GEOTrac International, an Iridium value-added reseller, is working with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) to apply advanced GPS, mapping and satellite communications technology to facilitate recovery of stolen vehicles and equipment. GEOTrac’s solution uses Iridium satellites to transmit location data from small GPS modules attached to the vehicles. The RCMP uses the GEOTrac system to find and recover stolen vehicles and heavy equipment.
“Theft is a serious problem in Alberta and British Columbia, especially in the oilfields, where trucks, construction machines and other mobile assets are scattered across a large remote region,” said Tim Hodge, CEO of GEOTrac International. “This has driven many companies to equip their fleets of vehicles with our GPS devices, which can transmit their real-time position back to the dispatch center.”
“Iridium’s ubiquitous gap-free coverage across Canada, excellent network quality and reliable near-real-time data links provide an ideal medium for this automatic vehicle location application,” said Greg Ewert, executive vice president of Iridium Satellite. “More than 20,000 Iridium-based asset tracking devices are currently deployed worldwide, and the number of activations for short burst data has increased 317 percent over last year.”
“GEOTrac’s customers operate in areas where there is no cellular wireless service, so satellites are the only viable alternative for data links,” said Hodge. “Only Iridium could provide the level of coverage and dependable connectivity that we need.”
GEOTrac’s unique hybrid mapping technology combines satellite imagery and customized digital roadmaps. This permits a vehicle’s location and movements to be superimposed onto satellite imagery, providing a constantly updated view of vehicles moving through the terrain.
“Our hybrid maps have enabled us to direct RCMP ground teams building-by-building and road-by-road to the site of the stolen vehicle, playing a major role in breaking up several large theft rings,” added Hodge.
In addition to theft protection, GEOTrac’s system provides a wide range of features for managing assets and controlling operating costs. For instance, the system’s geofencing function provides automatic alerts whenever a vehicle enters or leaves a pre-specified area. This is a useful tool for location-based billing for oilfield service companies, notifying dispatchers automatically when a vehicle enters and leaves the service area.
