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GPS tracking of vehicles on the rise

M. Somasekhar

FROM tracking schools of fish in coastal waters to expending less effort in monitoring public transport buses that ply in the cities, the global positioning system (GPS) technology has started making its impact in the country.

Now, corporates are also getting on to the bandwagon to harness this technology, already deployed by many multinationals abroad to track their vehicles and goods. Nirma, the Ahmedabad-based detergent major has decided to utilise GPS to track its vehicles , and curb the pilferage of materials.

Arrycom (India) Ltd., also an Ahmedabad-based communications company, will develop an on-line vehicle tracking system for Nirma Limited. The idea is to closely monitor the movements of the company's 55 vehicles, moving between Sawli and Mehsana, a distan ce of 220 km.

``We will develop a system with eight logical input/outputs, which will cover various specialised security requirements that help in pilferage control, vehicle movement identification and adulteration control'', explained Mr. Atul Parekh, Arrycom Managin g Director.

If 50 vehicles start from a single point, say in Sawli, in the morning and head towards Mehsana, a central control structure at Nirma's Ahmedabad headquarters will provide a range of details about them on a computer screen. It would be possible to zoom i n and get the relevant information, since a distinct identification is given to both the vehicle and the driver.

For Nirma, a special sensor will be placed in the vehicle along with the GPS receiver set. In the instance of pilferage or adulteration, a light-emitting diode (LED) will glow in the master control room, enabling the company to act.

Typically, each vehicle will have a GPS receiver reporting its position to the central station over a communications network. This allows the central station to monitor the entire fleet and manage the mobile assets. The overall benefits of the system inc lude the timely delivery of materials, reduction in thefts, improved service and enhanced communications.

The Arrycom development centre has already developed a GPS Trackcom system for the Gujarat Police. Eight police jeeps have been fitted with the GPS receiver and deployed for patrolling activity. The police control room now has a thorough idea of these ve hicles movements.

The GPS is a system of 24 satellites, located in six orbits, 20,200 km above the earth. They provide information on the users' positions anywhere on Earth, day or night and in all weather conditions.

The signals beamed down to Earth by the 24 satellites are gathered by the user's receiver unit, computing the information to help him find his way anywhere. The GPS configuration consists of three segments -- space, the control centre and the user. The Space segment holds the 24 satellites, the control centre has monitor stations under it, and the user segment has receivers either on land, air, or sea.

The typical features of a GPS receiver are a processor, a sensor, display and keyboard controller and antenna. It would have specific software for user-interface, sensors and display/controller.

The main application areas of GPS are vehicle and goods tracking, mapping, mining and navigation. Differential GPS technology can be used for more scientific activities such as aircraft landings, surveys and timing.

GPS-based vehicle tracking systems developed by the public sector undertaking, Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), Bangalore, have already been deployed in the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation buses in the city in an experimental project. Similar efforts are underway in Hyderabad, and the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) is firming up plans to use them in its fleet of buses.

By tracking the vehicles and getting inputs such as the exact route they have taken, where they stopped and for how long, it would be easier for better route planning and deciding on payments to contractors who run buses.

GPS-based systems have also been developed in the country by Aerospace Systems Pvt. Ltd. (ASL) of the Tatas, Advanced Micronic Devices (AMD), Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and several private companies for varied applications.

The BEL has developed GPS receivers for a variety of user applications. Its airborne receiver, designed to work with onboard power supply, has found application in aircraft. It provides information about the position, velocity and time essential for navi gation, round the clock and all over the world.

The BEL is also working on a major project with the Indian Railways to install GPS receivers to track the movement of cargo and containers in the large network across the country.

GPS-based product development growth in the country was pursued by the Department of Electronics (DoE) and the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), under its coordinated project on Future Air Navigation System (FANS) launched in the earl y 1990s.

The Bangalore-based ASL has fabricated GPS receivers for use in land, marine and air applications, both for Defence and civil clients. It has also won a contract from the aircraft industry in Israel for the integration of GPS and the inertial landing sys tem, according to a DoE publication.

Though the preliminary development and utility of GPS-based receiver products took place in the Defence and strategic sector, their use in civilian areas is witnessing perceptible growth.