Free Alliance

The Global Positioning System, or GPS, is a type of RTLS technology, very useful for tracking vehicles as they move across the globe. But GPS is not appropriate technology for tracking hundreds or thousands of tags in a fixed space, especially indoors. GPS-based tracking applications are mostly limited to vehicles that have a need for a cell phone, and are integrated with the cell phone.
 
Despite extraordinary advances in GPS technology, millions of square meters of indoor space are out of reach of Navstar satellites. Their signals, originating high above the earth, are not designed to penetrate most construction materials. So the greater part of the world's commerce, conducted indoors, cannot be tracked by GPS.
 
Even for outdoor applications, GPS does not provide the accuracy of location that is possible with Local Locating Systems. Some of these systems are capable of providing asset location accurate to a radius of 10 feet. GPS systems are not capable of providing this level of accuracy.
 
Additionally, GPS does not provide a cost-effective way to track thousands of assets. GPS chips are highly complex and require a substantial power source for operation. Additionally, although GPS can determine its own location, a second radio system is needed to report this location to a central computer.