Government

Location-based services started out in emergency response, and they continue to play a vital role there. Location information has compelling uses in disaster recovery, from planning to coordinating the efforts of aid personnel on the ground to search and rescue. Location information helps government agencies by providing information about where people live and work and what roads they use to get there. Once a disaster is forecasted or occurs, public safety notices can be disseminated to citizens via their cell phones. Location information makes it easier to send out messages to citizens in a particularly dangerous area, such as in the path of an approaching hurricane.

First responders can use location information to provide centralized command and control to deploy assets effectively. Location information also helps localized responses, such turn by turn directions or making it easier for people on the ground to find each other.

Homeland Security and other agencies must manage the growing flow of cargo into the U.S., but the sheer number of vessels and cargo coming into the U.S. through Mexican and Canadian borders and Maritime Ports, and their inherent mobility, presents a huge problem. The solution? Wireless solutions and applications for Asset Tracking that incorporate vessel and container identification, tracking and security alerts in response to tampering with containers, notifications when a vessel leaves or enters a geo-fenced location, and wireless transmission of manifests to expedite the government import/export process.

In the private sector, according to an Aberdeen Group study, businesses that implement fleet tracking experience a 14.8% reduction in average travel time per job, a 9.9% decrease in overtime pay, a 27.9% increase in operator compliance, and a 13.2% reduction in fuel costs. This adds up to $5,848 less spent per employee per year. How does it happen? Knowing where your vehicles are all the time enables better routing decisions with fewer miles traveled. Monitoring driver behavior reduces unauthorized side trips, dangerous driving habits, unnecessary overtime, and fraud.

Government can reap these benefits as well. A recent study by Experian Simmons shows that 9 in 10 adults own a cell phone and most carry it with them everywhere they go. This makes a cell phone’s location a valuable proxy for most people’s location and means that you can implement a tracking system for a very low cost.