GPS Asset Tracking: Explained

As the world evolves rapidly and technology continues to innovate, we see GPS becoming more and more frequently used. GPS is becoming a popular method for businesses to track their assets, so how is it used in asset tracking and what are the benefits?. This blog will tell you all about GPS Asset Tracking.

GPS technology is commonly known by most through its purposes on mobile and smartwatches for mapping and location features. However, GPS can be used much further, including its use for asset tracking. So you must be wondering what the term ‘GPS Asset Tracking’ actually means?

GPS Asset Tracking is simply the use of a global positioning system to track assets by communicating with satellites. As long as an asset is fitted with a GPS tracker, its location can be found and its movement can be monitored. 

This means assets can be located with their real-time location, which greatly improves asset visibility and reduces the chance of lost assets.

GPS trackers are portable devices that allow users to track and monitor their location. They can be easily attached to an asset, instantly giving clearer visibility as to where the asset is located, and any movement or journey it takes. 

itemit’s GPS Trackers are easy to use and come with a rechargeable battery, so there’s no need for them to be wired up constantly. They work best on larger sized assets due to their size being less discrete. Each tracker comes with its own sim and data plan which will run for a year, this is needed to allow the trackers to work and correctly link up with the GPS satellite system. 

All data collected by the GPS device is sent into itemit. This means all collected GPS data can be viewed in your itemit workspace within your asset’s profile. 

You will be able to see a live location of the tracked asset and any movement it makes. This is similar to how our QR tags work, however with GPS you will not need to scan your assets each time to update the location. Instead, the location updates are in real-time.

The most commonly used purpose of GPS asset tracking is for fleet management. Due to the fact that vehicles are constantly on the move. However, you can use GPS further to track tools that move from site to site, or even equipment that may be used between different geographic campuses or locations. 

GPS tracking devices are however sized quite large, so they would only suit an asset of a larger scale, for example, they wouldn’t be able to be attached to a hammer, but they could be attached to a tool kit. 

itemit’s QR tags do work with GPS but only upon being scanned, so whether your asset is often on the move or not will determine if you need GPS Trackers to give real-time tracking.

Now you know what GPS Asset Tracking is, let’s talk a little bit about what the benefits are to using it. 

1. Theft Recovery – With vehicles, tools and equipment being some of the most valuable assets your business could own, an obvious risk is the possibility of theft. Which could ultimately leave your business at a loss financially and delay your operations. So by using GPS trackers on your most expensive assets, especially those which move around you can easily monitor the location and quickly identify unusual locations or potentially unauthorised use. If stolen, GPS can also help authorities recover the asset from the GPS trail it creates, which will minimise excess expense from replacements.

2. Reduce Lost Assets – When a business has many assets and many employees it’s all too common for assets to go missing simply from being misplaced or by not being returned to the correct location where they may be stored. The benefit to having GPS asset tracking means employers and employees aren’t spending countless hours searching for misplaced assets and are therefore saving great amounts of time. Overall, this allows people to utilise their time better and therefore save money as there is then more time to do essential work over having to waste time searching for equipment. Fewer overtime hours may be required which means less money to be paid.  

3. Increased Visibility – GPS trackers help managers and business owners have better visibility of how an asset is used, how often and where it is being used. The insights provided can lead to improvements to productivity within their workforce and ultimately once more save time and money. GPS asset tracking could also highlight assets that aren’t being used at all, perhaps for instance when used for tracking vehicles you would be able to see when your work vehicle has sat idle for a long period of time and therefore may be a wasted expense for your business. You could even take vehicle tracking a step further and view the GPS journey your vehicle takes to see whether there are quicker routes to take when going to a job. Which ultimately could save your company money on fuel. 

If you think GPS Trackers are the solution your business is looking for then why not get in touch? Track your moveable assets and increase your visibility whilst never losing an asset again! Our friendly team is available to get in touch with via email at team@itemit.com. 

If you want to get started right away then why not register for our free 14-day trial below, if you like what you see with itemit then you may consider purchasing the software to use alongside itemit’s GPS trackers which are available for purchase. Bringing GPS and itemit together to create something powerful. We offer full UK support with all GPS purchases, so we can ensure all your asset tracking needs are met.

Instant access. No credit card details required.

or, download the itemit app to get started