Subject: [NEXTEL-1] 10 Indian River buses get GPS tracking systems

From: [email-masked]
Date: Wed, 04 Jun 2003 05:23:34 -0400

Jun 1, 10:26 PM

10 Indian River buses get GPS tracking systems

School District can track students at any time

By Linda Jump
FLORIDA TODAY

VERO BEACH -- When an Indian River County school bus collided with a
citrus truck in 1999, killing two and injuring a dozen elementary students,
school officials initially didn't know who was on the bus.

They hope a pilot global positioning system combined with a new student
identification tracking program will prevent that scenario from happening
again. Two weeks ago, a pilot GPS system was installed on 10 of the district's
buses, with plans for student identification to be added this fall.

"The purpose of the entire system is to identify what children are on a bus and
where each bus is at any time. This shows real-time ridership," said Kathleen
"Cookie" Geyer, district transportation director.

The district expects to pay $212,000 to Integrated Systems Research of
Miami for the system, with funding from capital expense, said Greg Smith,
assistant superintendent for operations. He said the cost is about $2,200 per
bus, much more if the district decides to go to a fingerprint instead of card
system.

"But we will not do the rest of the buses unless this works," he said.

He said the GPS boxes send a data signal through an incorporated Nextel
system based on interruptions selected by the district to computer screens at a
central office. "This has been in use by corporate vehicle tracking groups,"
Smith said.

The next phase is a thumbprint reading device or an infrared card reader on a
bus. As an example, Smith said there may be 50 students on bus No. 34. In
the central office computer is a list of each bus numbers, with the names of
each student who should be on that bus.

"Let's say the name is initially in black. That would change to green, for
example, as the child is picked up and their card or print is recorded. When
the bus drops off kids at the school, an administrative card would change all
the names back to black," he said.

The reverse would happen after school.

The system can be expanded into other technologies, if the district decides,
Smith said. "We may put sensors on the bumpers of buses so if they were in
an accident, we would know immediately," he said.

Already, Smith said, middle and high school students have coded school
identification cards used for attendance, lunches and the library. All students
need those cards before the system can be implemented, Smith said.

He thinks Indian River is the first to use such a complete tracking system.
"We're not going to have a lost kid anymore," Smith said.

He said a week ago, a student rode to a friend's Sebastian home on a bus
without telling his family. Worried when their son didn't come home, they
called the police, only to find the boy playing at his friend's home. "That
happens all the time," Smith said.

The plan also should prevent lost kindergarten students at the beginning of the
school year who take the wrong bus.

Geyer added the data would help her generate reports for funding. "Now, we
do all that by hand," she said.

Other districts, including St. Lucie and Brevard, are monitoring the success of
the Indian River pilot.

"We're researching systems to know where our bus is, as well as who is on it,"
said Sara Stern, spokeswoman for the Brevard County School District. The
district is considering either a card or fingerprint system to identify students,
she said.

"There are no plans in this year's budget to purchase a system, but it would
have some definite benefits," she said.

http://www.floridatoday.com/!NEWSROOM/localstoryA496A.htm

-- 
  		"NEXTEL-1 IT'S NOT JUST NEXTEL"
		Note The New address 
Subscribe to Nextel-1: http://www.groups.yahoo.com/subscribe/NEXTEL-1

		"NEXTEL2 FOR iDEN SOFTWARE DEVELOPERS"
Subscribe to Nextel2: http://www.groups.yahoo.com/subscribe/NEXTEL2

		"WIRELESS FORUM HOMELAND SECURITY GROUP"
 	   The Complete Resource for Wireless Homeland Security.
Subscribe to WFHSG:  http://www.groups.yahoo.com/subscribe/WFHSG

------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~-->
Get A Free Psychic Reading! Your Online Answer To Life's Important Questions.
http://us.click.yahoo.com/Lj3uPC/Me7FAA/ySSFAA/61FxlB/TM
---------------------------------------------------------------------~->

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/