Like the creation of Sputnik in 1957, MIT scientists constructed the GPS system and found that satellites can be tracked from the Earth. GPS was made available to the public in 1983 and soon gained popularity in navigation as well as in tracking services. Currently, GPS is incorporated into the daily use of devices; it works without a phone or internet connection though it improves GPS performance. They are widely used in militaries to video games, as well as for surveys and personal use to complex fleet management.

GPS (Global Positioning System) tracking is a modern technique for functioning that has become a variation in location tracking methods. This truly advanced technology, which is based on advanced research and development, functions with the help of a number of satellites circling the Earth to receive location information.

Analysing the workings of GPS tracking systems in detail can explain how they become essential to navigate through life and manage delivery fleets. Now, it is high time to learn about the basics of the workings of GPS tracking systems and some of their uses.

How Does A GPS Tracking System Work?

A GPS tracking device finds exact locations by using satellite triangulation. GPS satellites broadcast signals with time and location data constantly. By means of trilateration, a GPS receiver computes its precise position by gathering signals from at least four satellites. We subsequently track or navigate using this location data.

• Global Positioning System: The Global Positioning System (GPS) tells you your location on Earth.
• Satellites in the Sky: Many satellites are orbiting the Earth. These satellites send signals to GPS devices. 
• GPS Device: The GPS device can be a phone, a tracker, or a watch. It receives signals from the satellites. 
• Getting Signals: The GPS device listens to signals from at least four satellites. 
• Calculating Position: The device uses the time it took for the signals to travel to calculate the exact location. 
• Showing Location: The GPS device displays your location on a map. 
• Tracking Movement: When you move, the GPS updates your position in real-time. 
• Use: People use GPS for driving directions, finding lost items, or keeping track of loved ones. 
• No internet is required: GPS works anywhere, even without the internet, as long as the device can see the sky.

What is GPS Tracking used for?

• Finding Directions: It helps people know the right directions for where to go when driving or walking. 
• Tracking Cars: This feature allows parents or businesses to track their vehicles' location in the event of theft or loss. 
• Keeping Kids Safe: Parents can use GPS trackers for kid's safety and know where they are. 
• Finding Lost Pets: Attach a GPS tracker to your beloved pets to locate them in case they become lost. 
• Helping Seniors: Families can track elderly relatives to guarantee their safety. 
• Sports and Fitness: Tracking bikes, get the real distance and location of individuals who run or hike. 
• Delivery Services: This helps delivery companies to track their vehicle and packages. 
• Emergency Help: By using GPS tracker alert systems, we can easily locate individuals in danger or lost. 
• Travelling: Traveling enables travelers real-time locations effortlessly and prevents them from becoming lost. 
• Fleet Management: Company owners use GPS tracking systems to manage and track their trucks.

Types of GPS Tracking System

There are two major types of GPS tracking systems:

• Functionality: These inactive GPS trackers merely monitor the circumstances and gather information that can be accessed and studied after. A disadvantage of these types of trackers they do not deliver data in real-time.

• Advantages: As they mainly rely on local databases, they are relatively cheaper than systems that need a strong and constant internet connection. Most suitable for places where one cannot monitor the package in a real-time fashion.

• Usage: Used in data collection for historical purposes, tracking fleets' performance after trips, and tracking individuals’ elements like hiking. 

• Example: Here, there is Logistimatics Mobile-200 that records the position data for subsequent use, and that is through a USB connection. 

2. Active GPS Tracking Systems

• Functionality: Real-time GPS trackers or active GPS trackers, are those that relay information on location in real-time to a central database or device that is connected to the web. 

• Advantages: Gives instantaneous geographical coordination for improved alarm verification and monitoring in real time. 

• Usage: It suits well for applications where constant tracking is necessary, for instance, vehicle tracking, personal safety, taking care of elderly people, and tracking high-end items. 

• Example: Another model, the Spytec GL300, ensures real-time, constant location tracking through cellular communication networks.

Tracki GPS Tracker

Tracki GPS tracker is the perfect device that works perfectly for personal tracking, vehicle tracking, and asset tracking and provides both passive and active tracking (real-time tracking). There are few models that have compact size, long battery life, and work with global coverage to guarantee successful location tracking.

Saving Lives with Tracking

It’s insisted that the process of using GPS tracking systems may increase safety and save lives beneficially due to real-time location tracking and alertness. Some of the confiscated items include Walkman's containing pornographic materials and rag dolls that caused the deaths of children and the elderly, respectively. Seniors and children are particularly vulnerable, and by having GPS trackers, they can be easily located and attended to during an emergency situation. They also enhance their working experience, which aids the emergency responders in improving coordination and quick response times. 

In disaster management, GPS tracking helps facilitate disaster relief efforts and evacuation. Fleet management and high-risk job monitoring help in determining cases where an intervention that will reduce the deaths of drivers and workers must be made. For instance, geofencing can help to avoid crashes while health monitoring systems make decisions taking into consideration valuable information about a person’s health. Conveying information and awareness of the utility of GPS tracking systems to members of the public likewise aids in strengthening the security and protection of the community. 

Through these technologies, we can be able to promptly attend to people, manage to work faster, and, in the process, save many lives.

The Future of GPS Tracking

GPS tracking for car, industry, and individual use is looking towards a bright future as technology improves and other smart systems begin to incorporate GPS tracking. Since GPS technology is constantly improving as far as accuracy is concerned, it would play a considerable role in personal protection, fleet organization, and asset identification. (The offer of real-time tracking and geofencing, as well as machine learning and big data analytics, will grant businesses and individuals far-reaching control and insight.)

On the same note, wearables and smart technologies such as smartphones, smart watches, smart clothing and shoes, and GPS tracking will also be made more convenient and pervasive. Also, GPS chips are likely to shrink in size and, hence, will increase usage in fields such as healthcare, logistics services, and productivity, to mention but a few, environmental conservation, and the improvement of how we as humans see, walk, move, or wheel around the environment.

A Final Word

All things considered; GPS tracking systems have developed from an innovative scientific discovery into a widely used technology significantly affecting our daily lives. From personal safety to fleet management to emergency response, these systems which use a network of satellites to provide exact location data offer absolutely essential advantages in many different fields. They improve operational efficiency, security, and navigation.

GPS tracking is becoming more and more important for both personal and business use as technology develops since it promises even more accuracy, connection with smart devices, and general application. Apart from improving our connectivity and convenience, constant innovation in GPS technology has the power to save lives and change our interaction with our environment.