GPS & Tracking



Lächelnd  BABA´s on the road again  Lachend


How far the 50 has progressed on the world map, and where BABA with the Adventure actually is on the road, you will find here the minute it happens via the GPS Live Tracking. It might be useful to tell a bit about the technology behind the GPS Live Tracking for all who are interested and plan the like.

 


 Delorme InReach Explorer GPS-Tracker

We use the Delorme InReach Explorer for live tracking in the Ride-of-Smiles. The device establishes a satellite connection and transmits the data depending on the setting in proprietary Delorme card.  Location and even more data are in real time displayed then.
 It caused our team with Rick in Malaysia and Andreas in German Saarland quite some headache to integrate this card into the website and the App.

 In addition to the very finely adjustable and and also affordable density of track points, the latest InReach Explorer offers a very rudimentary routing function. More important for the decision was the opportunity to make an emergency call if there's a desperate need of help - if it really burns.

For this specifically, the device features the possibility  to send messages to either pre-defined recipients (for e.g. spare parts if there are technical problems) or in real emergency cases unlock a secured SOS Button and thus via an intermediate international emergency call center activate local emergency services. Attention, this easily can get very expensive - use it with care.

Positive is that you not only send the emergency SMS  but receive the answer as well. Thus, the device is a good compromise between (still very expensive) satellite phone and in many parts of the world useless GSM mobile phones


As a nice side effect of this SMS function it's possible to post the latest news from the Ride of Smiles in Twitter and Facebook accounts - a function, we will always use when there's no Wi-Fi or other network access available.



So look forward to a small daily update Twitter or send us a text message on the InReach Explorer (which'll only cost you your local SMS charges - but at the other end of the satellite line  reconciles the homesickness and the itchy feet to see distant places :-) 

 



See that demo-map from the 7000 km Tour all over Spain in October 2014






 




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Ride Of Smiles - 50.000 miles