mytracking

MyTracking
Affordable Vehicle Tracking for small business and personal use. D emo

GPS tracking for Windows Mobile, iDen, BlackBerry and Nokia phones and many dedicated GPS devices.

The server is YOURS. Located in YOUR home or office. Total control.

No expensive webservices or monthly fees.

Follow vehicles or assets and view breadCrumb maps in real-time.

Zoom out and see current locations of all server users on a map.

View a large variety of maps with almost any web browser, desktop or mobile.

Archive tracking data for annual mileage tax reports, speed/location verification, etc.

Need tracking in a remote area without commercial maps? No problem. The server software easily accomodates custom gif or jpg raster maps, as well as ESRI shape file maps.

We are happy to offer free tracking accounts on our test server. Personal use only, 2 accounts max, space permitting.

Breadcrumb tracks using Virtual Earth

The web pages for tracking the mobile devices are simple, yet full-featured. For fleet tracking, the page can display historical data using the calendar to view tracks from previous days. Data is stored in simple csv files allowing administrators to build any kind of report using Excel, and there are built-in driving and parking reports with addresses.There is a "find address" function that a dispatcher can use to direct a lost driver.The pages are also simple enough for the first time user who just needs to see where a child is. The server uses several different sources for maps including mapping for cellphones. See the various web-based tracking page samples below.

What is needed to send a GPS report?

There are two broad categories of tracking devices: single-purpose dedicated GPS tracking devices, and multi-purpose devices like a cellphone with GPS. Having played around with most of the current devices on the market, I have an opinion on all of them. But this is a fast-changing landscape and I am reluctant to recommend or not recommend one. Too often I have had negative opinions on a device, and a fast firmware upgrade from the manufacturer changes everything. I WILL say that I have had consistantly good experience with Enfora devices in the dedicated hardware catagory, and with HTC PDA's in the multi-use category. Here is a brief (but incomplete) survey of some of the hardware I have confirmed will work with the server software.

Dedicated GPS hardware. I included both portable devices (personal tracking) and hard-wired devices (fleet-tracking) in this group.

TrimTrac

GlobalSat TR101

Enfora MiniMT

Enfora GSM2218

Portman

Sanav GC-101

StarsNav PT-33 and Rover

Wonde Proud SPT100

Multi-Purpose devices. I only included the current generation of PDA's, smartPhones, and cellPhones with built-in GPS receivers. The last generation of phones and PDA's required a seperate BlueTooth GPS receiver and worked fine but were less convenient. We have software for Windows Mobile 2003, Windows Mobile 2005, and Java software for Nextel/Boost iDen phones as well as Nokia, BlackBerry and most other GPS-enabled phones. Click here to see some screen shots of the PDA software. The Windows Mobile software is very robust and has features like messaging, way points, upload images/audio/video to the map pages, and route maps. It can run in invisible mode where it can only be controlled remotely via SMS. Some possible applications for this might be stolen PDA recovery, keeping track of employees, and many other uses.

HW6900

Nokia N95

Boost Mobile i425

BlackBerry 8830

HTC P3600

Where do the GPS reports go?

...to a Preston Systems, LLC MyTracking server, of course! You get a robust, stable server application that allows you to view maps showing where your family, friends, or employees are located (and I make some money!). You buy the software once and never pay anyone a monthly fee for tracking services. The server software runs on Windows Vista Business, Windows XP Pro, or Windows Server 2003.TrackingTheWorld is the re-seller for the server software and if you need the unlimited account version, you must contact them. I can sell the 10 account account version directly at a discount. But unless you are good with server/network setups, I suggest you contact TrackingTheWorld. They are a real company with full-time support staff and cute secretaries. They are also the best source for dedicated GPS tracking hardware. For those techies who want to set up their own server on a tight budget and dont mind my intermittant tech-support, I can sell the 10 account version directly and save you a bit of money.

I am happy to provide an evaluation account on the test server. It's free. This will let you confirm that your pocketpc/gps/cellphone will work as a mobile tracking device BEFORE you go to the time and expense of setting up your own server. Email me at jpreston12 (at) yahoo.com for an evaluation account, let me know the size of your company or if this is for home/personal use.

How do you see where family, friends, or employees are located?

Once you have the server installed (or you are using my test server for free), you simply use the web browser on your desktop PC, pocket PC, smartPhone, or WAP cellphone to view the map page. The server supports a wide variety of map choices including Virtual Earth, Google Maps, ESRI shapefiles, Google earth, and even custom maps in gif or jpg format. The ability to track with your cellphone or PDA is priceless. I drop a Sanav GC-101 device in my 7-year old's pocket when he goes snow skiing. When I drive to the ski area to pick him up, I can sit in my car and see his tracks in real-time as he skis down the mountain to the parking lot. And when my dog runs off (which is often), I get an SMS alert on my phone. I hop in the car, follow her tracks using my PDA, and quickly find her. I've even tracked our turtle when we let him wander around outside in the summer. Lots of possibilites!

Tracking map samples for desktop, PDA, cell phone, and Google Earth

Google Maps is often the best choice for places with poor street maps. The example above is Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic and the satellite view works quite well.

View maps on a WAP phone

Google Earth . Great for remote areas

PDA/smartPhone map

View detailed driving reports:

Some Thoughts on Disposable Phones for Tracking
This is an update on a review of the iDen i425 written almost 1 year ago with the benefit and hindsight of programming and using this phone in many GPS tracking solutions during that time. There is plenty of good news to report, but first the shortcommings. There are 3 that stand out: poor battery life, insenistive GPS receiver,and the possibility that the phone will shut off due to loss of charge or when the Boost account reaches zero balance. These can be mitigated, however, I would not use this phone for anything "mission critical".

The good news is that this is an amazing tracking device for very little money. Current cost is $29 for the phone, about $15 for the charger, and $10 every 3 months to keep the Boost account alive. Our Java application has proved to be rock solid and NEVER needs a reboot or stops working (unless you let the battery run down or let your Boost account go to zero balance). My own tests were to connect the charger to 12v and place the phone way up inside my dashboard. It was very hard to reach. Except for forgetting to re-Boost one time,

View the pdf docs for the iDen java application here.

i425 screenshot using the optional waypoint function. Useful for geocachers, finding your parked car, etc

I was able to have continuous, unlimited tracking for over 6 months with zero reboots or problems. I have had worse results with $600 dedicated tracking devices. Like the most expensive dedicated devices, our Java app stores reports when cell covereage is lost and uploads reports when it reconnects. It sends by time or distance. In by-distance mode, it will only send when moving plus 1 additional report when parked. I would not use anything other than this phone as a tracking device for a vehicle...the cost is much too low to have any viable competition.
As a personal tracking device, unfortunately, it falls short due to the battery life. Out of the box, you will only get 4-6 hours, which is not long enough to give to a child who will probably need it for 8 hours or more. The solution is the bigger battery, but it's not an elegant solution. The standard cover wont fit the larger battery, so you need the larger cover or a bunch of duct tape. The other problem is the GPS receiver insensitvity. A personal devise must work indoors, and the i425 sometimes will not. (NOTE: The i776 is about $100 but has much better battery life.)
In summary, we have many commercial and personal users and they all have nothing but positive feedback about using this phone as a tracking device. Parents of autistic kids, a rental car company, a property management company who also uses the walkie-talkie feature while tracking, and many others. I would not hesitate to recommend the i425 for almost any non mission-critical tracking solution.

Need to track your dog? Or your turtle?

Wheaton Terrier with a collar tracker....and her tracks as she runs around the neighborhood looking for squirrels.

Other quality crafted software by Preston Systems
DMMdaq - data aquisition for PocketPC and the Radio Shack DMM 22-812.
CamPlayer - lets you control and see real-time video of your IP network camera using a Windows Mobile device.

Contact Preston Systems, LLC for pricing and details:
jpreston12@yahoo.com

MYTRACKING SOFTWARE AND ALL RIGHTS ARE THE SOLE PROPERTY OF PRESTON SYSTEMS, LLC. DISASSEMBLY, REVERSE ENGINEERING, ALTERING, OR ADDING FEATURES ARE EXPRESSLY PROHIBITED. THIS SOFTWARE IS OFFERED WITHOUT WARRANTY, EITHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED. THIS SOFTWARE IS NOT SUITABLE FOR LAND, MARINE, AERONAUTICAL, OR ANY OTHER NAVIGATION PURPOSE.

GPS tracking is not only for commercial use. There are lots of fun ways to use it. Here is a brief example of using GPS tracking for a short trip in my smalll town. My 8 year old and I rode our bikes to the tennis courts, went to the post office, then back home:

As you can see from the directional arrows we went south, then turned right and made our first stop at the tennis courts. My Windows Mobile phone has a built-in camera and I decided to take a photo. I then used the photo upload function of the tracking software to send the photo to the server. This is why there is a camera icon at the tennis courts instead of the usual directional arrows. Next stop was the Post Office. That stop is clearly identified by the red/yellow circle marker. From there we headed NE toward home.

Above we have the same path but using the satellite image instead of the road map. You can see the camera icon is inside the 2 tennis courts and this is where I snapped my son hitting a brilliant backhand. In the above screen shot, I clicked on the camera icon to display the popup window. The popup has some details about this GPS report as well as a thumbnail of the image I took. Additionally, the thumbnail can be clicked to see the full sized image. The ablity to visualize tracks and add an unlimited number of photos directly to the track path can be a fun and useful tool. This technology makes it easy to share your trips, hikes, and adventures with friends and family.