In Australia, we often use brand names to describe a particular type of thing. For instance, Bobcat is a skid steer, Posi Track is a track-wheeled front-end loader, and Panadol is paracetamol. GPS tracking is no different because GPS (Global Positioning System) is a single technology owned and operated by the US Government via NASA.
Location technologies
When you purchase something with GPS, it likely has many other location-based technologies run by various governments worldwide. GLONASS (Russian Federation), Beidou (China) and Galileo (European Union).
Often when looking at the specifications of your device that contains satellite location-based technologies, it will say GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System), and when it determines its location, it will listen to satellites owned by the USA, Russia, China and the EU.
Telematics
Telematics is not just about getting the location of something it’s about remotely connecting to an asset and getting meaningful data from it. This data could be location, speed, elevation, if the ignition is turned on, if the engine is running if there are any faults, and more.
Most of the time, your telematics device has GNSS but will have digital inputs, CANBUS, analogue inputs and, in some cases, other wireless technologies such as 4G/5G, WiFi, Bluetooth, and LoRaWAN. These inputs and connection methods help you make more informed decisions about your assets.
Something that contains all of these technologies is the new TrakaX telematics device, an Australian-designed and engineered unit.
