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Q: GPS enabled Auto question ( No Answer,   1 Comment )
Question  
Subject: GPS enabled Auto question
Category: Business and Money > Advertising and Marketing
Asked by: svminc-ga
List Price: $200.00
Posted: 28 Jun 2004 15:21 PDT
Expires: 28 Jul 2004 15:21 PDT
Question ID: 367458
We would like to know how many different companies service or provide
GPS tracking for the auto industry.
Specifically, we are interested in knowing if these companies have
access to and/or keep records of the data the GPS enabled autos give
back to their system, in regards to position and speed.
For instance Hertz has a system called NeverLost, which is in a lot of
their rented vehicles, what company provides this GPS service and do
they keep all data or do they just rent the data or have access to it
from a larger company, that maybe owns the satellites?
To help clarify the intent and direction of the information needed, we
need this info for a business which we will need access to as much
data as possible regarding the whereabouts and speed of as many GPS
equipped vehicles as possible on the road across America.
We need to know if we need to contact several different companies to
see if it is possible to gain access to this data or maybe one major
satellite company? Either way we need contact information for as many
companies there are or the one.

Request for Question Clarification by jbf777-ga on 28 Jun 2004 17:54 PDT
Hello -

I just got off the phone with a representative from Navigation
Laboratories, the company that built the NeverLost product for Hertz.

GPS works on a "one-to-one" system.  Positioning data is streamed
directly from one of the several satellites in orbit to any GPS
receiver able to receive and decrypt it.  The data is locally
processed in the receiver.  Thusly, there's no "central repository" of
information, because there's no middleman company or organization that
feeds data to the receivers (which, in this example, are in thousands
of vehicles).  One exception to this is On-Star, who uses a cellular
go-between of sorts.  It is possible they keep a record of data on
their network.  Aside from this, the only thing that can get a reading
of its location is the receiver receiving the data.

The GPS satellites are owned and operated by Government agenc(ies);
they provide the encrypted data for free to anyone who has the
equipment to decrypt it.

Please let me know if this sheds any light on the topic, and how I can
best be of assistance to you.

Thank you,

jbf777
GA Researcher

Request for Question Clarification by pafalafa-ga on 29 Jun 2004 07:54 PDT
svminc-ga,

Pretty interesting question you've posed here.

I used to do some work in the field known as ITS -- Intelligent
Transportation Systems.  The question of tracking traffic patterns via
GPS-type signals from vehicles has been broadly considered by ITS
types.

Although tracking data from GPS systems such as NeverLost has received
some attention, the key tracking mechanism under consideration is that
of using signals from the cellular phones of drivers as a means of
recording statistical information on vehicle position and speed. 
Cellular phone signals are also being engineered to allow emergency
responders to pinpoint position of cellular phone during an accident
(this capacity doesn't exist yet, but will in the near future).

I mention all this just to make you aware of the possibility of using
cellular pnoe data as an information resource.  Have you considered
contacting ITS specialists as part of your business plan?

If you would like more information on this particular angle, let me
know how I can best assist you.

pafalafa-ga

Clarification of Question by svminc-ga on 29 Jun 2004 10:31 PDT
to Jbf77: Thanks for the info, we undestand what you wrote and like
NeverLost and On-star their must be more companies like them that have
"middleware" or access to the data of their clients. For instance we
have navigation in our Mercedes and it has a similar type service as
On-star which allows the operator to see exactly where we are when we
call up. I imagine Lo-Jack the anti theft service works this way also?
Anyway, we just need these companies contact info to see if we can
work a deal or get access to this info. Thanks,

to pafalafa: Thanks for the info on the Cell phone route, we would
like to pursue that route also to see if it may pan out better for our
indeavor. We would like contact information for the companies working
on or supplying this service or technology.
Our intent is to leverage existing data from many
"receivers/transmittors" in order to perform our service, which we are
open to anyway we would be able to do this.

Request for Question Clarification by pafalafa-ga on 29 Jun 2004 14:39 PDT
Hello again, svminc-ga,

Thanks for your earlier feedback.

Google Answers isn't set up to allow two researchers (jbf77-ga and
myself) to answer the same question.

I'll be away from the computer for a few days, anyway, so I wouldn't
be able to provide an answer anytime soon.  Therefore, I'll unlock
this question, so that others can comment on it or provide an answer.

My advice is this:  if you're truly interested in the ITS angle to all
this, post a separate question -- at a price you deem fair -- asking
for information on the companies working in this area, or anything
else that you want to know.  If I can provide an answer to your new
question, I will be happy to do so.

Also, it would be best to post a comment here as well that you will
seek the ITS information elsewhere, so as to give clear direction to
researchers as to how to best answer this current question.

All the best,

pafalafa-ga

Clarification of Question by svminc-ga on 29 Jun 2004 18:36 PDT
We will ask the below researcher "pafalafa" the info directed toward
ITS info in a separate question account. We would still like the other
part answered.
Answer  
There is no answer at this time.

Comments  
Subject: Re: GPS enabled Auto question
From: triptych-ga on 24 Jul 2004 17:00 PDT
 
See www.road.com a company that offers tracking for commercial vehicles

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