GPS Technology Makes Tree Planting More Efficient

Deforestation and disappearing wildlife habitats are a big problem in the modern world. Manufacturing industries use state-of-the-art technologies to produce and sell more paper and wood products, but there is growing concern over the devastation wrought by their methods of obtaining materials. Particularly, the rate with which large, luscious forests are being cut down. The trees are being removed much more quickly than we can hope to replant, as trees take many years to grow to their full potential. One solution-orientated man is leading team, developing ways to replant forests as quickly and efficiently as possible, using GPS technology and drones.

“I’ve spent my whole life in silviculture and these ideas have been germinating for a decade,” explains Hans Thunander. “But now I feel the technology is far enough advanced that it can be used to make planting more efficient.” He has a two-stage plan laid he’s currently working out. The first stage is called Vision 2015 and is ready for implementation. He projects that Vision 2015 will make tree planting 25 percent more efficient. It involves equipping a drone with camera equipment and a GPS tracking device.

The drone flies over a newly cut area and records an image along with the GPS data. This information is then interpreted by a computer, which calculates the most efficient plan for replanting. The computer can determine exactly how many plants should be planted, where they should be planted and how densely. The GPS information is then used to design a route for a scarifier on autopilot to plant the trees.

The second stage of the project is expected to be rolled out in the next 10 years. The next stage is called Vision 2023 and is expected to make tree planting 50 percent more efficient. There are still quite a bit that needs to be worked out before more details can be revealed. Hopefully, by making tree planting more efficient, we’re making a dent in the deforestation problem.

GPS Technology Makes Tree Planting More Efficient

GPS Technology Helps Detect Dangerous Volcanic Plume

Volcanic eruptions are one of the scariest and most devastating natural disasters we face. Mountains essentially explode and rain fire, ash and magma for miles. Due to the life-threatening and sometimes all-too-surprising nature of these eruptions, scientists have dedicated their lives to improving our understanding of the danger posed by volcanoes, so we are better prepared to minimize destruction.

GPS devices are already used around many of the major known volcanoes. The tracking technology helps researchers determine the level of activity below the surface. As magma rises to the surface, the ground around the mountain, and the mountain itself shifts. However, an innovative researcher recently discovered a new way to use the GPS tracking devices to protect us from the dangers posed by volcanic eruptions.  

“When I learned GPS, you were supposed to use it to measure where you are,” Kristine Larson said, author of the study and professor of aerospace engineering at the University of Colorado Boulder. “These days, I look for weird things to do with GPS.” When volcanoes erupt, the plumes of smoke and ash sent into the sky can clog airplane engines, causing them to crash. Larson recently discovered that these plumes interrupt the signal of the GPS tracking devices placed around the mountains.

She realized that when the plumes aren’t visible, due to clouds or other factors, the GPS signals can serve as a test as to whether the skies are safe or not. When the smoke has cleared, the GPS signals return to normal. “I always hear people talking about how many bars they have,” Larson said. “That’s basically what I’m using.” Radar can already detect plumes when clouds or other factors obscure vision. However, radar technology is currently more expensive than using GPS devices, many of which are already in place.

GPS Technology Helps Detect Dangerous Volcanic Plume

GPS Tracking Used In Malaysian Elephant Conservation Efforts

GPS technology is once again being used in wildlife conservation efforts; this time in Malaysia. Malaysian Elephants are listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The elephants face many threats, including poachers and dwindling habitat. A research group was recently granted the equivalent of $1,063,460 to study the elephants in hopes to preserve these great animals. The grant will be used to access advanced GPS tracking collars for the animals to study their movements and behaviors from a distance. The researchers will also be studying the elephant’s feces for information about their health.

“The generous donation from Sime Darby will help us develop a conservation strategy based on scientifically sound knowledge of elephant behavior, ecology and a clear understanding of the underlying causes of human-elephant conflict,” said Dr. Ahimsa Campos-Arceiz of The University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus, leader of the research project. “Our aim is to fit 50 elephants with satellite tracking devices to monitor how they are responding to the changes in their habitat, how they react to translocation – one of the practices used to move elephants away rom areas of human-elephant conflict and what effect current conservation measures such as highway viaducts and wildlife corridors are having on the elephant population on the Malay Peninsular.”

“In other parts of the world where translocation of elephants is practiced as a mitigating measure against [human-elephant conflict], scientists observed high death rates and competition for resources and space at the release site. Translocated elephants have also been observed traveling back to their captured sites or their original home range, hampering the original objective of translocating the animals in the first place,” explained Yayasan Sime Darby Governing Council Member Caroline Christine Russell.

GPS Tracking Used In Malaysian Elephant Conservation Efforts

Helios Smart Handlebars Implement GPS Technology

Here at RMT, we’ve reported a few stories about GPS tracking devices for bicycle enthusiasts. The devices are loved by cyclists because they provide route information, track there distance and speed, along with all kinds of other useful information. Some devices come in the form of a wrist-watch or a smartphone app, but it seems a young entrepreneur has thought of the next big thing. Kenny Gibbs, based in San Fransisco, CA, recently successfully funded a Kickstarter campaign to offer smart handlebars, with GPS navigation and tracking technology built-in. They are called Helios Bars and claim to transform any bike to a smart bike.  

678 backers helped raise $120,106, almost doubling the $70,000 goal by June 20, 2013. The handlebars attach to your bike and come with a built-in GPS device, which can be traced in case someone steals the bike. The Helios Bars also include GPS navigation help with turn-by-turn directions. Rear-facing LED lights on the handlebars also indicate when the cyclist is approaching a turn. The tracking technology can also record routes, distance and speed information.  

Other than the GPS features, the smart handlebars include a lot of safety features. Helios bars come equipped with a 500-lumen headlight for increased visibility. Another great safety feature are the left and right turn-signals. The speedometer is visual with color changing lights to indicate changing speed.

The handlebars can connect to your smartphone via Bluetooth and an iOS app. When you approach the bike, the Helios bars light up. The smart handlebars have a battery life of around seven hours and is rechargeable. They come in bullhorn and drop-bar style and are made from aluminum. Now that the Kickstarter has reached its fundraising goal, the team will move into production.

Helios Smart Handlebars Implement GPS Technology

Skobbler GPS Navigation & Maps App Now On Android

The key feature of Skobbler’s GPS app is the offline mapping and navigation capabilities. There is no shortage of smartphone navigation apps on the market for iOS, Android, Windows or any other system. However, up until recently, if you wanted solid offline mapping and navigation, your best hope was with an iOS device. For Android and other non-Apple smartphone and tablet users, this was a bit of a drag. Now, Android users can purchase Skobbler for their smartphones for just $1.

Skobbler’s designers have no shortage of confidence in their product. They’ve been quoted calling their work the “most powerful and versatile digital map engine in the world.” For $1 users get the full online mapping and navigation service and one free downloaded map of the country of your choice. With the downloaded map, users can disconnect from the internet and the app uses the smartphone’s built-in GPS technology to provide directions.

“Being the first and only company on the Android platform to offer full online and offline capability for both mapping and navigation, we hope both new users and our existing customers will be won over by the high performance and flexibility GPS Navigation & Maps offers,” explains Philipp Kandal, Skobbler’s CTO. “We’re already working on future updates and have a few powerful additions lined up to improve the app’s functionality and flexibility even further in the coming months.” 

Skobbler is offering a free 14-day trail version of their app for consumers to get a feel for the product before committing $1. After the free country map that comes with the app, users can buy additional maps from around the world. Each city costs $0.99. A state costs $1.11 and a country is $2.22. Users can buy another continent for $4.44 or get the entire globe for $7.77.

Skobbler GPS Navigation & Maps App Now On Android

GPS Tracking Device Causes Bomb Scare In Australia

If you follow our blog, you’ll remember that we’ve reported a few stories of GPS devices and geocache containers being mistaken for bombs here in the America. The story is always pretty similar. A concerned citizen reports a suspicious package or device, resulting in various levels of inconvenience in the form of road closures and bomb squads being called out. Well, it appears we’re not alone in this mix up. Last month, Australia’s Adelaide’s court precinct was locked down after a man was seen placing something under a vehicle in the court’s parking lot.  

One certainly can’t blame the courier, or any other concerned citizen, who reported the suspicious activity. Had there been an explosive, such a report could save lives. Taking every precaution, the bomb squad was called to investigate when a courier reported seeing a man placing something under an unoccupied vehicle parked outside the supreme and district court buildings. Police closed roads, redirecting traffic for hours, and evacuated several nearby buildings.

It was confirmed by the bomb squad that there was, in fact, a device placed in the wheel well of the vehicle. The device turned out not to be an explosive. Instead, the man had placed a GPS tracking device on the Holden Commodore sedan. Police are still investigating why the device was placed on the vehicle. They are also looking into the identity of the man who planted the device.

“Investigations continue in relation to the circumstances of the device being placed under the car and the owner of the car is assisting police with their inquiries,” police reported. “It is a reminder to everyone to be vigilant and report any suspicious activity to police immediately.” Police were appreciative of the concerned citizen’s report, even though there wound up being no threat.

GPS Tracking Device Causes Bomb Scare In Australia

Memoto Uses GPS Tracking To Capture Everyday Life

In the digital age of the Internet and social media sites like Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, it’s apparent that we humans enjoy documenting and sharing our lives. Some think of it as a narcissistic sickness in society, while others, like myself, think of it more as a fascination with and curiosity about ourselves and each other. The reality is probably somewhere in the middle. Swedish developers are hoping to cash in on this phenomenon with a mini camera/GPS device called Memoto.

Memoto is a small, square device that is meant to be worn on a regular basis. Every thirty seconds, the device captures an image and GPS tracking data in order to log your activities. It is supposed to be like a digital image journal. These devices start at $279 and are available to preorder on their website.

This writer suspects that this type of device would appeal to those of us prone to nostalgia. Attaching the device to something like your hat or shirt would likely provide a pretty good record of who you spent your day with and where. The device could also be used for a number of other creative projects. One could attach it to their cat or toddler for an interesting perspective. I’m sure some private investigator or suspicious spouse could find some interesting uses for a GPS device with a camera that automatically shoots every thirty seconds.

This is yet another of the many interesting ways GPS technology is being implemented in our every day lives. The devices are great for studying your own behaviors as well as the behaviors of wildlife, an employer’s fleet of delivery trucks and even the earth’s tectonic plates! 

Would you wear something like Memoto? Does capturing an image of every thirty seconds of your life sound appealing? Let us know why or why not in the comments below! We’d love to hear from you.

Memoto Uses GPS Tracking To Capture Everyday Life