CAP Talk

Operations => Emergency Services & Operations => Topic started by: Eclipse on April 11, 2009, 04:16:11 AM

Title: Google Latitude
Post by: Eclipse on April 11, 2009, 04:16:11 AM
Has anyone tried using this for Ground ops tracking?

Leaving the Armageddon scenario of no cell phones on the table, this seems like a quick and dirty way to have a good track on ground teams using equipment many already have.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-Oq-9enE-k

http://www.google.com/latitude/intro.html

BTW - I've already accepted and embraced that privacy essentially evaporated several years ago...
Title: Re: Google Latitude
Post by: es_g0d on April 11, 2009, 04:41:16 AM
It would be interesting to see this technology evaluated!

Obvious shortfalls are areas of poor or no cell phone coverage.  There's a lot of territory out there where this applies.

I'm curious what would happen if I were using this service and "forgot" to turn my cell phone off while flying GA.

I'd still like to integrate multiple tracks from multiple sources.  What a great solution it could be if I could integrate FAA radar, cell phone tracking like this, and SPOT all on one map!  That's the fleet tracking solution we need.

Good input; certainly worthy of investigation!

Title: Re: Google Latitude
Post by: Pingree1492 on April 11, 2009, 04:47:08 AM
We used it recently in a different context in my squadron.  The drawback is that is requires a fair bit of pre-coordination between the people being tracked, and the ones doing the tracking.  If you're not computer savvy, this really ain't going to work for you.  But if you are, and have a Google account (they're free, and everything becomes MUCH easier), then this works.

Again, if they leave cell phone coverage, or if they turn the phone off, then you're out of luck.  Would be a good tool for Urban DF type of scenarios, but not so useful in the mountains (or other remote, off-road areas).
Title: Re: Google Latitude
Post by: Eclipse on April 11, 2009, 02:36:49 PM
Certainly cel phone coverage is an issue - best case would be GPS-equipped phones so that instead of triangulation they are using full location.

With a couple buckos to spend, some disposable cel phones, issued by the mission base to the GTL might be the way to go - all setup would be done in advance, and then you just hand the phone to the leader and tell them to leave it on.

Perhaps buying some used WinMo devices on eBay and pulling the GSM's from disposable phones...