GPS Tracking Used To Help Save Livestock

The western United States is known for vast farmlands. Farming is a fairly classic American occupation and a vital one at that. A hot news headline recently has been about a massive threat to our crops: the dying bee. What you might not be hearing about is a threat to our livestock farms: wild wolves. Wolves bring up fear in most people’s imaginations. They are also associated with magic and nobility, but we must remember that wolves are dangerous predators.

Although wolves were once a staple species in the western U.S., they are quite uncommon today. In the 1940s, in order to protect local livestock and communities, wolves were completely killed off in the state of Oregon and much of the west, thanks to the help of state-sponsored hunts. Wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park in Idaho by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the 1990s. As wild wolves will want to do, they spread out to new territories, making their way back to Oregon in the late 2000s. Currently, there are eight  packs of wolves and at least 64 individuals in the state.

As scary as wolves may seem, they are a very important part of the natural ecosystem. More wolves in the west is a good thing in many ways. Unfortunately, it is hard for livestock farmers to see the return of wolves in a positive light. This is mostly because wolves like to prey on their livestock. Farmers depend on their livestock as a source of income to feed their families. Losing valuable livestock is devastating to many farmers.

Livestock farmers in the west have traditionally used Great Pyrenees and Pyrenees mix breeds as guard dogs to protect their herd. For a long time, these breeds did a fine job of protecting the livestock from the regional threats: coyotes and cougars. However, since the return of the mighty wolf, these breeds have been less successful, sometimes becoming the prey themselves.

In order to protect livestock from bigger predators, researchers want to investigate how well a bigger breed of guard dog will do. In Europe, farmers use large guard dogs to protect their livestock from wolves. Three breeds they’ve decided to try are the kangal from Turkey, the karakachan from Bulgaria, and the cap de gado transmontano from Portugal. “These are all breeds that historically have been used to protect from wolves and even brown bears,” Julie Young said, a research wildlife biologist from the National Wildlife Research Center in Logan, Utah. “The best way to find out if these dogs work is to try them,” she added.

The dogs are sent to Oregon as puppies and are almost immediately introduced to the livestock they’re protecting. “With all guard dogs this is an important stage,” explained Randy Mills, livestock agent for the Oregon State University Extension Service in Pendleton. “It’s that bond that creates that protective behavior [towards livestock] later on in life.”

Young plans to track the dogs and some of the livestock they are looking after with GPS tracking collars and simulate a predator attack. The GPS data will give her an idea of how the dogs will respond to a predator, regarding how close to the animals the dogs will stay when threatened. The fake predator will incorporate real wolf fur, but she assures us it’s not a taxidermy wolf. “It’s more like a large stuffed animal and a wolf call,” Young explained.

The research is currently centered on sheep farmers in Oregon. There is also a study being done on a farm in Washington state, as well as four in Idaho, and four more in Montana. They are primarily testing the European guard dogs with sheep, but the dogs should also be able to protect other livestock, such as cows from wolves and other predators. The one major difference that might make tracking cattle more difficult is that sheep tend to stick together, whereas cows prefer to spread out while grazing.

The research team currently has a budget of $220,000 for this year. They are being funded by Utah State University and Wildlife Services, a federal agency that is concerned with human and wildlife conflict. Some European guard dog puppies sell for around $1,500, but the researchers found kangal guard dogs for sale in Turkey for only $300. The biggest cost at the moment is shipping the dogs.

In Central Oregon, Jennifer Cole and her husband use a breed European guard dogs from Italy, called maremma, to protect their goat farm. The dogs weigh 110 to 130 pounds and patrol the farm for cougars and coyotes. They feel confident their dogs could defend their goats against wolves as well. Since Cole got the guard dogs, they went from seeing about six cougars in a year to seeing none. “We could not have goats out here without them,” Cole said.

GPS Tracking Used To Help Save Livestock

GPS Tracking Used in Rattlesnake Research

Rattlesnakes are the most deadly snakes in the United States. Snake bites account for about 12 deaths in the U.S. every year, but many more get bitten and given antivenin for a full recovery. Snakes, especially deadly ones, are scary creatures. Even harmless snakes tend to give people the creeps. Our fear of snakes is likely an instinctual reaction carried over in our genes for thousands of years. Because some snakes, like the rattler, can kill us, we fear all snakes. Most of us have a similar relationship to spiders. Most spider bites can’t kill us, but there’s a hard-wired fear of spiders in many of us.

Image courtesy of katsrcool (Kool Cats Photography) 1,000,000 + View

Although rattlesnakes are dangerous, they aren’t as dangerous as most people think. “The snakes are completely non-aggressive,” explained National Park Service biologist Bryan Hamilton. “About the only way they bit is if you try to catch them of you try to kill them, or if you accidentally stepped or sat on one.” Rattlesnakes tend to stay very close to their den and avoid human interactions. These snakes tend to stay hidden, unless they are out hunting or soaking up the sun.

Most of the time, rattlesnake bites are avoidable. Never, under any circumstances, should you try to capture or touch a rattlesnake. Snakes, just like every other wild animal, will defend itself and bite you. Of course, not all snake bites are that easily avoidable. Rattlesnakes, and most other snakes for that matter, have great camouflage. This protects them from predators, like hawks, but it also makes them difficult to spot for hikers and rock climbers who would otherwise happily avoid the snake. You may accidentally step on a snake or put your hand in a snake den while climbing and get bit. If you do get bit, it’s important to get medical attention right away. If you can, get a picture of the snake that bit you, so the right antivenin can be administered.

Snakes are dangerous, just like sharks. But just like sharks, they aren’t as dangerous as a lot of people tend to think. They are misunderstood creatures. WIth a better understanding of rattlesnakes behavior, hopefully people will be more willing to coexist with them. Brigham Young University and the National Park Service have teamed up on a rattlesnake study in Nevada’s Great Basin National Park, near the Utah border. GPS tracking collars are often used in wildlife research, but due to the shape of snakes, they weren’t viable for this study. Instead, the team surgically implanted radio transmitters under the rattler’s skin.

When a snake is carefully captured, it is coaxed into a narrow tube. At one end of the tube, a cotton ball with anesthesia is placed, so the snake doesn’t feel any pain during the implantation. “It will put her to sleep for the surgery,” explained biological science technician Meg Horner. “She’ll be completely out.” The researchers track the snakes and periodically collect data on the health and whereabouts of the animals.

Tracking the rattlesnakes is fairly simple with the radio implants and a signal receiver. “As you get closer to the snake,” Hamilton said, “the signal gets louder and more intense.” The snake is weighed and body temperature is collected. GPS data and weather conditions are also recorded. Over the last five years, the team has learned quite a lot about the behavior of local rattlesnakes. They confirmed that the snakes never go very far from their dens. They travel within a mile or two while hunting, but otherwise stay fairly stationary.

The research shows that the rattlesnakes are often in places that are heavily populated by park visitors. The snakes are at the park’s visitor center and the entrance to the park’s biggest attraction: the Lehman Caves. The team also found that the rattlesnakes always go back tot he same place to hibernate every year. “They always return every fall,” Hamilton noted. “The winters out here are so harsh. If you find a good place, you want to stick with it.”

Despite the rattlesnakes’ presence in heavily populated areas, the human-snake conflicts are fairly rare. Rattlesnakes, and most wild animals for that matter, tend to avoid humans. Another great feature of this snake is that it will often try to warn you away with its rattle before biting. If you ever hear a rattle while in rattlesnake territory, stop and look around. If you can see the snake, make sure you give it plenty of space.

Did you know there is a fairly easy way to tell if a snake is venomous or not? If you can get a good view of the snake’s head, you can look for a triangular shaped head. If the head is about the same size as the body, the snake bite is not venomous. However, if the head is larger and shaped like an arrowhead, that is a sign of a venomous snake. The snake’s venom is stored in glands in the cheek/jaw area, which creates the triangular shape of the head. Keep a safe distance from all snakes, though. Even if it’s not venomous, all snakes can and will pack a powerful and painful bite.

GPS Tracking Used in Rattlesnake Research

Wildlife Management with GPS

There seems to be no end to what GPS technology can do. Not only can it get drivers from one destination to another, but it can also help meteorologists predict earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, athletes train more efficiently, and authorities keep track of parolees. Now, conservationists are using the amazing real-time information from global positioning systems to manage wildlife. From plants and trees to birds and animals, scientists are discovering new things about nature that will help them protect and preserve it.

What GPS Does for Wildlife Management

Over the years, urban areas have spilled over into the habitats of countless creatures of nature. Often, the animals just retreat further into their habitats to avoid humans, but sometimes they venture forth into people’s backyards or onto roads. When these encounters take place, it can be dangerous to animals and humans alike. That is why wildlife management is so important, and that is where GPS technology helps. Using GPS-enabled devices, be it a collar, a harness, direct attachment, or implant, researchers can learn much about animal behavior to help them better manage habitats as well as urban development.

• Animal population: Knowing how large herds or flocks are helps researchers determine the sustainability of a habitat. Is there enough food in the area? Is there enough space for reproduction? Will animals be forced out of their natural environment?


• Migratory patterns: Again, it is important to know how and where animals move in order to minimize run-ins with people. Some species have traversed the same routes throughout their existence, and if that pattern is interrupted by a road or subdivision, it could be detrimental.


• Foraging behavior: Where animals and humans often conflict is over food. Animals are always foraging for food, and when they find a consistent source of food, such as trashcans or vegetable gardens, they tend to stay close by. And if habitats are infringed upon, normal foraging sites could be eliminated, forcing animals into the open.

All this information and more can be obtained through GPS transmitters and receivers for the benefit of nature and society. It’s not just about a specific location but an overall behavioral pattern that scientists hope to discover.

A Very Real Example of GPS Wildlife Management

A doctoral student from North Carolina State University has teamed up with the North Carolina Wildlife Commission to study the recent influx of black bears into the city of Asheville. Several sightings and encounters led researcher Rick Gould to select Asheville as the site of his study. By monitoring the behavioral patterns of these beautiful but dangerous animals, Gould hopes to educate society and prevent life-threatening encounters.

• About the Bears: The black bear is the only species of bear naturally found in North Carolina, and it covers approximately 60% of its land area, mostly in the mountainous regions of the west, where Asheville lies, and the wooded coastlands of the east.


• About the Study: Gould hopes to learn much about the health of the bears as well as their habits. In the past, scientists have gleaned much of their information about bears from hunters who volunteered access to their kills or from bears killed on roads. Now, through GPS tracking, scientists can get data from living samples and hopefully preserve this once almost eliminated creature.


• About the Traps: Gould has set several traps throughout Asheville where bears have been seen, such as residential areas and parks. The traps are large barrel-like structures with a spring-loaded mechanism to close the bear in once it has been lured there by the sweet treats left as bait. The barrel has several vent holes and is quite spacious, so there is little, if any, trauma to the bear.


• About the Collars: Once a bear has been trapped, it is tranquilized. Researchers can then obtain blood and hair samples to check the health of the bear. Before releasing the bear back to the wild, they place a GPS collar on the bear to track its movements. The team hopes to study 40 bears over a five-year period to determine what is attracting them to the Asheville area. Gould has programmed the collars with a geofence so that he is alerted any time one of his collared bears comes within city limits.

Gould wants to understand why bears are moving to the city. Is it free food in the form of trash, or is it just the roaming nature of the bears that once had more territory to forage in? The GPS data from this study should help the North Carolina Wildlife Commission manage the bear population as well as educate the public about the habits and behaviors of bears.

GPS technology has come so far in such a short time, and even more advances are anticipated. In fact, one group of scientists is looking into coordinating location data on an x and y axis in order to determine certain behaviors at certain locations so that animals can be observed from a distance without ever invading their habitats. These are simply amazing advances in wildlife management.

Wildlife Management with GPS

Using GPS to Track the Health of an Ecosystem

Steam rises as yellow sunlight burns off the morning mist. Silence gives way to early morning bird calls. Out of the silhouette of trees into the lightening grass steps a dark shape, followed closely by a smaller shadow. A mother elk and her calf have come to graze the meadow. Any change of sound or shape will speed the mother’s head upright. She is wary, ready to move to safety if danger appears. Other animals begin to move toward the sunlight. The herd is stepping forward to eat, thrive, breed, and survive. As the herd moves, other eyes are watching them. But they are not being observed by the concentrated gaze of a predator, as might be expected. This herd of elk is being tracked by researchers using Global Positioning System (GPS) devices.

Through careful observation, researchers have come to understand the importance of elk migration patterns in Yellowstone National Park to the health of the surrounding ecosystem. The elk may serve as a tourist attraction, but their population reflects the condition of all living things in this area.

How Do the Habits of Elk Predict the Health of an Ecosystem?

In Yellowstone National Park, elk serve as food for eagles, wolves, and grizzly bears. But their purpose extends beyond that of prey. Researchers found that the habits of elk have a greater impact on the health of the environment than they previously realized.

Ecologist William Ripple, of Oregon State University, began studying wolves as their populations slowly returned to Yellowstone National Park. “Back in 1997, I became aware that the aspen trees in Yellowstone were declining,” Ripple explains. “There was disagreement and confusion as to why these trees were disappearing, so I set out with graduate students to unravel this mystery.”

What they discovered was that the browsing patterns of elk either helped or hurt plant life around the area. Places where the elk felt secure from the wolves were more heavily foraged, while those areas with a denser wolf population had taller tree growth. And where the trees grew taller, other animal populations, such as beavers, increased.

Years later, another study corroborated Ripple’s findings. Reno scientist Kelley Stewart and her team studied the effects of differing sizes of elk populations on their food and habitats at the Starkey Experimental Forest and Range in northeastern Oregon, University of Nevada.

The team created two populations of elk with different densities. One herd had a low density of about 10 elk/mile (24 elk in a 1500-acre study area), and another had a very high density of about 60 elk/mile (200 elk in a 2100-acre study area).

What they concluded was that areas that experienced low levels of foraging by elk showed greater plant growth than either those areas not foraged or those that were highly foraged by elk. Low populations of elk encouraged greater plant growth and diversity. High populations of elk had negative effects on the elk herd’s population itself as well as their territory.

Researchers determined that a well-managed elk population promotes biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. So if the elk populations of Yellowstone could be tracked, they would give ecologists a good idea of the condition of other animal and plant populations. The question became how to manage a migratory population that moves around and beyond park boundaries.

How GPS Tracking Helps Scientists Manage Yellowstone National Park

In Yellowstone National Park, the elk population serves as a gage of the health of the ecosystem. Whatever happens to them creates a ripple effect on the rest of the plant and animal life. By using GPS tracking devices, researchers can record reliable data from the elk’s migration habits.

In the past, researchers have been inclined to look at the elk individually while the animals were contained within the park’s borders during their winter or summer range. Arthur Middleton, a Yale ecologist who is also a research associate with the Wyoming Migration Initiative at the University of Wyoming, decided that he wanted to take a less fragmented approach. His desire is to try to get a larger picture of the herd’s migratory movements and how they might be impacted by climate change.

In March of 2014, he and his team began tracking the elk with GPS collars that signal the elk’s exact location every 45 minutes. The precision of these measurements will give researchers the necessary information to map the herd’s route by time and location. Middleton hopes to learn the elk population’s migration patterns and how to better oversee them in the future. He also hopes to learn whether changes in elk migratory habits will be reflected in the herd’s health and numbers.

In addition to using GPS to track the elk, cameras posted along the route will allow researchers and the public alike to see when and how the animals move as they migrate along their route. By educating others about the importance of herd migrations, Middleton desires to reinforce the importance of saving preserved lands to serve the needs of these animals. And he predicts that this information will eventually allow for remote monitoring that will conserve park resources.

The migration of the elk is critical to the balance of the ecosystem at Yellowstone National Park. Good management of the animal populations will serve the health of the park, and information gained may be used to improve management at other important wildlife territories.

Using GPS to Track the Health of an Ecosystem

Tracking the Real Assets: Fire Fighters

Fighting fires is a time-honored, dangerous, and thoroughly fulfilling job for all the brave men and women who don the mask to put out fires made both by man and nature. When the firefighters are dealing with forest fires that cover literally acres of real estate, the danger levels escalate as roads become isolated and cut off from escape routes. In earlier times, firefighters who went out in such conditions ran the risk of running into an inescapable situation very quickly. As a wildfire spreads, any sudden change in wind direction or fuel source can create any number of alternative routes for the fire to spread. Once out in this position, firefighters were at the mercy of the fire. Today’s GPS and GIS (Geographic Information Systems) are removing some of the uncertainty that firefighters face as they go out.

Asset Tracking

The initial purpose of GPS and GIS systems on vehicles is to allow the company to keep tabs on where their vehicles are going, what they are doing, how long they are spending at different places, and trying to make their gas usage more efficient. The focus is usually on keeping track of the vehicles in order to make sure the employees are doing what they are supposed to. In a firefighting situation, using GPS and GIS technology on forest fire fighting dozers and tractors allows those in the command center to keep a better eye not on the vehicle, but on the people driving and operating it. The real asset in fire fighting is the people involved. It might hurt the tax payers’ wallets to lose a $100,000 piece of equipment, but human life is so much more valuable. That is the real purpose of using this technology.

Wildfires by Year, according to FEMA

Year	Fires	Acres
2012	67,774	9,326,238
2011	74,126	8,711,367
2010	71,971	3,422,724
2009	78,792	5,921,786
2008	78,979	5,292,468
2007	85,705	9,328,045
2006	96,385	9,873,745
2005	66,753	8,689,389

Table statistics from: http://www.usfa.fema.gov/statistics/estimates/wildfire.shtm

The Benefit

As trucks, tractors, and dozers go off into the forests to fight blazing fires, drivers and operators are at the mercy of the elements. If the operator is not familiar with the terrain, he can quickly become disoriented as the smoke spreads and ways out become blocked by fire. A person on the other end who is tracking the movement of the operators can help them to determine how to get out of a sticky situation and find a way back to safety. The use of the GPS and GIS technology allows for the command center to map out escape routes and determine where drivable road might turn into a swampy march, especially in low-lying areas like portions of Florida. A small difference in route might make a large difference in the outcome.

The Real Dangers

Not having GPS and GIS technology has cost the lives of many firefighters over the years. In 2011, two Florida Forest Rangers lost their lives when their dozer became stuck in the terrain and they couldn’t find their way out. In 2013, nineteen firefighters in Arizona lost their lives due to similar circumstances. Can it be said beyond a shadow of a doubt that GPS and GIS technology would have saved those individuals? Probably not, but it surely would have given them more of a fighting chance at survival. Firefighters are used to taking risks, but having this kind of technology really limits the actual amounts of risk they have to assume.

Out of Sight, Not Out of Mind

The GPS and GIS technology help allow for “eyes in the sky,” so to say, that real firefighters appreciate. Instead of being out on their own, they know that there is always someone watching out for them to help ensure that they come back safely. In addition to providing information about getting out safely, if the firefighters run into trouble, help can be sent to them. People back in the command center can monitor the path firefighters take to fight the fires and they can establish a safe way to come back to base or send out help along the same line. There are so many benefits to using GPS technology in firefighting.

Other Applications

While fighting forest fires is decidedly more dangerous than normal firefighting, this GPS and GIS technology can also give fire departments a boost in getting out to house fires quicker. GPS technology can increase the efficiency of travel to find the fastest route. Oftentimes in fires, time is the most important factor. Any time you can shave seconds and minutes off of a response time, you can help increase the chances of survival for the people involved in these fires.

GPS and GIS technology are only going to improve firefighting work over the years. As new and better GPS technology is created, firefighters will be able to work safer and faster than ever before. There will always be inherent dangers in this field of work, but making things safer will only help to protect the real asset involved: the firefighter.

Tracking the Real Assets: Fire Fighters

Russia’s GPS Plays April Fool’s Joke?

Although technically the glitch occurred on April 2, 2014, it was close enough to April Fool’s Day (striking at 1 am, Moscow time, on April 2) for some to wonder whether it was some kind of joke or hoax that caused Russia’s GLONASS global positioning network to go down briefly. That seems unlikely, though, since (1) April Fool’s Day is not widely celebrated in Russia and (2) no clear explanation of the event (such as hackers or hoaxers admitting their role in the event) has been forthcoming.

Nonetheless, in the early morning hours of April 2, 2014, Russia’s GLONASS global positioning system (similar to the United States’ GPS network) became unreliable and nonfunctional for over ten hours. What caused this to happen? Is such an event possible here in the States?

A Little History

“GLONASS” stands for Global Navigation Satellite System. It’s operated by the Russian Aerospace Defense Forces and is a satellite navigation system similar to the Global Positioning System (GPS) network widely used in the USA.

GLONASS was started in 1976 and was basically operational by 1995. However, in the years between 1995 and the end of the first decade of the new millennium, the system had fallen into disrepair. Under Vladimir Putin the Russian government repaired and upgraded the system, getting it fully functional once again late in 2011. The Russian Federal Space Agency spends the equivalent of millions of dollars each year to keep the system functioning. Some sources claim it consumes more than a quarter of the agency’s entire budget.

What Happened?

On April 2, 2014, a Canadian geoservices company operations executive noticed the problem. He and others realized that nearly all of the GLONASS satellites (24 in total) had started sending erroneous information about their locations. Eventually all 24 GLONASS satellites gave wrong information at some point. This affected positioning networks around the world, not just in Russia, since use of GLONASS satellites is not limited to Russia alone.

When a person uses a GPS device to determine his location, that device is in contact with at least three satellites. This is required in order to assure accuracy. If each satellite’s position in space is recorded in error, information being transmitted between receivers and the satellite will give false readings. In other words, it quickly becomes evident to a GLONASS user that something is wrong with the system when his receiver tells him his position is somewhere other than where he actually is. Thus the problem was almost immediately recognized worldwide. One source called it an “unprecedented” event.

This might seem like little more than an inconvenience to most of us, if we’re just using a GPS device in our car to get from Point A to Point B. But shipping, transportation, the military, and a host of governmental and nongovernmental agencies rely on GPS networks every moment. When a system goes down, it’s no exaggeration to state that lives can be endangered.

During the April 2 crisis the satellites gave readings of “illegal ephemeris” and/or “failure.” The term “ephemeris” comes from the Greek word for “calendar” or “diary”; nowadays it refers to information giving the location of astronomical objects (including satellites, both natural and manmade) at certain times. So, basically, a satellite giving a reading of “illegal ephemeris” is stating that it knows the location readings it’s giving are incorrect. It’s suspected that bad ephemerides (the plural form of ephemeris) had been uploaded, accidentally or intentionally, to the GLONASS satellites and for some reason the erroneous information became functional at 1:00 a.m. on April 2.

What May Have Caused the Event?

At this writing no definitive explanation for the cause of the outage has been forthcoming from Russian authorities. However, some experts suspect that someone incorrectly uploaded corrections to the satellites’ ephemerides.

At any rate, it took the Russian leaders approximately eleven hours to restore the satellites to their normal functioning capacity. It could not be done immediately, due to the vastness of the Russian topography. System operators could not address the problem until satellites passed close enough to their location to be in range to have their data reset. While waiting for the problem to be fixed, some providers advised their users to turn off GLONASS receivers.

A similar problem could conceivably occur with systems based in other countries, such as the People’s Republic of China’s Beidou regional system or their global COMPASS system; the European Union’s Galileo System; India’s IRNSS system; Japan’s QZSS system; as well as the United States’ Global Positioning System. However, at least one source has noted that not only has the US-based GPS network never had such an outage, it has also gained a reputation for dependability, flexibility, and speed of service.

Russia’s GPS Plays April Fool’s Joke?

Playing Keep Away with GPS

Lawmakers in Minnesota are taking steps to ensure the safety of victims of harassment or assault with the help of GPS trackers. The new program, proposed by Rep. Clark Johnson, DFL-North Mankato, allows both defendant and plaintiff to be fitted voluntarily with GPS trackers to ensure that neither party comes too close to the other. The benefit for the defendant is that they will receive a shorter jail sentence, allowing them to be released back into society faster and allow them to get on with their lives. The benefit for the victim is that they can have more peace of mind to know that there is someone watching over both them and their assailant to ensure that things don’t escalate between them. It ends up being a win-win situation for all parties.

The Source of Change

Johnson cites the efforts of Jamie Erickson, whose friend, 19 year old Josselyn Bishop, was killed in 2011 by her boyfriend. Such a system might have prevented that death, had it been in place at that point. The main idea is to keep the parties separated to prevent flare-ups between two people who have a history of violence between them. The problem with many domestic abuse cases is that the two parties know each other well and often have complex relationships that may put the two in the same place at the same time frequently. With this law targeting people who are family members, it is all the more difficult. However, the GPS trackers will allow authorities to monitor the location of everyone and become involved before more violence occurs.

The Proposal in a Capsule:

GPS tracking is voluntary by both defendant and victim

If the two parties get too close, authorities will be notified

Distance requirements will vary from location to location

Opposition in Congress

While the bill appears to be a win-win, it does not quite have universal support. Many do not outright oppose the proposal and pilot plan already in place, but are concerned for those who are affected by it. The nice part is that this is mostly a volunteer program that gives people (both victim and defendant) the ability to opt out of it if they are uncomfortable with it. Still, some representatives are adding amendments to address their own concerns. Some are concerned over the lack of a uniform policy on the distance requirements of the two parties. As it is now, each region of the state can set its own guidelines, which some oppose. However, there are vast differences in how a ten mile radius would impact someone living near the city versus those living on the outskirts. With that in mind, the regional determination seems most appropriate.

Success So Far

This program has been piloted for the past year in Ramsey County, where roughly 28 defendants have opted to be a part of this plan. Out of that small group, only two violated their restraints, but in both times the victim requested the meeting. How this would play out with a larger number of people remains to be seen, but the GPS tracking technology works and performs the required job of keeping people apart. Would this put an undue burden on authorities to constantly monitor the movements of a growing number of people? How many would voluntarily violate the restraints in order to meet up with each other (which overall seems like a bad idea anyway)? Again, domestic abuse is a complicated matter with a variety of associated complications and problems involved. Would this be successful long term? All of these questions are important and would probably only be answered over time.

Guarantees Going Forward

While GPS tracking offers a good method of keeping victims safe, it will not be the answer for every domestic abuse case. While it can be very effective, the severity of the abuse is also important to understand, as well as the anticipation of future threats. If there is a situation that is too dangerous for the victim to continue in, GPS tracking might not be the best option. More jail time for the defendant might be the best option. For each case, individual consideration is important to investigate to make sure things go safely long term. Unfortunately, some people just won’t care if they are being monitored or not, and that will be the job of the judge to determine the ongoing intent of the defendant.

The bottom line as this proposal goes through the process of becoming a law will always be what is best for the victim. This appears to be a safe way for the victim to use GPS tracking to seamlessly get on with her life, as well as trying to find out if the defendant can continue to function in society. The technology is out there, so finding the best possible use of it will be helpful and important in maintaining individual safety and security.

Playing Keep Away with GPS