History of GPS and Tracking Devices for Fleet Vehicles

GPS tracking devices for fleet vehicles are very common today. Fleet owners can keep a track of their vehicles around the clock even if they are in remote places on the highway. Sophisticated tracking devices can now send back a host of data and information to the servers at base for necessary action. 

Apart from location of the vehicle, trackers can estimate fuel consumption and know about driving patterns of drivers. State of the art devices also inform owners of servicing and maintenance schedules and deviation of trucks from set routes if any. These are particularly useful for car rental agencies that can monitor movement of their cars regardless of the location that clients take them to.  

While the concept of GPS and its many uses is widely known, a look at its history and evolution over time will be in order. 

GPS or Global Positioning System is a network and collection of satellites that are constantly sending signals down to earth. A GPS tracker picks up these signals to determine its precise location down here apart from monitoring its speed of movement and time. It helps any vehicle get from Point A to Point B in minimum time and by the shortest possible route.    

GPS originated in the USA from a need to gather sensitive and military intelligence during the Cold War with the USSR in the sixties. Transit was the first satellite system to be launched by the USA in 1960. The network comprised of 5 satellites and was very useful for ships to fix their true position every hour on the high seas. In 1967, the Timation satellite was launched with advanced atomic clocks on board. Subsequent updating was done between 1978 and 1985 when the USA put 11 more “Block” satellites in place to further strengthen the intelligence gathering capabilities of the US military.

In 1983, GPS was thrown open from exclusive use by the USA military to civilian applications. This was allowed by the Reagan administration after passenger Flight 007 of the Korean Airlines was shot down by the USSR after it allegedly strayed into their airspace. The world saw an urgent need for devices that could be used by airplanes and shipping lines to accurately fix their position on earth continuously on real time basis. GPS tracker adequately filled this demand.

Once it was allowed in the civilian domain, GPS devices began to be used in a host of applications including ones with advanced technologies for personal as well as commercial use. Trekkers and hikers today use these devices to chart their course in the wilderness and researchers utilise them for earthquake research and climate studies. GPS tracking devices for fleet vehicles ensure safety and security of the trucks as their location can be monitored round the clock and news of any accident transmitted back to base immediately. 

Upgrading of the GPS network satellites was done in double quick time by the USA. In 1989 Block II satellites were put in orbit and in 1993, the 24th Navstart satellite was launched, completing the network of 24 satellites that forms the core of the GPS system. At any given point of time, 21 of these are operational with three as back-up in case of any failure of the core ones. 

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Created on Mar 8th 2018 04:33. Viewed 520 times.

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