How did the police 'reverse gps' this car today, to track down thesuspect?

On 11/8/2014 3:04 AM, Gordon Burditt wrote:
>> Most GPS's will 'assume' things for accuracy. For example, if you turn
>> into a parking lot, but the GPS (because of insufficient coverage)
>> sees that you're either on a grass field 5 feet to the right of a
>> parking lot, it will 'assume' you're actually in the parking lot. Some
>> GPS's have a "assume on road" option. If you disable that, you may
>> sometimes see your GPS showing you off road.
>
> This can get fun if the maps are out of date. A few years back the
> exit and entrance to I-20 near my neighborhood were moved about a
> quarter-mile. This was mostly to accomodate property owners along
> the I-20 access road so they could enter and exit without having
> to go almost full-circle on the access road. The maps have not
> updated to reflect this, even though I reported it to Tom Tom.
>
> The GPS says to turn left onto the entrance ramp. By the time I
> get to the entrance ramp, it assumes I'm on the access road and
> suggests a U turn. Then I enter the access ramp and a bit later
> it finally thinks I am on I-20. As map errors go, this one is
> pretty minor.
>
Tell me about it. A few years ago we were coming back from Nova Scotia
and decided to stop and see Campobello Island (FDR).

The TOM-TOM map for the island was completely wrong. It had us driving
in the middle of lakes and even the ocean.

/d

On Fri, 07 Nov 2014 15:41:20 -0500, DEG wrote:

> On 11/7/2014 2:53 PM, Gene E. Bloch wrote:
>> On Fri, 7 Nov 2014 05:24:33 -0500, richard wrote:
>>
>>> On Thu, 06 Nov 2014 23:31:50 -0600, Boris K. wrote:
>>>
>>>> On Thu, 06 Nov 2014 14:47:04 -0800, meefftt wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> Many car manufacturer install systems that will report the location of any
>>>>> automobile through cellular telephone networks.
>>>>
>>>> How did they "turn on" the GPS?
>>>> http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...land/18584483/
>>>>
>>>> Investigators read the dealership's name on a traffic-camera
>>>> image of the car and asked the dealership to turn on the car's
>>>> GPS and provide the vehicle's location. The GPS led officers to
>>>> the parking lot where they spotted a man fitting the suspect's
>>>> description with a young woman in the back seat of a sedan like
>>>> the one used in the abduction.
>>>
>>> I doubt that highly. In order for the gps unit in the car to be "turned on"
>>> remotely, means it has to be powered on to begin with. If the car has
>>> onstar, then yeah, onstar can turn the equipment on.
>>
>> Most likely, more accurate reporting would have said asked the dealer to
>> "start monitoring" rather than "turn on" the GPS.
>>
>> I was once interviewed by a reporter, and what was printed was so
>> different from what I said that my confidence in reporters' accuracy was
>> ruined forever :-)
>>
>> I do wonder how the device was powered, however. Infinite-life
>> batteries? (That's a joke.)
>>
>> My actual guess: wired into the downstream side of the ignition switch.
>>
> LO-JACK batteries last 5 years. They only use significant power when
> triggered on. Same probably goes for this tracking device.
>
> /d

If they were smart, they would tap the vehicle power supply for normal
every day use.
Then the battery would last considerably longer. Depending on the nature of
the battery, yeah it could literally last years.

I've had my car's key fob battery seven years and haven't replaced the
battery yet.

On Sat, 8 Nov 2014 08:54:13 +1100, Rod Speed wrote:

> "richard" > wrote in message
> .. .
>> On Thu, 06 Nov 2014 23:31:50 -0600, Boris K. wrote:
>>
>>> On Thu, 06 Nov 2014 14:47:04 -0800, meefftt wrote:
>>>
>>>> Many car manufacturer install systems that will report the location of
>>>> any
>>>> automobile through cellular telephone networks.
>>>
>>> How did they "turn on" the GPS?
>>> http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...land/18584483/
>>>
>>> Investigators read the dealership's name on a traffic-camera
>>> image of the car and asked the dealership to turn on the car's
>>> GPS and provide the vehicle's location. The GPS led officers to
>>> the parking lot where they spotted a man fitting the suspect's
>>> description with a young woman in the back seat of a sedan like
>>> the one used in the abduction.
>
>> I doubt that highly.
>
> I don't given that they did find the car and the kidnapper.
>
>> In order for the gps unit in the car to be "turned on"
>> remotely, means it has to be powered on to begin with.
>
> Yes, but clearly that sort of system would be no use for
> finding the car if the individual who is supposed to be
> paying for the car stops making payments on the car.
> That's why it was in the car, so they can do that.
>
>> If the car has onstar, then yeah,
>> onstar can turn the equipment on.
>
> It wasn't onstar, it was PassTime which was installed by the dealer.

Ok. Had a look at that system. Interesting.
Although I saw nothing that said GPS was being used.
But it would not be difficult to have some kind of signal sent to the
office showing where the vehicle is.Even without the knowledge of the
driver.