GPS Cell Phone Tracking

It seems strange to think that it was only a year or so ago that we had to carry around several pieces of electronic equipment, especially if we were going on holiday or a day trip. As a minimum we needed a CD player, a camera and a cell phone. Technology has moved apace and it is now possible to get all these features in one of those pieces of equipment - your cell phone. But that is not all, the latest advances in GPS Tracking technology are now filtering through to cell phones.

There is no shortage of cell phones on the market giving the consumer a wide range of choices of both manufacturer and cell phone model. It is easy to browse through websites of cell phone manufacturers to find a cell phone that meets your requirements exactly, including cell phone tracking. Let's take a look at what cell phone tracking is and how useful it is.

GPS Cell Phone Tracking

Perhaps the most useful of the recent cell phone innovations is the GPS cell phone which supports live tracking. Cell phone tracking allows you to track the current location of the phone. There are two forms of cell phone tracking, one gives a rough guide to position, the other is very accurate. Cell phones negotiate with the cell towers and choose the one with the strongest signal at any one time. When in range of more than one cell tower, the relative signal strengths can be used to give a rough guide to position. Things are moving on though, and cell phones are now available with built-in GPS functionality. This gives the cell phone the same accuracy as a standard car GPS device. With some cell phones it is not

even necessary to have the phone switched on since the GPS part is powered by a separate battery.

Let's take a look at the basics of GPS and how it is applied to the latest cell phones. GPS is the acronym for Global Positioning System. The GPS system makes use of a fleet of satellites orbiting the earth. As long as three or more satellites are above the horizon, it is possible for a GPS receiver to calculate the location with great accuracy. This uses a technique known as triangulation. GPS was initiated by the United States Department of Defense during the 1970's and finally became operational in the mid-nineties. The system started out its life under the name NAVSTAR but it is only known by its GPS acronym these days. There are currently twenty four satellites in orbit, each one beams a unique signal down to earth allowing a GPS receiver to identify them. The big advantage here is that the system encompasses the entire globe, so GPS is not confined to specific geographical areas. The signals transmitted to earth can be received by any cellular phone with a buit-in GPS system. These signals are processed in order to provide the exact location of the receiver. The accuracy improves with the number of satellites currently above the horizon.

Having provided the means to receive GPS signals, it is then up to the individual cell phone manufacturers to provide a good user experience. This comes in two forms, displaying data on the cell phone itself or displaying the data remotely so that you can track the location of the phone. When it comes to displaying data on the cell phone, it is important to display the data in a form that is easily understandable to the user without cluttering up the display with unrelated information. The best form of display of course is by way of a map showing the current location with reference to the local surroundings - the roads and rail network and various topographical features. The other method of using the tracking data is by uploading the data to a website or a database so that either your company or your friends and family can view your last reported position.

What are the Advantages of a Cellular GPS Phone with GPS Tracking? There are many advantages, which we will come to, but it is important not to forget that cell phone tracking information could be a big problem if it came into the hands of the wrong person. Unsurprisingly, there are many people who are rather worried about the use of this technology and its data, but the benefits are there for all to see. Perhaps the biggest one is in emergency situations. A person with a GPS-enabled cell phone could be injured or completely lost but the emergency services would be able to pinpoint their position with great accuracy. Another big benefit is allowing people to find out their location, particularly when travelling through unknown country or in parts of a city that they haven't been in before. Of course a cell phone will never replace in-car GPS systems but they do have one major advantage - portability. You are not tied to your car when you use cell phone tracking, the cell phone goes wherever you go so it is possible to track your location anywhere there is a cell phone signal.

Several laws are in place to protect your privacy when it comes to cell phone tracking data. The information will only be released if the owner gives consent. The only times it will be used without the need for consent is in the case of emergency calls or where the authorities might be wanting to track a crime suspect. The laws should ensure that people will benefit from GPS for many years to come.