WhereNet, Identec Solutions Offer GPS Tracking

Identec is offering the GPS in two versions. One follows the ISO 18000-7 air-interface protocol, which uses IP recently licensed from Savi Technology, a subsidiary of Lockheed Martin (see Seven Companies Sign Up for Savi IP License). ISO 18000-7 is the standard for real-time locating systems that use active tags operating at 433 MHz. The other version operates at 915 MHz, using Identec's proprietary air-interface protocol. Linke notes that Identec Solutions also improved the sensitivity of the tag's receivers, increasing the 100-meter read range of past models to 500 meters.

One other difference between the 915 MHz and 433 MHz tags, Linke says, is that the latter require more time to activate, or "wake up," from the energy-saving standby mode. Both versions transmit GPS coordinates to the reader, along with the tag's ID. The 433 MHz tag works with any ISO 18000-7 compliant reader; however, only Identec's ISO 18000-7 reader can read the GPS coordinates from the tags. According to Linke, Identec Solutions licensed the ISO 18000-7 IP from Savi to attract contracts from the Department of Defense, the biggest user of active 433 MHz tags.

As with the WhereNet system, users will likely rely on GPS coordinates to determine the location of the Identec GPS tag only when an insufficient number of RFID readers are available to determine its location. Linke says the GPS tag allows users to track the movement of trucks within a marine terminal or transportation yard by leveraging the facility's ISO 18000-7 RTLS infrastructure, then continue following the truck's location as it leaves the yard by recording its GPS location at set intervals.

The GPS tag is software-controlled, Linke says, and can be configured to match an end user's use case for battery optimization. "You can set the tag to only record GPS coordinates when it is in motion," he explains, "and you can set the tags so that GPS coordinates are not recorded while the tag is within range of ISO 18000-7 readers." Once removed from the reader network, the tag can begin recording GPS coordinates at user-determined intervals. The user could also upload the set route a truck carrying the tag should take; then, once back in the read range of ISO 18000-7 readers, the Identec GPS tags would transmit only the GPS coordinates recorded if the truck veered off its planned route.

WhereNet Marine Terminal Solution with GPS capabilities, version 4.0, is available now. Pricing depends on the configuration requirements of the customer's system, WhereNet says, as well as the size of the installation. The company notes that a small WhereNet system begins at approximately $500,000. The Identec GPS tag will not be available until September, Linke says, but pricing will likely be $250, with a discount for purchases in large quantities.