For the thousands of children who are abducted each year, and for those adults with Alzheimer’s Disease or other impairments that can cause confusion and often lead them to become lost, a new wireless device is available to help track and locate their whereabouts.
Wherify Wireless, Redwood Shores, Calif., has developed a location-based device called the Personal Location System that allows parents or guardians to request location information either by phone or over the Internet.
Wherify Wireless communicates with the wristwatch-like device through the CDMA network of an undisclosed PCS carrier using SiRF Technology Inc.’s SiRFstarII technology, and instructs it to obtain global positioning system coordinates from orbiting satellites. The GPS data is transmitted back to Wherify Wireless’ location service center, which within about one minute makes the data available to the person making the request.
Timothy Neher, founder, president and chairman of the company, said the first generation of products is geared toward children. Neher also is the president of the Lost Children’s Network, and he hopes a device such as the Personal Location System will make potential child abductors think twice and give parents a sense of security when their children are away.
“There is nothing in use today that a parent can use as a backup system. There’s nothing that a parent can use if their 7-year old goes off on his bicycle,” Neher said.
The device also is able to send out a 911 alert in case the user is in an emergency situation. Wherify Wireless obtains the user’s location and sends those location coordinates to the nearest police station. It is a pager and watch as well.
The ability to obtain a person’s precise location at any given time brings up numerous questions about privacy, but Neher said Wherify is developing a privacy policy it will have ready in time for the product’s official launch in August.
“We’re going to do everything in our power to protect the privacy of our users,” Neher said. “We’ll let the consumer control the data.”
The device will cost around $300 and a subscriber will pay a monthly fee based on the type of service package chosen. Neher estimated a “gold” package will be $20-25 per month, with more simple packages costing less.
Wherify said it is in negotiations with additional nationwide carriers, and also hopes to put the technology in mobile phones and other form factors. Other applications for the device include prisoner and pet tracking.
