11 Jun 2018
Today’s satellite technologies are helping organisations enhance security through reliable tracking of assets and people. But these systems simultaneously deliver many operational benefits. Gavan Murphy, Director of Marketing EMEA at Globalstar, explores how flexibility, functionality and reliability all come together with satellite solutions for security.
We at Globalstar see our satellite solutions used in ever more diverse security situations including tracking and securing fixed and movable assets as well as people. Users span emergency services, military and defence organisations, non-governmental first responders, and other authorities responsible for delivering public services and managing resources.
But importantly, the technologies in these deployments are fulfilling additional roles for users, including enhancing operations, maximising the value and lifespan of their key assets, as well as cutting costs. And when that money is public money, such as in the case of emergency services, it is in everyone’s interest that funds are well invested.
Geo-fencing security
One of the most valuable security features of
satellite enabled asset tracking is the ability to create a geo-fence, a
virtual, invisible enclosure which determines where an asset, such as an item
of heavy machinery, can move. The system can be set up so that if the item
moves outside of this virtual fence, an alert will be sent, via SMS for
instance, to let the user know that something is wrong. This capability can
help forestall attempted theft.
Such systems are highly flexible and configurable. Satellite
trackers can check in on an asset just once a day, or more frequently. For
instance, a drill, equipped with a small tracking device, will ping at
pre-determined intervals to verify location, or will provide notifications if
the asset is moved. The user can be made aware, for instance, when equipment
has been stolen or used in an unauthorised manner. Plus, the motion sensors can
expand the security possibilities to include monitoring of doors being opened
or closed, etc and can be adjusted
to the required sensitivity.
Safeguarding First
Responders
First
responders are among these professional groups who have embraced SPOT. As fire
authorities strive to improve operational efficiency, and to better safeguard
crew, they are increasingly turning to satellite technology.
Castilla La Mancha is a
vast region in central Spain where forest blazes and wildfires are a fact of
life. Junta de Castilla La Mancha, the administrative authority whose
responsibilities include forest and wildfire management, employ some 2,000
response personnel who are always on standby to help keep forest and wildfire
at bay. The administration recognised a need to enhance safety for crews in the
extremely dangerous situations they routinely face.
Junta officials talked to
wildfire solutions specialist Technosylva, provider of fire behaviour analysis and
management software. Joaquin Ramirez Cisneros, Principal Consultant at Technosylva, explains why Globalstar’s SPOT Gen3 was chosen to meet the
Junta’s requirements as an integral part of his company’s Wildfire Management
System, fiResponse.
“To keep firefighters
safe, it is critical to know where exactly they are at all times,” he explains.
“The positions of the
crew members need to be known in relation to the engine and equipment resources
being used, and it is particularly important to know how far away they are from
the heart of the fire. Providing these professional teams with the
communications support they need in the extremely dangerous situation of
wildfire is an absolute must.”
However, this satellite
technology is doing more than helping keep firefighters safe – it is helping
them manage fires more effectively.
Juan Bautista Garcia, Wild Fire Co-ordinator at
GEACAM (Public Agency of Castilla La Mancha) comments: "Tracking our crews
with SPOT fundamentally changes the way we can face operations. Not only is
safety dramatically improved, providing situational awareness in real time to
all of the organisation, it also helps to improve our response and tactics. The
integration of the SPOT Gen3 within fiResponse is helping us to provide a better
service accomplishing the highest standards of safety in the most efficient
way."
The authorities also
installed SPOT Trace satellite tracking devices on pumps, helicopters and
aerial fire apparatus, allowing operations coordinators to know precisely where
their resources are, where they need to be, and how much time it will take for
them to get there.
To
learn more about the multitasking capabilities of satellites, visit IFSEC 2018, 19-21
June, 2018, ExCel – Globalstar Europe – Stand H430
Globalstar Europe Satellite Services Ltd
Website
T: +353 1 290 9571
Unit 10
The Hyde Building
The Park
Carrickmines, Dublin 18
Ireland