GPS repeaters in a Transport Security role
FalTech GPS exhibited at the Transport Security (Transec) Expo at Olympia in December 2015.
We were supported by manufacturer Roger-GPS Ltd from Helsinki, Finland, our supplier of GPS repeater products.
The show was well attended and we enjoyed some very interesting and potentially fruitful conversations with professionals in the Transport Security field.
As the world gets smaller and travel is generally easier than it used to be (though it still amazes me that I can fly to the Middle East quicker than I can drive home to Cornwall from Olympia in West London!) there are certain factions that seem determined to spoil the fun for everyone.
Hence Transport Security is high on the agenda for a lot of people who are involved in keeping us safe while we go about our daily business.
Where would indoor GPS coverage come into this equation? Here are a couple of examples of GPS repeaters solving indoor coverage issue:
1. Buses and trains use GPS signals to determine their location and to keep waiting passengers along the route updated with their current location.
If part of the route is under cover, for example at a terminus, the GPS signal is lost and the location of the vehicle is temporarily unknown.
This causes a problem for waiting passengers who don’t have the benefit of an accurate ETA, and for the network controller who periodically loses sight of parts of the fleet.
A GPS repeater system in the terminus ensures that vehicles have sky-view at all times by relaying the outdoor signal to the interior, while customers and fleet controllers always know where their bus or train is.
2. When emergency vehicles are parked inside a building they lose sight of the satellites and the positional data transmitted to the command and control centre goes “stale”.
So when a vehicle exits the building (usually in a hurry!) the data terminal can take several minutes to re-acquire a satellite fix.
This means that the driver can’t use satnav to plot a route to the incident and the asset’s position is not accurately displayed in the command centre – for an agonising period of time its location will be reported as still in the fire station or police garage.
A GPS repeater in a fire station or police garage ensures that there is no satellite acquisition delay when exiting the building, as each vehicle has a view of the sky at all times.
For more information on applications for GPS repeaters click on the applications tab at the top of this page.
Any questions – please call Phil on 01326 336444 or drop me a line.