Were watching you 
Posted by 19 Nov 2001 14:20.05
Most of us probably remember playing hide-and-seek as a kid. There seemed to be so many places where we could seek cover and never be found. Today, finding a place where you can't be seen is becoming increasingly difficult. Surveillance cameras seem to watch our every move. They're in stores, our offices, over our roads, even in our homes. Soon, cameras will be augmented by new tracking technologies that will detect our wireless devices, too.
By using global positioning system (GPS) satellites and local, land-based networks, these new systems will use wireless radio signals to find you wherever you are. If your cell phone is equipped with a GPS receiver, as will be required by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) beginning in October 2001, it will be nearly impossible to conceal your location. (Developers have assured consumers that they will be able to opt out of these networks and remain anonymous if they so choose.)
The use of location-tracking technologies means that people will be easier to find during emergencies. But it also means that marketers will be able to send us unsolicited advertising on our cell phones as we pass by or through retail stores. In this edition of How Stuff WILL Work, we will look at three types of location-tracking technology and see how they will be able to seek you out no matter where you're hiding.
By November 2001, Digital Angel will allow you to not only locate someone, but also check on that person's health. Such a system will especially assist those trying keeping track of patients or elderly parents. Digital Angel combines wireless radio signals, GPS satellites and a ground-based data center to continuously track someone's location. Subscribers to the service will be able to log on from any Internet-connected device to check on a loved one.
Digital Angel uses GPS satellites and an AT&T wireless network to track people wearing a BioSensor watch and GPS-equipped pager device.
Here are the various components that make up the Digital Angel system:
Biosensor - Embedded in a wristwatch, this biosensor touches the skin and reads a person's vital signs, including temperature and pulse. A special algorithm allows the system to determine if the person has suddenly fallen down, a feature useful for some at-risk patients.
Pager device - Data from the biosensor is sent wirelessly to a pager device that has a GPS receiver and a cellular packet module or transceiver, which enables it to upload this information to a satellite. A microprocessor in the pager organizes the data flow from the GPS receiver and transceiver. Both the biosensor watch and the pager device will come with a rechargeable battery.
GPS satellites - Digital Angel uses these satellites and a remote monitoring station to continually ping (bounce radio signals to) the person's pager device. Radio signals from the satellite get a fix on a position, and the satellite then transmits a longitude and latitude to a GPS receiver.
AT&T wireless network - Once a person has been located, their information can be sent through cellular data packets to a wireless network. The data is sent over a frequency range of 800 to 900 MHz.
Delivery system - While AT&T provides the transmission of signals, Digital Angel provides the hosted data center. There are two of these centers in the United States, one in New York and one in Maryland. Proprietary software allows subscriber devices to interface with the data center. Users can log on and get information, along with a map of a person's location.
Digital Angel relies directly on satellite transmission -- it doesn't use cell towers. The company is working on integrating relay devices into aircraft and ships. This would make transmissions easier and more reliable.
In the previous two sections, we discussed networks that will cover very wide areas. But there are also some tracking systems in development that will be used on a much smaller scale. For example, a shopping mall might want to have a local network that tracks shoppers, but it doesn't need a system that covers an entire city. To fill this niche, PanGo Networks is developing what it calls a Proximity Platform.
PanGo's Proximity Platform sets up zones of radio signals that send coupons and other announcements to a consumer's wireless device.
The Proximity Platform basically sets up wireless zones within defined areas. These zones are called hot spots. When a wireless user enters a hot spot, his or her device is detected. Content such as advertisements and coupons is generated and displayed on the device. Imagine that the entire mall is a computer screen with clickable buttons. As such, the wireless-device user would be the mouse, and the hot zones would be the buttons. When you enter a hot zone, you click on a button, which delivers content to your PDA or cell phone. Using the shopping mall as the example, let's look at the various components of the Proximity Platform:
Site Manager - The site manager is the heart of the system. This software will allow operators of short-range radio networks to set up zones in high-traffic areas to detect wireless devices.
Content Server - Within each store of the mall, there will be a local content server that is connected to the Proximity Platform network. These servers will have a range that is limited to targeted areas of each store.
Bluetooth or 802.11 - These short-range radio signals, which allow electronic devices to communicate with each other, will be used by the Proximity Platform to create the 'hot spots.'
The PanGo system is based on spaces. It will be able to track you as you walk through a mall and even detect how long you spend in certain spaces. These spaces are defined by the site manager and the content server. As a person with wireless device enters a space, the content server communicates with the site manager. The site manager then delivers content to the wireless device. PanGo spokesperson Charlie Day said that the system will give users the ability to opt out and remain anonymous.
Day said that the PanGo system will not be ready for at least another year, but you will see wireless 911 and Digital Angel implemented at the end of 2001. In coming years, there are sure to be more location-tracking systems developed. Imagine a world in which anyone can log into a system to find out exactly where you are at any given moment. Developers admit that privacy issues will be an obstacle to widespread acceptance of their services.
These things will be working in about a year in the US so get ready guys cos I'm sure they'll be over here soon!!! 
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