mobile device like a PDA) and gives the user continual positon updates, trip logging and even turn by turn voice directions. (more…)

Searching the news for GPS-related stories over the weekend normally brings up mostly articles that are trucking related. Up pops a news item here explaining how both Canadaian and US trucking associations are lobbying for liberalizatiuon of “Cabotage” rules. Cabotage methinks, what in the world is that? Well Wikipedia defines it thus:

Cabotage is the regulation of transport services between two points in the same country, restricting it to carriers from that country. Originally starting with shipping, it now also covers aviation and road transport.

It is a form of protectionism and alleged to lead to economic and environment inefficiency; justifications used include national security and the need to regulate issues such as safety.

Also commonly used as part of the term Cabotage rights, meaning the right of a company from one country to trade in another country. In aviation terms, it is the right to operate within the domestic borders of another country. Most countries do not permit Cabotage, although this is changing within Europe for member states of the European community.

Now what does htis have to do with GPS?  Well, nothing about GPS tracking technology itself, but everything to do about my overall theme of promoting GPS tracking technology for the benefit of business and the economy in general. (more…)