Despite what you may think about GPS tracking, you probably don't realize that the system, which lets you know where you are and how to get where you are going when you are driving around town or on the inter-state, is using exactly the same technology as in fully-blown GPS Vehicle Tracking systems as used by fleet managers, police departments and other agencies.



You are using your in-car GPS purely for navigational purpose because it helps you get to where you want to go without getting lost and wasting precious time stopping to find out where you are on a normal paper map.

In fact for most people the word GPS means just one thing, which is a navigational aid for the driver of any vehicle, and of course many won't realize that GPS stands for the technology, which is behind the navigational functionality of both in-car and portable units.

GPS is short for the Global Position System, which uses a network of satellites in orbit around the planet that continuously broadcast signals down to earth so that any GPS device can determine where it is on the surface of the earth at any time. This system is accurate to about 15 meters.

Original developed by the military GPS has been around for over 20 years but has only been available to the consumer for the last few years. Now that GPS is more main-stream and the cost of GPS devices has reduced, they can now be incorporated in to systems that are affordable for everyone.

Most importantly this means that everyone now has access to GPS vehicle tracking as well as GPS Vehicle navigation systems. Yes, you can now track and navigate using GPS. The only difference is that to navigate you need to be in the vehicle, but to track you can be anywhere, even in a different part of the world.

Your GPS navigator system in your car or truck always shows you where you are on a local street map and can give you instructions on where to make the next turn on your journey to your destination. More sophisticated units can alert you to traffic problems and even direct you around them.

In a similar way a GPS vehicle tracker system will let you see where your auto or truck is currently located by displaying the position of the vehicle on a map on the screen of your own PC or laptop computer. And as you watch the map you will see the vehicle moving and can also get information on the speed it is traveling.

On better systems you will also be able to look at historical information to find out where it has been in the last few hours or days. Today everyone has access to systems that can track your vehicle on your on computer from the comfort of your own home. What could be easier?

If your vehicle is stolen you will now be able to tell the police where it has gone, even if it is hundreds of miles away. If you want to monitor your kids or other drivers of your car you could do this too.

In fact there are just so many different applications in which you could use a GPS vehicle tracking device that really your imagination is now the only limiting factor.