Four things you should know about GPS Handset Tracking:
While GPS is an excellent, cost effective way to manage a mobile workforce. However, there are 4 things you should know before starting:
1. Getting an accurate GPS location depends on “line of sight.” This means that, unlike radios and TVs that can receive their signals from above, the side, or through walls, GPS-enabled devices get signals only from above. Mobile devices need a clear line of site to the sky in order to get a good GPS reading. For this reason, phones running Xora do not always provide a location when indoors. When a worker is traveling, it’s best to keep the mobile device near the dashboard where line of sight is more direct. GPS location can only be acquired when line of sight visibility with GPS satellites in the sky can be obtained.
2. Dedicated devices or Black boxes are an exception to the “line of sight” rule. This is because vehicles with black boxes mounted in them also have external antennas, which receive GPS signals from the sky.
3. GPS reception is more likely to fail when a mobile device’s battery is low. When workers are traveling, it’s a good idea for them to keep their phones plugged into their car chargers.
4. As a general rule GPS is accurate to within 100 meters 95% of the time and works pretty much the same way regardless of which GPS vendor, application, or phone you choose. Although this is an average statistic, your experience will be with much greater accuracy on a daily basis, usually within 3-5 meter accuracy, all things being equal. When you add in the opportunities for AGPS, and infrequent errors in GPS reads, the statistic becomes true on average.