Australians will soon be able to utilise a security service, which claims to keep track of vehicles through a satellite tracking system.
The service will also be able to draw an electric fence around a 'safe' site using the software to watch for vehicles which leave the premises unauthorised.
The monitoring system which was developed by GPS Online has a number of features up it sleeve to please vehicle owners, including roadside assistance and the tracking of stolen vehicles.
"For roadside assistance the occupant just presses a button on the GPS system in the vehicle to communicate to base, which instantly knows where the location of the vehicle is," Managing Director GPS Online Robert Angel said.
The software even monitors whether a battery is low, or if the owner's keys are locked in the car. It can open the vehicle's doors remotely by the owner ringing the base and entering a pin number. There is also a sensor that alerts the security base if a vehicle has been broken into.
An added feature - said to be a world first - is that the software can draw an electronic fence around a site, which monitors when a vehicle enters and leaves the area. It is set up from the base by using a cursor on a map, which runs around the circumference of the address.
"One box of tricks can utilise different data communication such as GSM phone, Satcom satellite and radio communications," Angel said.
The monitoring bureau service will supply 24-hour coverage of a vehicle for a fee.
According to Angel, car companies are predicting that all vehicles in Australia will have in-built navigational equipment within four years, so the price for the GPS service will inevitably come down. It currently costs between $1000 to $2000 for the unit.
"We can utilise the technology to communicate back to a base without having to supply the vehicle with the GPS tracking system, it should already be there," Angle said.
GPS Online has announced the rollout of its service in New Zealand, where 100 units are being utilised in vehicles across the country. The service is being operated by Chubb Security.
According to Angel, GPS Online is currently in negotiations to offer the service in Australia by the end of the year.
