On the track of safety

Every other day, newspaper headlines scream of sexual abuse, thefts, kidnaps and murders. At a time when discourses on safety and security are at their peak, it doesn’t come as a surprise that companies and start-ups are training their eyes towards telematics and GPS tracking solutions.

With this in mind, ‘OSS GPS Tracking Solutions’ was started a little over a year and a half back; they have a whole range of trackers that make sure one is safe. Thanmai Deekshith, the product manager, says, “We have everything from a personal tracker and pet tracker to vehicle trackers and trackers for fleet management. No other company offers the whole range of products we do.”

Emphasising on the need for safety solutions, he says that they see a huge potential in this stream. “Any vehicle owner is a potential client! There’s a need for this kind of safety solution and technology at this point. Anyone who is in distress can be tracked using this technology.”

Talking about the different kinds of trackers and features, he adds, “A personal tracker is a small device, very robust, durable and well-built. This is something that can be used by women, kids, senior citizens...they can just hang it around their neck and go about their activities and relatives in other countries will know about their whereabouts. If there is an issue, they just press on the ‘SOS’ button and an SMS goes out to the registered cell numbers of his location.” This acts as a distress signal and the device can also initiate calls. “In case of emergencies, it acts as a phone.”

If parents are worried about their kids’ whereabouts, they can use these trackers instead of constantly glancing at their phones. There’s something for pet owners too – “Pets are really expensive and run all over the place. In such cases, a pet tracker can be attached to the collar so that they don’t get lost.”  To enhance this experience, they have a feature called ‘geo-fencing’, where a person can fence an area and if the tracker moves out of this fence, a SMS alert is sent to the concerned people. The start-up does the programming and help users with the features. Users are also give a username and password.

If a senior citizen misses their schedule or is unresponsive, a toddler or youngster is home late or a driver takes a detour, it can all be mapped. Even the response time in case of emergencies is quicker. This is similar to the technology cab companies are using. Although this technology is not new, it is being enhanced to meet multiple requirements.
A vehicle tracker is another kind that makes it easier for parents to trust their drivers and they need not worry as much. “Vehicles after 2000 have are been fitted with on-board diagnostics ports, and these devices can be plugged in there. This can also be used for VVIP transport and escort vehicles,” explains Thanmai.

This increasingly useful technology can be used in covert operations as well. “We have magnetic devices that hook on to a vehicle and track them.” And in case there is fuel or load theft, there are sensors for this as well. “If a cold carrier reaches a critical temperature, there are temperature sensors too,” he adds. The application is immense and the start-up has just chipped the top of the rock.