Monday, September 8, 2008
The End of the Roadmap?
Australian IT has declared that the advent of the GPS navigator means the end of the road map as we know it. Is it true?
Well, yes and no.
I'm reminded of the e-mail/snail-mail debate. People used to say that the Post Office would go out of business, but it hasn't. E-mail is quicker, cheaper, more versatile, but snail mail is tactile (people like tactile), and capable of sending physical things. Mail is harder to ignore than e-mail, and a lot more useful when you need to be sure that it was actually received.
So what are the pros and cons for GPS navigators versus maps? Well, the GPS is easier to read, can give you turn-by-turn directions, is more likely to be up-to-date, and is... you know... cool. What chance does the map have?
First, it's a lot cheaper. It might not be worth it for someone to pay upwards of $100 to get a GPS tracker when they can bet a map for $7. Second, maps don't break down--so even if you have a Garmin, you might want to also have a map as a back up. Maps can be general, whereas a GPS typically is sending you to a direct place. Granted, GPS can be used to find, say, Rhode Island (as opposed to a pizza parlor in Providence), but maps lend themselves more easily. Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, a map is something you can put on your wall and draw/trace/push-pin your routes and destinations. A map can be a commemorative tool, much like you can save an old letter, even frame it, better than you can save an e-mail.
FoxTrax GPS Fleet Tracking
Clever solutions for vehicle tracking
www.FoxTraxGPS.com
Well, yes and no.
I'm reminded of the e-mail/snail-mail debate. People used to say that the Post Office would go out of business, but it hasn't. E-mail is quicker, cheaper, more versatile, but snail mail is tactile (people like tactile), and capable of sending physical things. Mail is harder to ignore than e-mail, and a lot more useful when you need to be sure that it was actually received.
So what are the pros and cons for GPS navigators versus maps? Well, the GPS is easier to read, can give you turn-by-turn directions, is more likely to be up-to-date, and is... you know... cool. What chance does the map have?
First, it's a lot cheaper. It might not be worth it for someone to pay upwards of $100 to get a GPS tracker when they can bet a map for $7. Second, maps don't break down--so even if you have a Garmin, you might want to also have a map as a back up. Maps can be general, whereas a GPS typically is sending you to a direct place. Granted, GPS can be used to find, say, Rhode Island (as opposed to a pizza parlor in Providence), but maps lend themselves more easily. Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, a map is something you can put on your wall and draw/trace/push-pin your routes and destinations. A map can be a commemorative tool, much like you can save an old letter, even frame it, better than you can save an e-mail.
FoxTrax GPS Fleet Tracking
Clever solutions for vehicle tracking
www.FoxTraxGPS.com
Labels: GPS
Monday, August 11, 2008
GPS Coffee
So I was trolling the web for St. Louis coffee shops that aren't Starbucks and found one called Kayak's. It looks to be pretty knew, and I only mention it here because they have posted on their home page, inexplicably, the GPS coordinates of their shop. For those that need something a bit more direct than Google-Maps, I suppose.
FoxTrax GPS Fleet Tracking
Clever solutions for vehicle tracking
www.FoxTraxGPS.com
FoxTrax GPS Fleet Tracking
Clever solutions for vehicle tracking
www.FoxTraxGPS.com
Labels: GPS
Monday, August 4, 2008
GPS Uses, 4 Good, 4 Not So Good
Welcome back. I've been off getting married, but it's time to re-start the ongoing conversation about GPS devices and what they can do for you. What better way to begin that discussion than with a brief overview of what they can't do for you?
Things you should never do with a GPS tracker:
1. Spy On Your Employees - This is probably the second biggest request we get. The chief problem here is that it's probably illegal, even if you're really only tracking your own vehicles. And even if you're not criminally liable, there's still civil court to deal with. Here's the scenario. You track one of your employees who is having an affair and using the company vehicle to meet up with his mistress. You catch him, he gets fired and subsequently divorced. He sues you. And us. There have been cases like that in which the employee has won.
The other side of the coin is this: what are you going to do when you catch the guy? When you say "hey, I've been tracking you and I caught you driving where you weren't supposed to be", how is that conversation going to go? Will it be any less awkward than saying "we're going to start tracking everyone--gas is $4 a gallon and we need to know what we're spending so we can afford to keep paying you!" before the fact? Isn't the point to correct bad behavior, rather than fire bad employees?
2. Cut Food - GPS trackers are expensive and don't have any sharp edges. This is a task much better suited to a knife.
Okay, now that that bit of silliness is out of the way...
3. Track Packages - Once in a while, people ask us to leave the tracker on while it's in transit so they can track it to it's destination. This rarely works out. There are too many times the tracker will be in a metal building (where it won't work well) or on a plane (where it won't work at all and may or may not interfere with the navigation systems).
4. Spy On Your Cheating Spouse - Biggest downside, again, it's probably illegal. And what are you going to say when you have your evidence? You're almost certainly better hiring a PI, who knows how to spy on people without breaking laws.
Are we noticing a pattern here? Lots of people regard GPS as a weapon for passive-aggression. And it can be used for that, I suppose, but spying on people is almost certainly not going to end well for the spy... spyer... spier... person who is spying.
So, just to contrast, here are some things that GPS is great for:
1. Personal Tracking (of a non-secretive nature) - Got an expensive car and a teenage driver? Maybe a loved one with dementia? Even a pet that's prone to wandering off.
2. Mileage Tracking - Compare it to the odometer, even calculate labor costs.
3. Navigation and Routing - Okay, our system doesn't do this, nor do most systems like ours. There are basically two types of GPS trackers, the type that track or the type that navigate. Ours is the former, but the latter are quite useful as well.
4. Theft Prevention - Enough said.
FoxTrax GPS Fleet Tracking
Clever solutions for vehicle tracking
www.FoxTraxGPS.com
Things you should never do with a GPS tracker:
1. Spy On Your Employees - This is probably the second biggest request we get. The chief problem here is that it's probably illegal, even if you're really only tracking your own vehicles. And even if you're not criminally liable, there's still civil court to deal with. Here's the scenario. You track one of your employees who is having an affair and using the company vehicle to meet up with his mistress. You catch him, he gets fired and subsequently divorced. He sues you. And us. There have been cases like that in which the employee has won.
The other side of the coin is this: what are you going to do when you catch the guy? When you say "hey, I've been tracking you and I caught you driving where you weren't supposed to be", how is that conversation going to go? Will it be any less awkward than saying "we're going to start tracking everyone--gas is $4 a gallon and we need to know what we're spending so we can afford to keep paying you!" before the fact? Isn't the point to correct bad behavior, rather than fire bad employees?
2. Cut Food - GPS trackers are expensive and don't have any sharp edges. This is a task much better suited to a knife.
Okay, now that that bit of silliness is out of the way...
3. Track Packages - Once in a while, people ask us to leave the tracker on while it's in transit so they can track it to it's destination. This rarely works out. There are too many times the tracker will be in a metal building (where it won't work well) or on a plane (where it won't work at all and may or may not interfere with the navigation systems).
4. Spy On Your Cheating Spouse - Biggest downside, again, it's probably illegal. And what are you going to say when you have your evidence? You're almost certainly better hiring a PI, who knows how to spy on people without breaking laws.
Are we noticing a pattern here? Lots of people regard GPS as a weapon for passive-aggression. And it can be used for that, I suppose, but spying on people is almost certainly not going to end well for the spy... spyer... spier... person who is spying.
So, just to contrast, here are some things that GPS is great for:
1. Personal Tracking (of a non-secretive nature) - Got an expensive car and a teenage driver? Maybe a loved one with dementia? Even a pet that's prone to wandering off.
2. Mileage Tracking - Compare it to the odometer, even calculate labor costs.
3. Navigation and Routing - Okay, our system doesn't do this, nor do most systems like ours. There are basically two types of GPS trackers, the type that track or the type that navigate. Ours is the former, but the latter are quite useful as well.
4. Theft Prevention - Enough said.
FoxTrax GPS Fleet Tracking
Clever solutions for vehicle tracking
www.FoxTraxGPS.com
Labels: GPS
Thursday, July 10, 2008
If a Jeep Falls in the Woods
A man in Spring, Texas was found by firefighters thanks to the built-in GPS in his cell phone. He was driving his jeep through the woods, got stuck and disoriented, and started trying to find his way to civilization on foot. He wandered about 3 miles before he was found. He called his wife, she called the authorities, and after about half an hour he was found.
My reactions:
First, I used to live in Spring, Texas (it's a suburb of Houston). There are a lot of woods. But there's a lot of civilization too. I don't know if he was walking in circles or just managed to the find the most densely wooded area in town, but 3 miles is a pretty good stretch of uninhabited land for a significant suburb of a major city.
Second, why didn't the man call the authorities, himself, rather than call his wife? Is this just an extreme example of the stereotypical male being unwilling to stop and ask for directions? I can hear the conversation now "No, honey, I don't need to call the police, I have an excellent sense of direction. I just might be a little late for dinner, that's all."
Third, what was he doing driving a jeep in the middle of the woods? Is this what happens when you take SUV commercials too seriously?
Okay, joking aside. Many people don't know that nearly every cellphone made in the last couple of years has a GPS chip in it. It's not terribly sophisticated, but it's there expressly so the police/fire can find you. The jeep, it's worth noting, has not yet been recovered.
FoxTrax GPS Fleet Tracking
Clever solutions for vehicle tracking
www.FoxTraxGPS.com
My reactions:
First, I used to live in Spring, Texas (it's a suburb of Houston). There are a lot of woods. But there's a lot of civilization too. I don't know if he was walking in circles or just managed to the find the most densely wooded area in town, but 3 miles is a pretty good stretch of uninhabited land for a significant suburb of a major city.
Second, why didn't the man call the authorities, himself, rather than call his wife? Is this just an extreme example of the stereotypical male being unwilling to stop and ask for directions? I can hear the conversation now "No, honey, I don't need to call the police, I have an excellent sense of direction. I just might be a little late for dinner, that's all."
Third, what was he doing driving a jeep in the middle of the woods? Is this what happens when you take SUV commercials too seriously?
Okay, joking aside. Many people don't know that nearly every cellphone made in the last couple of years has a GPS chip in it. It's not terribly sophisticated, but it's there expressly so the police/fire can find you. The jeep, it's worth noting, has not yet been recovered.
FoxTrax GPS Fleet Tracking
Clever solutions for vehicle tracking
www.FoxTraxGPS.com
Labels: GPS
Monday, July 7, 2008
What Did You Do With Your Holiday Weekend?
Kent Couch's second lawn-chair-and-balloon-flight was a complete success. On July 5th, 2008, he traveled over 200 miles from Bend, Oregon and landed in a field in Cambridge. Cambridge, Idaho, that is.
Lawn-chair-and-balloon-flight aficionados were able to watch his progress online via his GPS device. Thank goodness the prevailing wind was Easterly, because if he'd gone 200 miles the other direction, he would have been over the open ocean.
So what did you do with your 4th of July weekend? Some people launch/watch fireworks. Some people dress up in red, white, and blue. Some sing patriotic songs. Some visit their families. Some barbecue and drink beer. And some tie a bunch of helium balloons to a lawn chair and fly across state lines. To quote Pink Floyd: "Shine on, you crazy diamond!"
FoxTrax GPS Fleet Tracking
Clever solutions for vehicle tracking
www.FoxTraxGPS.com
Lawn-chair-and-balloon-flight aficionados were able to watch his progress online via his GPS device. Thank goodness the prevailing wind was Easterly, because if he'd gone 200 miles the other direction, he would have been over the open ocean.
So what did you do with your 4th of July weekend? Some people launch/watch fireworks. Some people dress up in red, white, and blue. Some sing patriotic songs. Some visit their families. Some barbecue and drink beer. And some tie a bunch of helium balloons to a lawn chair and fly across state lines. To quote Pink Floyd: "Shine on, you crazy diamond!"
FoxTrax GPS Fleet Tracking
Clever solutions for vehicle tracking
www.FoxTraxGPS.com
Labels: current events, GPS
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Coming Soon, to a Handheld Near You!
According to an article on NetWorkWorld.com, SkyHook Wireless has released XPS 2.0, the latest version of it's positioning firmware (the previous version can be found on, for example, the iPhone). XPS is an attempt to bridge the speed of WPS, in which a device uses the location of Wi-Fi access points to get a rapid position fix, and GPS, in which a device uses satellite data to get a very precise position fix.
XPS uses data from both to achieve both speed and accuracy, as well as (when necessary) cellular network data. Version 2.0 is supposed to have several improvements in the vein of it-does-the-same-thing-only-better, changes to the algorithm and what not.
GPS and it's derivatives still aren't perfect: there are lots of areas that lack coverage, satellite communication can be slow, and it's often a battery hog. But perfection is a goal, "usable" is what you actually sell, and it's not like cellphones never drop calls or work in the Antarctic. The technology is becoming more and more ubiquitous, especially in handhelds. To quote the article directly: "GPS is very precise, and a rash of specialized location products increasingly smarter versions of it." And while that isn't, technically, a sentence, it is a harbinger of what's heading our way. More and more, portable computers are replacing cellphones. More and more, these are coming with sophisticated GPS built-in.
What does this say about our culture? Well, we'll never get lost on the way to the supermarket again, not so long as the phone has battery. Alas, that it cannot also tell us which aisle has the hot-dog buns! I do worry sometimes about becoming over-dependent on such tools for simple things. I knew someone who, when asked what 10% of 300 was, punched a flurry of keys into her graphing calculator before responding emphatically that the answer was "30" (it is--but you shouldn't need the help for simple math like that). Will it be the same for GPS--will it result in an underdeveloped sense of direction? Will we be able to navigate if we go out into the wild--like people used to do in all those SUV commercials? Assuming there's no coverage out there.
I jest--there's coverage everywhere (right?). And as with all things, you can curse the changes or you can accept them, and I choose to say "thank you, Skyhook". The next time someone tells me to "Get lost," I can tell them that it's not very likely to happen.
FoxTrax GPS Fleet Tracking
Clever solutions for vehicle tracking
www.FoxTraxGPS.com
XPS uses data from both to achieve both speed and accuracy, as well as (when necessary) cellular network data. Version 2.0 is supposed to have several improvements in the vein of it-does-the-same-thing-only-better, changes to the algorithm and what not.
GPS and it's derivatives still aren't perfect: there are lots of areas that lack coverage, satellite communication can be slow, and it's often a battery hog. But perfection is a goal, "usable" is what you actually sell, and it's not like cellphones never drop calls or work in the Antarctic. The technology is becoming more and more ubiquitous, especially in handhelds. To quote the article directly: "GPS is very precise, and a rash of specialized location products increasingly smarter versions of it." And while that isn't, technically, a sentence, it is a harbinger of what's heading our way. More and more, portable computers are replacing cellphones. More and more, these are coming with sophisticated GPS built-in.
What does this say about our culture? Well, we'll never get lost on the way to the supermarket again, not so long as the phone has battery. Alas, that it cannot also tell us which aisle has the hot-dog buns! I do worry sometimes about becoming over-dependent on such tools for simple things. I knew someone who, when asked what 10% of 300 was, punched a flurry of keys into her graphing calculator before responding emphatically that the answer was "30" (it is--but you shouldn't need the help for simple math like that). Will it be the same for GPS--will it result in an underdeveloped sense of direction? Will we be able to navigate if we go out into the wild--like people used to do in all those SUV commercials? Assuming there's no coverage out there.
I jest--there's coverage everywhere (right?). And as with all things, you can curse the changes or you can accept them, and I choose to say "thank you, Skyhook". The next time someone tells me to "Get lost," I can tell them that it's not very likely to happen.
FoxTrax GPS Fleet Tracking
Clever solutions for vehicle tracking
www.FoxTraxGPS.com
Labels: GPS, technology
Thursday, June 26, 2008
How Many Hypermiles Are in a Lightyear?
One of the things that I love about the English language is that it's a technical language, so new words can be created from old ones on an as-needed basis. For example, take "hyper" + "mile" and make it into a verb. The gerund form of it would be "hypermiling", which has recently entered the lexicon as "increasing your car's gas mileage by changing your driving habits".
Examples of hypermiling practices include accelerating and decelerating more slowly (0 to sixty in twenty seconds as opposed to, I dunno, 5) or turning your car all the way off if you're going to sit at a stoplight for more than thirty seconds, or finally cleaning all that junk out of your back seat.
The overall vibe of hypermiling websites seems to be that aggressive driving is inefficient. The farther down you push the pedal, the more gas you use. So telling people that they can save money by chilling out at the wheel is a good thing, right?
Mostly. Hypermiling is not without defect.
First, some of the things they tell you are slightly questionable. Run your engine filled up to the "low" oil mark. Fill your tires to their maximum pressure rather than their recommended pressure. These sort of things can't be good for the life of the car, and is it possible that you increase the risk of a blowout by running your tires to so high? Wouldn't that be more expensive than the gas you save?
Second, some of the hypermiling suggestions are extremely questionable. Drafting behind semi trucks, for example, is not safe, even though it allows you to go for miles and miles without actually using your accelerator. Turning the car off while coasting down hills--also dangerous (since steering wheels frequently lock if the car is turned off). In the interest of full disclosure, I'll add that most hypermiling sites don't list theses two, and the ones that do list them explain that they're less-than-ideal from a safety perspective.
Third, it's highly possible that the culture of hypermiling has only sprung up to sell MPG meters.
And finally, it's totally geared towards non-commercial driving. Okay, it's true, hypermiling.com offers training for commercial drivers (at $210 a pop), but you can't very well shut your diesel off at a stop light. The problem is that hypermiling requires a fair amount of individual effort, and it's a lot easier to justify that effort when the gas is coming from your own pocketbook. So you can train your drivers to hypermile, but will they actually do it? In my experience, it's hard enough to make your drivers drive their routes without taking creative detours, let alone micro-manage how far down they press the gas pedal.
If you're looking to save some gas money, or want another metric to out-elite your buddies who drive hybrids, then hypermile away. Just don't draft behind me or blow a tire next to me! If you have a fleet, and you want to save gas money, better to track routes using GPS.
I'm just sayin'.
FoxTrax GPS Fleet Tracking
Clever solutions for vehicle tracking
www.FoxTraxGPS.com
Examples of hypermiling practices include accelerating and decelerating more slowly (0 to sixty in twenty seconds as opposed to, I dunno, 5) or turning your car all the way off if you're going to sit at a stoplight for more than thirty seconds, or finally cleaning all that junk out of your back seat.
The overall vibe of hypermiling websites seems to be that aggressive driving is inefficient. The farther down you push the pedal, the more gas you use. So telling people that they can save money by chilling out at the wheel is a good thing, right?
Mostly. Hypermiling is not without defect.
First, some of the things they tell you are slightly questionable. Run your engine filled up to the "low" oil mark. Fill your tires to their maximum pressure rather than their recommended pressure. These sort of things can't be good for the life of the car, and is it possible that you increase the risk of a blowout by running your tires to so high? Wouldn't that be more expensive than the gas you save?
Second, some of the hypermiling suggestions are extremely questionable. Drafting behind semi trucks, for example, is not safe, even though it allows you to go for miles and miles without actually using your accelerator. Turning the car off while coasting down hills--also dangerous (since steering wheels frequently lock if the car is turned off). In the interest of full disclosure, I'll add that most hypermiling sites don't list theses two, and the ones that do list them explain that they're less-than-ideal from a safety perspective.
Third, it's highly possible that the culture of hypermiling has only sprung up to sell MPG meters.
And finally, it's totally geared towards non-commercial driving. Okay, it's true, hypermiling.com offers training for commercial drivers (at $210 a pop), but you can't very well shut your diesel off at a stop light. The problem is that hypermiling requires a fair amount of individual effort, and it's a lot easier to justify that effort when the gas is coming from your own pocketbook. So you can train your drivers to hypermile, but will they actually do it? In my experience, it's hard enough to make your drivers drive their routes without taking creative detours, let alone micro-manage how far down they press the gas pedal.
If you're looking to save some gas money, or want another metric to out-elite your buddies who drive hybrids, then hypermile away. Just don't draft behind me or blow a tire next to me! If you have a fleet, and you want to save gas money, better to track routes using GPS.
I'm just sayin'.
FoxTrax GPS Fleet Tracking
Clever solutions for vehicle tracking
www.FoxTraxGPS.com
Labels: business, GPS, technology
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Up in the Sky, It's a Bird, It's a Plane...
Today Kent Couch has announced that he will be taking to the skies again next month. Last July he flew 193 miles, no small feat when you consider the type of craft Couch pilots.
He flies a lawn chair.
He uses some amateur instruments to measure speed and altitude, five gallons of water for ballast, 105 large helium balloons for lift, and a parachute for landing. He'll be tracking his progress using a GPS device and you'll be able to track him as well in real time on his website: www.couchballoons.com.
Couch's original flight took him from Bend, Oregon to Union, just shy of the Idaho border. His launch is scheduled for July 5th.
FoxTrax GPS Fleet Tracking
Clever solutions for vehicle tracking
www.foxtrax-online.com
866-686-2780
He flies a lawn chair.
He uses some amateur instruments to measure speed and altitude, five gallons of water for ballast, 105 large helium balloons for lift, and a parachute for landing. He'll be tracking his progress using a GPS device and you'll be able to track him as well in real time on his website: www.couchballoons.com.
Couch's original flight took him from Bend, Oregon to Union, just shy of the Idaho border. His launch is scheduled for July 5th.
FoxTrax GPS Fleet Tracking
Clever solutions for vehicle tracking
www.foxtrax-online.com
866-686-2780
Labels: current events, GPS
Monday, June 16, 2008
Which GPS Reporting Strategy is Right for You?
With all of the recent entrants to the GPS vehicle tracking business, I have seen a proliferation of location reporting strategies. Some are just not worth having when you consider what you can get by using newer technology. Here is a rundown of the reporting strategies I've seen lately.
Some companies might need satellite-based systems for tracking in remote areas. Some very simple schemes might be very cost effective for other applications. Containers, for instance, can be tracked effectively with a once-daily fixed report. But as always, the motto is "Buyer beware." There are plenty of providers, particularly those who sell a year's worth of tracking in one payment, who will sell you a system that does not do what you need.
Patrick Brannan
President
FoxTrax GPS Fleet Tracking
Clever solutions for vehicle tracking
www.foxtrax-online.com
866-686-2780
- Limited Pull Reporting – The device only reports its location
when asked by the customer. The customer is limited to a certain number of queries per month. Typically, these are legacy systems that report on a wireless network via SMS (text) message. The cost per report is very high because the wireless companies make a lot of money on text messaging.- If you want to log into a system at 5:00PM and see where your
vehicle has been during the day this system isn't for you. - If you really, really need to know where the vehicle is right
now this system is not for you. The unit might not be able to get a fix or wireless connection when you ask if it is in a metal building or parking garage. A "push" system with a good reporting strategy, discussed next, will leave a bread-crumb trail that ends at the entrance to the parking garage or other wireless dead spot. So you will be able to locate the tracker even if it can't currently get a fix. - If you want to calculate stop and drive times for a vehicle's
daily route this system is not for you. - If you want to calculate daily mileage driven this system is
not for you.
- If you want to log into a system at 5:00PM and see where your
- Fixed-Interval Push Reporting – The device pushes points out
at a regular interval and the providers system stores the points for later review. Generally, the intervals are 1-minute and up. These can be good systems, but the stone-ax simple reporting strategy still falls short in some respects. The customer pays a penalty in terms of cost vs. benefit because the provider has to pay the wireless provider for transmitting tons of useless data. Consider a fixed 1-minute reporting interval. Much of the time the reports are not interesting because the tracker is sitting still. But sometimes you need more frequent reporting data. As an example, try driving around the block in 60 seconds. It's not too hard to do. Now think about the distance that would be measured from report to report. It would fall far short of the actual distance driven. A smarter reporting strategy knows when to report and when not to. - Flexible-Interval Push Reporting – Here, we have nirvana. The
system reports based on multiple factors. Typically, these systems will have a minimum reporting interval -- report no more often than x seconds, a minimum reporting radius – do not report if the device hasn't moved at least x meters, and a maximum reporting interval – report at least once every x minutes. It might even report based on speed and direction changes. With these systems you get lots of interesting data and little uninteresting data, and you are not paying data transmission costs for useless, repetitive data.
Some companies might need satellite-based systems for tracking in remote areas. Some very simple schemes might be very cost effective for other applications. Containers, for instance, can be tracked effectively with a once-daily fixed report. But as always, the motto is "Buyer beware." There are plenty of providers, particularly those who sell a year's worth of tracking in one payment, who will sell you a system that does not do what you need.
Patrick Brannan
President
FoxTrax GPS Fleet Tracking
Clever solutions for vehicle tracking
www.foxtrax-online.com
866-686-2780
Labels: business, GPS, technology
Friday, June 13, 2008
Those Other GPS's
GPS stands for Global Positioning System. But apparently it also stands for a lot of other things. So, courtesy of Wikipedia, here are a few of the other GPS's you might run across.
There's an Englsih Progressive Rock band GPS, which is derived from the last names of the three principal musicians: Govan, Payne, and Schellen.
A GPS could be a Gunner's Primary Sight on an M1 Tank
GPS also stands for GNAT Programming Studio, a programming development environment (IDE). Wait, GPS is a GNAT IDE? OMG!
Then there's Generalized Processor Sharing, a theoretical communications discipline that isn't actually possible. And speaking of not-quite-useful applications, there's the General Problem Solver GPS, a computer program designed to systematically solve puzzles like the Towers of Hanoi or find chess solutions. It turned out to be incapable to handling real world problems, but it eventually paved the way for future programs.
"gps" is a linux command, and GPs is often used to abbreviate "Gold Pieces" used as currency in some older video games.
Then there are a handful of schools that go by GPS. GPS Schools is an association of private boys' schools in New South Wales. Australia also has the Great Public Schools Association of Queensland Inc. There's the Greenvale Primary School, Arizona's Gilbert Public Schools, Chattanooga's Girls Preparatory School, and for you John Cusack fans out there: Michigan's Grosse Pointe South High School.
And lastly, GPS is the abbreviation for Fareed Zakaria's Global Public Square show on CNN.
Have a good weekend.
FoxTrax GPS Fleet Tracking
Clever solutions for vehicle tracking
www.foxtrax-online.com
866-686-2780
There's an Englsih Progressive Rock band GPS, which is derived from the last names of the three principal musicians: Govan, Payne, and Schellen.
A GPS could be a Gunner's Primary Sight on an M1 Tank
GPS also stands for GNAT Programming Studio, a programming development environment (IDE). Wait, GPS is a GNAT IDE? OMG!
Then there's Generalized Processor Sharing, a theoretical communications discipline that isn't actually possible. And speaking of not-quite-useful applications, there's the General Problem Solver GPS, a computer program designed to systematically solve puzzles like the Towers of Hanoi or find chess solutions. It turned out to be incapable to handling real world problems, but it eventually paved the way for future programs.
"gps" is a linux command, and GPs is often used to abbreviate "Gold Pieces" used as currency in some older video games.
Then there are a handful of schools that go by GPS. GPS Schools is an association of private boys' schools in New South Wales. Australia also has the Great Public Schools Association of Queensland Inc. There's the Greenvale Primary School, Arizona's Gilbert Public Schools, Chattanooga's Girls Preparatory School, and for you John Cusack fans out there: Michigan's Grosse Pointe South High School.
And lastly, GPS is the abbreviation for Fareed Zakaria's Global Public Square show on CNN.
Have a good weekend.
FoxTrax GPS Fleet Tracking
Clever solutions for vehicle tracking
www.foxtrax-online.com
866-686-2780
Thursday, June 12, 2008
How Did I Ever Survive Without My GPS Jacket?
A company in the UK called Bladerunner is offering a jacket with built-in GPS tracking. Originally intended for mountain climbers, their biggest customers now are actually parents worried about their children being lost or kidnapped.
While slightly macabre, it's indicative of an emerging world in which GPS is ubiquitous and we're getting used to the idea of always knowing where our loved ones and friends are. Echoes of this creep up in social networking sites, again, designed to let your friends know where you are and what you're doing at every moment.
How long will it be until we start to notice the pangs of withdrawal when we can't find our friends after being so used to having access to every last detail about their life? Like nowadays when we wonder how we ever got by without cell-phones. I remember the last time I was at an amusement park--when our group broke up into smaller pairs to go pursue various rides and activities, rather than arrange a rendezvous point/time, we knew to call each other when it was time to meet for dinner. We had grown so accustomed to the convenience of the phone that the idea of navigating an amusement park without one struck us as oddly foreign.
Strange.
FoxTrax GPS Fleet Tracking
Clever solutions for vehicle tracking
www.foxtrax-online.com
866-686-2780
While slightly macabre, it's indicative of an emerging world in which GPS is ubiquitous and we're getting used to the idea of always knowing where our loved ones and friends are. Echoes of this creep up in social networking sites, again, designed to let your friends know where you are and what you're doing at every moment.
How long will it be until we start to notice the pangs of withdrawal when we can't find our friends after being so used to having access to every last detail about their life? Like nowadays when we wonder how we ever got by without cell-phones. I remember the last time I was at an amusement park--when our group broke up into smaller pairs to go pursue various rides and activities, rather than arrange a rendezvous point/time, we knew to call each other when it was time to meet for dinner. We had grown so accustomed to the convenience of the phone that the idea of navigating an amusement park without one struck us as oddly foreign.
Strange.
FoxTrax GPS Fleet Tracking
Clever solutions for vehicle tracking
www.foxtrax-online.com
866-686-2780
Labels: GPS, random, technology
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Pat Responds: iPhone, Therefore iAm
I think it’s hard to say whether the iPhone will kill traditional GPS.
First, this kind of application has been available on phones for a while. My phone has Google maps and Microsoft maps. Both work fine. Neither are anywhere near as good as my wife’s $250 Garmin Nuvi.
Second, there's the concept of “Ergonomic niches.” There is an ergonomic niche for a device with a big screen that sits in a suction-cup mount attached to the windshield and does nothing except find restaurants, find gas stations, show maps and deliver directions.
There's also the technical limitations of tracking on a phone. Battery life is one issue. And, oh, by the way, what do you do when you to make and receive calls while driving? I guess that he figures everyone will finally get on the Bluetooth bandwagon after 10 years of not doing it. But we know that won’t happen because nobody can keep track of the little headsets.
The price of dedicated GPS navigators continues to drop as well. Many people will look at the convenience and continue to decide that it is worth the price to have a reliable dedicated navigation device in the car.
So I think that there is an ergonomic niche for a navigation device that you don’t also hold up to your head and talk on. Mapping on smart-phones is great but will not replace dedicated units.
My guess is that Garmin’s stock is not dropping because of the iPhone. It’s dropping because they are in a competitive market in which the easy pickings have been taken.
First, this kind of application has been available on phones for a while. My phone has Google maps and Microsoft maps. Both work fine. Neither are anywhere near as good as my wife’s $250 Garmin Nuvi.
Second, there's the concept of “Ergonomic niches.” There is an ergonomic niche for a device with a big screen that sits in a suction-cup mount attached to the windshield and does nothing except find restaurants, find gas stations, show maps and deliver directions.
There's also the technical limitations of tracking on a phone. Battery life is one issue. And, oh, by the way, what do you do when you to make and receive calls while driving? I guess that he figures everyone will finally get on the Bluetooth bandwagon after 10 years of not doing it. But we know that won’t happen because nobody can keep track of the little headsets.
The price of dedicated GPS navigators continues to drop as well. Many people will look at the convenience and continue to decide that it is worth the price to have a reliable dedicated navigation device in the car.
So I think that there is an ergonomic niche for a navigation device that you don’t also hold up to your head and talk on. Mapping on smart-phones is great but will not replace dedicated units.
My guess is that Garmin’s stock is not dropping because of the iPhone. It’s dropping because they are in a competitive market in which the easy pickings have been taken.
Labels: business, current events, GPS, technology
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
iPhone, Therefore iAm
Big tech news this week:
Apple has unveiled the new iPhone 3G, which will cost $199 and is poised to decimate the consumer GPS industry. We're not worried--we're more of a fleet-management service--but Garmin and TomTom are. Their responses to Apple are quite different.
Garmin has announced the Nuviphone, which will be GPS, internet and phone all in one. There's no word on pricing or carrier yet, but unless it's a popular (or open) carrier and unless it costs less than $200 (which is unlikely, given Garmin's other lines), then they're sole selling point is going to be that the Nuviphone speaks driving directions while the iPhone doesn't. Yet.
TomTom's reponse was a write an app for the iPhone that speaks driving directions.
More and more in the telecommunications industry, we're seeing formerly separated markets blur together--established players suddenly become competitors. Look at AT&T's U-Verse, poised to wreak havoc on Charter and Comcast. If you had told me that ten years ago cable companies were going to be seriously threatened by a phone company, I'd have given you a funny look.
And now we have the iPhone, an affordable mp3-player/computer/e-mail-client/GPS device with a longer battery life than the last generation and internet speed that's almost as fast as Wi-Fi, not to mention an army of brand-devotees. Retailers won't be able to keep them on the shelves. Personally, I don't think Garmin has a chance.
Of course, Google still hasn't shown their hand with Android yet, and I've heard rumors that we'll be getting some news to that effect sometime next week. Should be interesting.
Apple has unveiled the new iPhone 3G, which will cost $199 and is poised to decimate the consumer GPS industry. We're not worried--we're more of a fleet-management service--but Garmin and TomTom are. Their responses to Apple are quite different.
Garmin has announced the Nuviphone, which will be GPS, internet and phone all in one. There's no word on pricing or carrier yet, but unless it's a popular (or open) carrier and unless it costs less than $200 (which is unlikely, given Garmin's other lines), then they're sole selling point is going to be that the Nuviphone speaks driving directions while the iPhone doesn't. Yet.
TomTom's reponse was a write an app for the iPhone that speaks driving directions.
More and more in the telecommunications industry, we're seeing formerly separated markets blur together--established players suddenly become competitors. Look at AT&T's U-Verse, poised to wreak havoc on Charter and Comcast. If you had told me that ten years ago cable companies were going to be seriously threatened by a phone company, I'd have given you a funny look.
And now we have the iPhone, an affordable mp3-player/computer/e-mail-client/GPS device with a longer battery life than the last generation and internet speed that's almost as fast as Wi-Fi, not to mention an army of brand-devotees. Retailers won't be able to keep them on the shelves. Personally, I don't think Garmin has a chance.
Of course, Google still hasn't shown their hand with Android yet, and I've heard rumors that we'll be getting some news to that effect sometime next week. Should be interesting.
Labels: business, GPS, technology
Friday, June 6, 2008
GPS Assassin
Here's an idea, for anyone adventurous enough to try it. Ever heard of the game Assassin? You get a group of people with water-guns, and over the course of a designated period of time (typically a week or a few days), they try to "assassinate" each other without being caught. What's fun about this game is that, with the exception of taking time to hunt and kill your friends, it doesn't disrupt daily life.
It's quite popular on college campuses, where you have a lot of people who know each other (and all live in relatively close proximity) and have unstructured schedules with lots of free time. Not so easy with people who have day-jobs/kids/mortgages, and live and work farther apart from each other.
So here's my idea. GPS Assassin. Organize it on the web. Get 10 people, each person posts a picture and is issued a GPS tracker that they have to keep on and in their vehicle or on their person. Anyone can see anyone else's device. When you get "killed", you turn off your tracker and identify yourself as such on the site. Everyone should live and work within, I dunno, fifty miles of each other, and you'll be looking at a time frame of about a month, rather than a week or a few days.
The twist here is that with GPS, not only can you stalk your "victims", you can see who's stalking you. I think getting online in the evening to see a co-player a few blocks over and on the move could be quite exhilarating. Last man standing wins. Or spice it up, play on teams and restrict it to a week. I think there's some potential, here.
Have a good weekend, and be careful out there.
It's quite popular on college campuses, where you have a lot of people who know each other (and all live in relatively close proximity) and have unstructured schedules with lots of free time. Not so easy with people who have day-jobs/kids/mortgages, and live and work farther apart from each other.
So here's my idea. GPS Assassin. Organize it on the web. Get 10 people, each person posts a picture and is issued a GPS tracker that they have to keep on and in their vehicle or on their person. Anyone can see anyone else's device. When you get "killed", you turn off your tracker and identify yourself as such on the site. Everyone should live and work within, I dunno, fifty miles of each other, and you'll be looking at a time frame of about a month, rather than a week or a few days.
The twist here is that with GPS, not only can you stalk your "victims", you can see who's stalking you. I think getting online in the evening to see a co-player a few blocks over and on the move could be quite exhilarating. Last man standing wins. Or spice it up, play on teams and restrict it to a week. I think there's some potential, here.
Have a good weekend, and be careful out there.
Thursday, June 5, 2008
So Who the ZebraNet?
GPS is kind of like the internet, in that it doesn't really do anything by itself, but by providing people with information, it can be an extremely useful tool. As such, it's interesting to see what people do with it.
For example, who would have imagined ZebraNet? It's a kind of pony-express, but with stripes! Actually I made that up. Really, it's an academic ecology project.
Daniel Rubenstein, director of the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Princeton University, and Princeton engineering professor Margaret Martonosi got together and started ZebraNet. The goal: use GPS collars to track the daily habits of zebras in Kenya.
They provide more information than the traditional radio-transmitter collar, and researchers have been able to remotely gather information about everything from eating and mating habits to velocities and turning angles. Especially useful: being able to collect data at night.
But something like this could only be a result of GPS, never a cause. What I'm saying is that if you were to try and setup the immense infrastructure for a project like ZebraNet like this, you'd be laughed out of the financier's office. "We want to track zebras nocturnal behavior, and to do so we will need to launch at least three satellites over Kenya." Never happen. But since the satellites are already there, the network is in place, we can implement it to gain knowledge about useful (if not necessarily practical) information.
And I draw my comparison back to the internet. When Al Gore invented it back in the day (I'm only telling this joke because if I don't, you will, and I'd hate to let you take credit for it), he could never have imagined e-commerce, the dot-com explosion, or eBay. The designers simply understood that if you give people a way to communicate, and give them access to information, they'll figure out interesting things to do with it
For example, who would have imagined ZebraNet? It's a kind of pony-express, but with stripes! Actually I made that up. Really, it's an academic ecology project.
Daniel Rubenstein, director of the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Princeton University, and Princeton engineering professor Margaret Martonosi got together and started ZebraNet. The goal: use GPS collars to track the daily habits of zebras in Kenya.
They provide more information than the traditional radio-transmitter collar, and researchers have been able to remotely gather information about everything from eating and mating habits to velocities and turning angles. Especially useful: being able to collect data at night.
But something like this could only be a result of GPS, never a cause. What I'm saying is that if you were to try and setup the immense infrastructure for a project like ZebraNet like this, you'd be laughed out of the financier's office. "We want to track zebras nocturnal behavior, and to do so we will need to launch at least three satellites over Kenya." Never happen. But since the satellites are already there, the network is in place, we can implement it to gain knowledge about useful (if not necessarily practical) information.
And I draw my comparison back to the internet. When Al Gore invented it back in the day (I'm only telling this joke because if I don't, you will, and I'd hate to let you take credit for it), he could never have imagined e-commerce, the dot-com explosion, or eBay. The designers simply understood that if you give people a way to communicate, and give them access to information, they'll figure out interesting things to do with it
Labels: GPS, technology
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Spacious Buick, Extended Bed, Seats 2, Reclines 1
Found this courtesy of the Windsor Star. Ah, those wacky Canadian criminals.
In Leamington, Ontario, a funeral director went outside the funeral home to discover that his hearse had gone missing. Two men had stolen the six-month-old Buick while the service was going--the keys were inside.
Apparently the funeral staff were accustomed to leaving vehicles unattended for the 15-odd-minutes at the end of the service before the procession. And (because I know what your next question is) while the news article I read didn't state anything explicitly, I'm assuming that the body hadn't made it into the vehicle at the time of theft. Seriously though, what if there had been a body in there? Which leads to a whole series of bizarre questions: Do chop shops handle caskets? Would a criminal organization dispose of a body that they weren't responsible for? I digress.
The hearse was equipped with OnStar's GPS service, so the vehicle was quickly recovered and the thieves were apprehended. And that's a comfort, body or no. We here at FoxTrax are of the opinion that GPS technology, when properly used, can save lives. It's nice to think that it can save the dead as well.
In Leamington, Ontario, a funeral director went outside the funeral home to discover that his hearse had gone missing. Two men had stolen the six-month-old Buick while the service was going--the keys were inside.
Apparently the funeral staff were accustomed to leaving vehicles unattended for the 15-odd-minutes at the end of the service before the procession. And (because I know what your next question is) while the news article I read didn't state anything explicitly, I'm assuming that the body hadn't made it into the vehicle at the time of theft. Seriously though, what if there had been a body in there? Which leads to a whole series of bizarre questions: Do chop shops handle caskets? Would a criminal organization dispose of a body that they weren't responsible for? I digress.
The hearse was equipped with OnStar's GPS service, so the vehicle was quickly recovered and the thieves were apprehended. And that's a comfort, body or no. We here at FoxTrax are of the opinion that GPS technology, when properly used, can save lives. It's nice to think that it can save the dead as well.
Labels: current events, GPS, humor
Monday, June 2, 2008
It's Sort of About GPS
(courtesy of icanhascheezburger.com)
Lolcats are one of those bizarre phenomena called memes.
A meme (in the modern context anyway) is something that spreads like wildfire across the internet for no apparent reason! Have you or someone you love recently opened a webpage only to be confronted with that awful Rick Astley song "Never Gonna Give You Up"? As anyone ever told you that all "your base" were "belong to us"? Has someone ever forwarded you a webpage of dancing hamsters? These are memes.
A bizarre side effect of the information age is the apparent need for people to share mindless, yet amusing, trifles with complete strangers.
Enter the LOLcat.
How, exactly, it occurred to anyone to write over pictures of cats using cutesy broken English and phrases like "gimme teh bukket" eludes me. But it's a big enough thing that you see it referenced on shirts, in pop culture, there are websites of lolcats, there are websites that parody lolcats, there's even a LOLCode programming language being developed that uses the bizarre sub-English prominent in LOLcat photos. Here's a snippet:
HAI
CAN HAS STDIO?
I HAS A VAR
GIMMEH VAR
IZ VAR BIGGER THAN 10?
YARLY
BTW this is true
VISIBLE "BIG NUMBER!"
NOWAI
BTW this is false
VISIBLE "LITTLE NUMBER!"
KTHX
KTHXBYE
And once again, I sit back and thank my lucky stars that I'm lucky enough to live in a world where things that make no sense and have zero practical application can exist. Not only can they exist, they can propagate and flourish. Doesn't that make the world a far more interesting place?
kthxbye
Labels: GPS, humor, technology
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
World's Largest Drawing a Hoax!
It's official, the world's largest self-portrait is a fake.
An artist named Erik Nordenenkar had announced that he was going to mail a GPS unit around the world via DHL and that the bread-crumb trail it left behind would be an image of the artist. You can see the picture at www.biggestdrawingintheworld.com.
It's an interesting idea, but there are a couple of flaws (that led many to rightly suspect the verity of this claim). Why, for example, would DHL make a giant loop in the middle of the South Pacific? Do they really deliver to coordinates?
Then there's the fact that, unless you're chartering a jet, you're going to be very limited in terms of the paths available. You can't send a package from Oxford to Atlanta and expect it to go in a predictable line. It will need to stop through various stations on the way.
At any rate, the artist has admitted that it was fictional, and DHL's cooperation (footage inside the plant, etc) indicates a publicity stunt.
Still, it's a fun idea, no?
An artist named Erik Nordenenkar had announced that he was going to mail a GPS unit around the world via DHL and that the bread-crumb trail it left behind would be an image of the artist. You can see the picture at www.biggestdrawingintheworld.com.
It's an interesting idea, but there are a couple of flaws (that led many to rightly suspect the verity of this claim). Why, for example, would DHL make a giant loop in the middle of the South Pacific? Do they really deliver to coordinates?
Then there's the fact that, unless you're chartering a jet, you're going to be very limited in terms of the paths available. You can't send a package from Oxford to Atlanta and expect it to go in a predictable line. It will need to stop through various stations on the way.
At any rate, the artist has admitted that it was fictional, and DHL's cooperation (footage inside the plant, etc) indicates a publicity stunt.
Still, it's a fun idea, no?
Labels: current events, GPS
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Jokes I Wouldn't Have Understood a Year Ago
There's a webcomic called xkcd that is pretty popular among the comp-sci crowd. It bills itself as a comic of "romance, sarcasm, math and language" and it frequently makes jokes that reference obscure bits of programming knowledge.
Also, it's populated entirely by stick figures.
The above entry is entitled "GeoHashing", and it's pretty funny if you know what a hash function is (hint: the image above is an example of a hash function), and if you know what geo-caching is. And if I didn't work in the world of GPS, I'd have no idea.
A geocache is a box (typically) with stuff in it. It is located at a specific place and the GPS coordinates will be available on a website. You go the location, find the box, take something out, and put something else in. There's often a log book you can sign. I'm told it's great fun with the kids, and there are supposedly hundreds of these in the country.
Or, if you are less interested in finding things and more interested in seeing a place you've never been--try the function above. Who knows where you'll end up?
Monday, May 19, 2008
How do you Spell GPS in Cyrillic?
Economists often jest about the Law of Unintended Consequences--a kissing cousin of Murphy's Law, and a concept that dates back to the Scottish Enlightenment. I only throw that last little tidbit in because I'm amused by the thought of enlightenment with kilts. I digress. It's a simple idea, if you try to do a task that produces output "A", output "B" will show up as well, and not only will it be there, but it will be something that never occurred to you when you undertook project A in the first place. Which leads me to Russian GPS.
GPS tracking is one of those businesses that actually benefits from the ills of society: car theft, lazy/fraudulent workers, etc. Much like private security, it's a measure that a person or business can take in order to protect one's own assets against, well, crime. Typically, you associate crime with a bad economy, but that's not always the case.
Take a look at Moscow. Right now, they're in a construction boom, but the supply of construction equipment can't keep up with the demand. Consequently, bulldozers and backhoes (et al) are highly valuable in Moscow and are being stolen at an alarming rate. So construction companies are starting to equip them with GPS tracking devices, so if you're in Russia and in the GPS business, this should be a good time for you. It may not last, if the production of bulldozers and excavators increases dramatically or if people decide to suddenly stop making new buildings. But here and now (and by "here and now" I really mean "over there and for the foreseeable future"), GPS is a good Muscovite industry, if only totally as an unexpected consequence of a spike in construction-related crime.
GPS tracking is one of those businesses that actually benefits from the ills of society: car theft, lazy/fraudulent workers, etc. Much like private security, it's a measure that a person or business can take in order to protect one's own assets against, well, crime. Typically, you associate crime with a bad economy, but that's not always the case.
Take a look at Moscow. Right now, they're in a construction boom, but the supply of construction equipment can't keep up with the demand. Consequently, bulldozers and backhoes (et al) are highly valuable in Moscow and are being stolen at an alarming rate. So construction companies are starting to equip them with GPS tracking devices, so if you're in Russia and in the GPS business, this should be a good time for you. It may not last, if the production of bulldozers and excavators increases dramatically or if people decide to suddenly stop making new buildings. But here and now (and by "here and now" I really mean "over there and for the foreseeable future"), GPS is a good Muscovite industry, if only totally as an unexpected consequence of a spike in construction-related crime.
Labels: business, GPS, technology, theft
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
A Tracking Experiment
So I wanted to conduct an experiment and find out roughly how much my free time was worth to me. I took one of our test tracking devices and used the report generator to find out exactly what my commute was in terms of time and miles driven and compare it to alternate routes.
In the morning, I drive I-170 to work. It's 9.2 miles and takes me about 20 minutes. In the evenings I drive back home taking highway 100 and 61/67. It takes me 30 minutes and covers a distance of 11.1 miles. So why don't I take the shorter route in the evening? Because it's crowded, there's construction, and all told it usually takes me about 40 minutes to go North, even though it takes half the time for me to go South. In my mind, the extra 10 minutes of my time is worth the added two miles of wear on my car. How do I figure?
Vehicle wear is generally figured at around $.55/mile. True, gas is high right now, but the fuel component of vehicle wear isn't all that much (my car gets about 20 miles/gallon in the city, so even at $3.599, gas is only costing me about $.18/mile), and my car has better fuel economy than most. So at $.55 cents per mile, the added 1.9 miles to my commute costs me just over $1.04 per trip. The trip saves me 10 minutes, so I'm billing myself $6.27/hour so I can get home faster.
So what's the value of my free time? At least $6.27 per hour.
In terms of opportunity cost, if I was using that time to get to another job at which they paid me $10/hr, it would be worth it for me to to take the longer route that saved me 10 minutes. If the change in commute only saved me 5 minutes, then the value of my time jumps to $12.54, in which case I would take the shorter route and endure the extra 5 minutes of traffic, because the added wages for working 5 minutes at the other job wouldn't cover the costs of the added wear to my vehicle.
But wait, there's more. There's a more direct route for me, it just happens to be closed right now. I could take 67 to 40 and then take McKnight all the way down--it's the most direct route, but 40 is closed and, according to plans, will have been closed for a year before they finish it.
Obviously I can't drive the route and determine it's length, but let's just make up some numbers. Let's say it would save me 1/2 a mile in the morning, (which means saving me 2-1/2 miles in the evening) and would shave 10 minutes off my daily commute. These are actually fairly reasonable numbers. Three miles at $.55/mile is $1.65. If my time is worth at least $6.27 per hour, then I'm losing at least $1.045/day. If I work 240 days a year, then I've lost $396 in wear for my vehicle and upwards of $250.80 in terms of my time, meaning that the state of Missouri has cost me upwards of $650 for the year.
I wonder if I could write that off my taxes.
In the morning, I drive I-170 to work. It's 9.2 miles and takes me about 20 minutes. In the evenings I drive back home taking highway 100 and 61/67. It takes me 30 minutes and covers a distance of 11.1 miles. So why don't I take the shorter route in the evening? Because it's crowded, there's construction, and all told it usually takes me about 40 minutes to go North, even though it takes half the time for me to go South. In my mind, the extra 10 minutes of my time is worth the added two miles of wear on my car. How do I figure?
Vehicle wear is generally figured at around $.55/mile. True, gas is high right now, but the fuel component of vehicle wear isn't all that much (my car gets about 20 miles/gallon in the city, so even at $3.599, gas is only costing me about $.18/mile), and my car has better fuel economy than most. So at $.55 cents per mile, the added 1.9 miles to my commute costs me just over $1.04 per trip. The trip saves me 10 minutes, so I'm billing myself $6.27/hour so I can get home faster.
So what's the value of my free time? At least $6.27 per hour.
In terms of opportunity cost, if I was using that time to get to another job at which they paid me $10/hr, it would be worth it for me to to take the longer route that saved me 10 minutes. If the change in commute only saved me 5 minutes, then the value of my time jumps to $12.54, in which case I would take the shorter route and endure the extra 5 minutes of traffic, because the added wages for working 5 minutes at the other job wouldn't cover the costs of the added wear to my vehicle.
But wait, there's more. There's a more direct route for me, it just happens to be closed right now. I could take 67 to 40 and then take McKnight all the way down--it's the most direct route, but 40 is closed and, according to plans, will have been closed for a year before they finish it.
Obviously I can't drive the route and determine it's length, but let's just make up some numbers. Let's say it would save me 1/2 a mile in the morning, (which means saving me 2-1/2 miles in the evening) and would shave 10 minutes off my daily commute. These are actually fairly reasonable numbers. Three miles at $.55/mile is $1.65. If my time is worth at least $6.27 per hour, then I'm losing at least $1.045/day. If I work 240 days a year, then I've lost $396 in wear for my vehicle and upwards of $250.80 in terms of my time, meaning that the state of Missouri has cost me upwards of $650 for the year.
I wonder if I could write that off my taxes.
Labels: GPS, technology
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