The Spider

 

Hardware

The Spider

The spider tracking device is a compact, self-contained unit, integrating a GPS receiver and transmitter in one small unit without the need for external antenna. It sits on the dashboard of your vehicle or aircraft in its own mount, with a view of the sky, and requires only a 10-32V DC power supply to operate. The spider is supplied with a cigarette lighter plug for easy connection or it can be hard wired into the vehicle or aircraft if you prefer.

 

The Keypad

The simple spidertracks keypad enables pilots or drivers to take more control of their tracking during flight. The keypad has three buttons – Monitor, Radius and Mark.

Monitor

• If travelling in difficult or adverse conditions pilots or drivers can tell the system to actively monitor the flight or journey.
• If the system does not receive three position updates in a row, and the monitoring of the flight has not been discontinued, it automatically assumes the aircraft or vehicle needs assistance and will send TXT and email messages to a nominated group of receivers, that could include rescue services.
• Messages include location coordinates, time, flight speed and altitude details that can be referenced with Electronic Locator Transmitter information.

Mark

• Up to four pre-programmed messages.
• One click could notify the operations base that the aircraft has landed safely, two clicks could send a message that a fuel supply is required, etc.
• The Mark is also beneficial to hunters who are required to log the location of animals culled for traceability purposes.

Radius

• Suspends reporting of coordinates while the aircraft or vehicle is operating in a known work zone.
• Useful for pilots who work safely over the same known area for long periods of time, such as agricultural, spraying or forestry workers.
• Clicking the Radius button tells the system to automatically calculate the area of the work zone, based on a preprogrammed radius.
• The system automatically recognises when the aircraft or vehicle leaves the geo-fenced work area and resumes transmission of coordinates.
• This function reduces the cost of transmission for operators working safely in the same area.

Alert

• Pressing the Radius and Mark buttons at the same time acts as a panic button, automatically changing transmission intervals to update location as fast as possible - approximately every 30 seconds.
• At the same time, TXT and email messages are sent to designated receivers, which could include rescue services - so if something does go wrong the vehicle or aircraft can be found as quickly as possible.

 

Communication

Notifications

The easy way to communicate simple messages while on the go.

Spidertracks can tell you when an aircraft takes off, when it comes in to land and the pilot or driver can send simple messages to your cellphone or email. It’s the ideal solution if you need to communicate while out of cellphone cover – and don’t have spidertxt or a satellite phone.

The system will send text and email messages to the user’s nominated contacts to notify them when:

• The aircraft/vehicle takes off and speeds up (the Speed Up notification)
• The aircraft/vehicle slows down (Slow Down notification)
• Spiderwatch or monitoring is activated and turned off
• The mark button is pressed – up to four individualised messages can be sent.

These messages match notes displayed on the track on the website – but with notifications, you can add more detailed information. As well as the name of the notification, the message can include up to 150 extra characters – it’s up to you what it says. Just one click of the mark button on the keypad can communicate quite a lot.

And these notifications can be individualised for each spider or user, or default to the organisation’s settings.

Spidertxt

With spidertxt you can send a text from the aircraft to the ground from anywhere in the world. Texts can be sent either to the website or through the website on to other cellphones on the ground or in the air. All you need is a Windows compatible PDA – no special keypads are necessary.

The network

Position information, including three-dimensional GPS coordinates, speed, altitude and direction, as well as simple communications are transmitted via the Iridium Satellite Network.

The position data and messages are sent as Short Burst Data (SBD) so you can use your spider to send simple messages from anywhere in the world, offering a cost-effective communications option where cellphones don’t have cover. Iridium’s comprehensive satellite network means spidertracks will always get a connection.

The data is sent via Iridium goes to secure servers in the United States and New Zealand guaranteeing 99.999% reliability.

 

Software

Tracking and Reports

• Through a secure login, users can view current vehicle or aircraft tracking reports in real time or historical reports that have been saved for reference.
• The tracks are plotted on to detailed topographical maps and can also be exported in a format compatible with the free version of Google Earth. Spidertracks software can be integrated with a range of aviation, maritime, topographical, illustrative and satellite imagery to suit users’ needs.
• Data points, including longitude and latitude, altitude, time, speed and direction, can also be downloaded into spreadsheets for further analysis by users and for synchronising with accounting packages for accurate billing to clients of services provided.
• All of a user’s spiders can be viewed on one map at the same time so operations can be co-ordinated from the operations base.
• Users can manage their data and their connections via the spidertracks.com client’s website. They can link new units to their account, manage their team of Spider units and aircraft, and get troubleshooting information.
• All updates and upgrades are carried out by spidertracks’ developers behind the scenes.