Asset Tracking With Satellite

Think of this. You’re a logistics manager for a large trucking company and you realize one of your shipments has gone missing. Not only that, but you can’t get in touch with the driver or the supervisor because they both are out of cell phone range and apparently not in the truck. What do you do?

Organizations that operate fleets face several challenges when it comes to tracking their assets. Due to the mobile nature of fleets, it’s imperative to have connectivity wherever they may travel in order to track assets consistently. Organizations need to understand the exact location of their assets at all times, regardless of the location or environment so they can assess asset availability. They need to understand the status and security of all assets at all times. They also need to control assets to react to changing conditions.

Traditional terrestrial cellular communication has large dead zones where there is no connectivity. In remote locations, asset control is greatly reduced due to these dead zones. Having the GPS location of an asset doesn’t mean the driver has access to in-cab messaging and vehicle control, which helps maintain the driver’s awareness and the asset’s security.  

So what is an organization to do when they have a fleet of vehicles they need to track? The answer is satellite. Satellite technology hurdles the challenges of asset tracking due to its reliability, ease of use and consistent service even in the most remote areas. Satellite technology can easily be installed and maintained to help an organization manage its assets. 

What can satellite do to track assets?

Satellite technology provides great asset tracking performance. There are a variety of hardware units that work with asset management software so companies can chose the one that suits their budget and their business needs. Some software can track up to 40,000 live positions to make asset tracking a breeze, even for very large organizations. Satellite tracking software can be installed on many kinds of hardware, making it a very versatile option. 

Tracking assets via satellite technology is simple and can often be updated over the air so you don’t have any downtime when it’s time to update firmware. There are very safe options out there that give you voice and data access secure networks. The solutions are highly customizable so there is one to suit every organization’s needs. 

Options

Features available through asset tracking software vary by manufacturer, but could include some helpful options. Live tracking options are out there, which allow updates on assets’ locations every 15 minutes. Geo-fences are another option available. You can set up a geo-fence and know when an asset has entered or exited the perimeter you set up. You can also improve safety and security by establishing exceptions and receiving alerts that signal suspicious behavior.

Those in the trucking industry need to monitor their trailers even when they are unhooked to assure asset safety and security at all times. For those in this business, there are solutions available to monitor unhooked trailers. The hardware for these solutions runs on an internal battery with a long battery life, so unhooked trailers are monitored even when there is no power source for the tracking devices. These solutions can provide daily GPS information that is reported every 24 hours, or every 15 minutes if the asset is moved while the trailer is unhooked. Activity outside normal operating hours and locations can be tracked by email and SMS alerts. 

If you are looking for state of the art asset tracking technology, look no further than New York Mobile Satellite. We’ve got the solutions that will keep your assets safe. That translates to less loss and higher revenue for your organization. Contact us today.

Headquartered in New York City, New York Mobile Satellite provides B2B wireless and satellite based telecommunication services, both mobile and fixed, to commercial enterprises around the globe, including banking, financial services, oil and gas, first responders, law enforcement, electric and water utilities, construction, sea ports, leisure boating, mining, cruise lines, media, shipping and container vessels, transportation, camping and hiking groups, rescue organizations, maritime communications, public safety markets and government sector, as well as for disaster recovery and humanitarian agencies. The Management Team has over 75 years of satellite and telecommunication experience. The company’s flexibility to custom design solutions and integrate various satellite communications technologies for customer and industry specific needs sets us apart from the competition. New York Mobile Satellite LLC is certified as a Veteran Owned business by the Veterans Administration.

Logistics: Satellite Communications on the Move

With the mobile nature of logistics, or commercially transporting goods to customers, it only makes sense that satellite technology could improve the process. Satellite technology works in the most remote locations, allows for real-time communication with remote workers, allows for the transfer of large amounts of data and even allows workers to set up remote offices with full communications capabilities on the go.

There are many technologies that improve the safety of logistics workers, enable remote fleet management and improve the tracking of assets and freight, saving companies money. But logistics operations need to track more information than ever before. They may be tracking hundreds of tractors, routes and fleets and may need to communicate with vehicles about arrivals and departures, load assignments, load scale, type of load, fueling and other important information. Satellite technology allows this communication to take place in real-time.

Satellite GPS Tracking Improves Logistics

Satellite GPS tracking can improve safety and security, optimize fleet operations and reduce risk with real-time tracking and monitoring. This GPS tracking system will work even in the most rugged and remote locations because it does not rely on terrestrial cell towers and operates on the Iridium satellite network and Inmarsat network.

Asset Management

The fleet management system integrates asset management software with satellite communications to give you reliable fleet management, monitoring and tracking. You can receive continuous GSP location, speed and direction information, as well as vehicle information like engine activity, idle and stop data.

Messaging

There are also messaging capabilities that will improve operations, such as text messaging, email and pre-defined messages that can be displayed on an optional in-cab terminal. All messages are geotagged for location tracking and safety.

Safety

Better tracking and communication mean better safety for your operators in the field. You can know if your driver is driving without a seatbelt, if a trailer has become disconnected or if there’s an engine problem, all from a central office. You can communicate with your driver to let them know there’s an issue, even if they’re off the terrestrial cell grid. You will have real-time GPS data to know where drivers are at all times. For shipping by rail, you can control rail cargo and temperature sensors and receive notification of excessive impacts from over-speed coupling. This ensures your cargo is going to get to its final destination undamaged.

Telephone, Push-to-Talk and Internet Capabilities Improve Communication

Logistics both on land and at sea will benefit from improved communications, as sometimes the business takes workers outside of the 2-way radio network and away from terrestrial cell networks. For these times, satellite telephone systems – portable handhelds, fixed docking kits, maritime phones or in-vehicle fixed phones – will come in handy for communication.

If you require push-to-talk for your daily operations, you can extend your 2-way radio network across the globe with SATRAD Matrix products. These products will integrate satellite push-to-talk with your existing UHF/VHF radios, repeaters and dispatch console systems. Satellite communications technology can also give your fleet access to broadband Internet or low-speed data systems while they’re on the move.

Get your fleets moving in the right direction and keep them moving. Contact New York Mobile Satellite for more information on usage and a product line that fits your particular needs and budget.

New York Mobile Satellite LLC, veteran-owned, headquartered in New York City, provides B2B wireless and satellite based telecommunication services, both mobile and fixed, to commercial enterprises around the globe, including banking, financial services, oil and gas, first responders, law enforcement, electric and water utilities, construction, sea ports, leisure boating, mining, cruise lines, media, shipping and container vessels, transportation, camping and hiking groups, rescue organizations, maritime communications, public safety markets and government sector, as well as for disaster recovery and humanitarian agencies. The Management Team has over 75 years of satellite and telecommunication experience. The company’s flexibility to custom design solutions and integrate various satellite communications technologies for customer, and industry specific needs, sets us apart from the competition.

True Stories of Satellite Technology in Action

We like to talk about how satellite technology can help you in many different fields. Today we’d like to share some actual stories from the field, which we have gathered from Iridium, makers of some of the best satellite technology out there. Check out the practical applications real users are finding for this technology.

Satellite Technology Along for the Ride on World-Record Balloon Journey

On January 25, 2015, Troy Bradley and Leonid Tiukhtyaev journeyed from Japan to the Mexican coast over the span of 6 days, and Iridium satellite technology was along for that record-breaking ride. They broke the records for longest duration of a balloon in the air and longest distance traveled by a balloon. The pair travelled 6,646 miles and were flying for 161 hours and 17 minutes.

Mission control for the flight equipped the pilots with an Iridium Go!, an Iridium Extreme and an Iridium partner tracking device from spidertracks. One of the team’s largest challenges was unpredictable weather. They weren’t sure where the balloon was going to land because of changing meteorological conditions. Bradley said, “It is imperative to have good communications when you are on a mission depending on meteorology.” Iridium provided just that by providing instant communication solutions. Spidertracks allowed mission control to track the team and keep them out of harm’s way.

Satellite Technology Keeps Alpine Climber Connected in Pakistani Mountain Range

Graham Zimmerman is a professional alpine climber who had the goal of climbing the Karakoram mountain range in Pakistan. He is passionate about climbing technical routes on some of the highest mountains in the world. He takes the road less traveled, or sometimes totally uncharted, because he enjoys the challenge. His enthusiasm for mountain climbing takes him to some of the most remote places on Earth. Zimmerman needs reliable connection to the outside world for safety’s sake.

During this trip to Pakistan, Zimmerman and his long-time climbing partner, Scott Bennett, were there to climb the remote 21,000 foot mountain Changi and an unclimbed face of a 23,000 foot mountain, K6. A major part of staying safe during these climbs was keeping track of the weather. The team had to move during windows of clear weather, so having reliable communication through satellite technology kept them safe and helped them make their journey up both mountains. They also needed lightweight communication tools to easily transport them up difficult mountain faces. Their lightweight satellite communication tools enabled them to communicate with their U.S.-based weather forecaster so that they could stay on top of all developing weather fronts.

Zimmerman relies on Iridium satellite equipment to keep him connected to his family back at home, as it’s difficult to be away from your loved ones for months on end. Communicating through satellite technology helped bridge the distance between the climbers and their families. He says, “We believe that they [Iridium] make the best satellite communications equipment, and we are very happy to have it every time. For us, it simply makes the most sense to have the best equipment that will also work anywhere we choose to go in the world.”

New York Mobile Satellite is proud to carry “the best satellite communications equipment” found anywhere in the world. Cell phones, cameras, tracking devices…we have it all. For more information, contact us today. Let us help you stay connected, no matter where you are.

New York Mobile Satellite LLC, veteran-owned, headquartered in New York City, provides B2B wireless and satellite based telecommunication services, both mobile and fixed, to commercial enterprises around the globe, including banking, financial services, oil and gas, first responders, law enforcement, electric and water utilities, construction, sea ports, leisure boating, mining, cruise lines, media, shipping and container vessels, transportation, camping and hiking groups, rescue organizations, maritime communications, public safety markets and government sector, as well as for disaster recovery and humanitarian agencies. The Management Team has over 75 years of satellite and telecommunication experience. The company’s flexibility to custom design solutions and integrate various satellite communications technologies for customer, and industry specific needs, sets us apart from the competition.

Satellite Communications: Keeping Industries Connected

Satellite communications can benefit a wide variety of industries, as it can provide reliable communication capacity across the globe, even in remote locations. We have discussed before a few industries that can benefit from satellite communications, and today we want to discuss a few more. Due to the mobile nature of these businesses and workers being located in very isolated places, satellite communications can be especially helpful for these industries.

Transportation

When you’re in the transportation industry, consistent communications can help you maintain a competitive edge. Make sure your operators are safe and know where your vehicles, vessels and cargo are at all times to streamline operations and keep track of your assets.

Satellite can provide real-time GPS tracking to make ensure you know where your deliveries are and estimate when they will arrive at their destination. You can connect with your people or fleet anywhere on the globe, whether you need voice connectivity or data. Fleet operators have access to messaging, traffic and weather reports and work orders so that business runs smoothly from any location. You can also use push-to-talk options so that workers in the field can stay in touch with dispatchers.

Oil and Gas

In the oil and gas industries, workers are often in very remote locations, doing hazardous work. Satellite can encourage better morale by providing broadband Internet and calling capabilities even for off-shore platforms or distant sites. This keeps employees in touch with their families, as well as their home offices. Geologists and geophysicists often need to work in remote locations to appraise prospects. Satellite can help in this effort by offering portable phone and Internet systems to aid in their work. And of course, worker safety is key, so satellite solutions can provide push-to-talk, GPS tracking and emergency notifications.

Mining

Mining is also another potentially hazardous work environment in which workers are often in remote locations and need to communicate. Satellite helps keep miners at these worksites consistently connected to their home office to improve safety. GPS tracking and panic buttons are available on portable devices so that you can track your people’s location and know if they are in trouble. Exploration professionals can transmit their data to the home office in real time to help ensure smooth operations on the worksite. The mining site and exploration professionals can transmit data through BGAN and VSAT technology, which provide them with broadband Internet connectivity virtually anywhere on the planet. Connectivity also improves morale in this industry, as workers are able to talk to their families through telephone services or through video chat provided by satellite signal.

Virtually any industry in which you need Internet and phone connectivity in remote places, the ability to communicate at the push of a button, GPS location services and the ability to transmit data can benefit from satellite technology. Even businesses that don’t typically send workers far out into the field can still benefit from more reliable coverage. When you compare the safety features, convenience and reliability of satellite communications with traditional cellular service, there really is no comparison. Contact New York Mobile Satellite to help you choose the right products and services for your business.

New York Mobile Satellite LLC, veteran-owned, headquartered in New York City, provides B2B wireless and satellite based telecommunication services, both mobile and fixed, to commercial enterprises around the globe, including banking, financial services, oil and gas, first responders, law enforcement, electric and water utilities, construction, sea ports, leisure boating, mining, cruise lines, media, shipping and container vessels, transportation, camping and hiking groups, rescue organizations, maritime communications, public safety markets and government sector, as well as for disaster recovery and humanitarian agencies. The Management Team has over 75 years of satellite and telecommunication experience. The company’s flexibility to custom design solutions and integrate various satellite communications technologies for customer, and industry specific needs, sets us apart from the competition.

GSatMicro – Tracking Literally in the Palm of Your Hand

What if you could transmit your location, SOS alerts and virtually any kind of data from all across the planet from a device the size of a golf ball? Sound like science fiction?

The GSatMicro personal Iridium tracker makes all of this a reality. It can do all of this (and more) using an advanced low-Earth orbiting satellite network.

The GSatMicro is currently the smallest self-contained tracker of its kind in the world. In addition to being a self-contained Iridium tracker, the GSatMicro can be connected via Bluetooth to your iPhone or iPad. There’s a specially designed mobile application that allows you to access many features of the GSatMicro from your iOS devices. You can track the current statistics from the device, such as the RSSI value, battery level, accelerometer range and temperature. You can also view the unit’s GPS, which allows you to track from a mobile device where the unit is at all times, instead of opening a desktop device. Let’s say you’re on the move and have your tracker stowed away in a safe place in your vehicle. As long as you’re within Bluetooth range, you can message through your iPhone or iPad using the GSatMicro without moving the unit from its storage place.

Other features of the GSatMicro that you can access from your mobile device are Iridium, caching, GPIO, compass and settings functions and much more. The GSatMicro is scriptable so any user can design a script to support their application. This makes connecting the tracker with monitoring hardware, user input interfaces, environment data or other hardware much more simple. What can scripting do for you with this device? You could have external interfaces to additional equipment or log data and queued transmissions. You could even create custom message formats.

Applications

This tracker would be very useful in maritime applications, where you may quickly need access to satellite communication channels, GPS or the compass features in remote locations. Emergency relief could benefit from these trackers to ensure the safety of their people, track GPS, follow the compass and use the messaging feature to communicate in the event of an emergency when traditional cellular networks are jammed with excess traffic.

Members of the media could stay connected wherever a story takes them and would benefit from the mobile application features.

Outdoor enthusiasts who hike and camp in remote locations could also make great use of this device. The compass won’t fail them, and if they have an emergency, they would have the capability to message from a mobile device or send GPS location to someone back home even on the remotest of trails.

Government and military agencies needing to track assets could employ this tracker. Just about any field with employees working in remote locations could benefit from having these — airlines, gas and oil workers, miners and utility workers, just to name a few. The GSatMicro could be a lifeline for remote workers out in the field. It could also help improve processes by transmitting important data back to the home office from the field or to clients who need information right away.

New York Mobile Satellite has the technology you can use in your business and your life. Contact us today to learn more about the GSatMicro.

New York Mobile Satellite LLC, veteran-owned, headquartered in New York City, provides B2B wireless and satellite based telecommunication services, both mobile and fixed, to commercial enterprises around the globe, including banking, financial services, oil and gas, first responders, law enforcement, electric and water utilities, construction, sea ports, leisure boating, mining, cruise lines, media, shipping and container vessels, transportation, camping and hiking groups, rescue organizations, maritime communications, public safety markets and government sector, as well as for disaster recovery and humanitarian agencies. The Management Team has over 75 years of satellite and telecommunication experience. The company’s flexibility to custom design solutions and integrate various satellite communications technologies for customer, and industry specific needs, sets us apart from the competition.