Introduction:

At the heart of Azuga’s fleet management platform is Global Positioning System data or “GPS data”.  Many talented people have worked long and hard over the course of more than fifty years to make this technology reliable and accurate.  That is probably why the technology has become so commonplace today, in fact it was estimated that there were 6.5 billion GPS-enabled devices operating worldwide in 2021.

This article will discuss the GPS technology used in Azuga products and the measures that Azuga and its suppliers take to ensure a reliable, consistent experience for our users.

How does GPS work?:

GPS is a system of more than 30 navigation satellites orbiting Earth that send out signals describing their location and the time at which each signal was sent.  GPS receivers listen for these signals and once a receiver has four or more GPS satellite “fixes”, it can determine its location with amazing precision.  By comparing changes to known locations over time, a GPS receiver can compute the speed and direction of travel if it is in motion. 

Accuracy of GPS:

The quality and reliability of GPS data can vary based on a number of factors, so accuracy is measured by a confidence interval expressed as a percentage.  Rigorous testing has shown that GPS locations are typically accurate to within 2 meters (6.5 feet) anywhere on the planet 95% of the time and 3 meters (less than 10 feet) 99% of the time. 

You can see a lot more data on this topic in the annual report published by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Azuga collaborates with our hardware suppliers and other data partners to ensure that any GPS locations reported on our platform meet these levels of accuracy or better. For more information on a specific device, please contact customercare@azuga.com.

Causes and Mitigation of GPS Errors:

As with any technology, GPS does have some limitations.  GPS errors can impact the accuracy of the location that is reported, but luckily the causes are well understood and measures can be taken to reduce errors or eliminate bad data.  

Common causes of GPS error and how Azuga takes steps to address them:

  • Marginal satellite coverage - Situations do occur where there are not enough satellites visible to the GPS receiver or the position of those satellites in the sky makes calculating position difficult.  Luckily, GPS receivers have been designed to detect, measure, and report these conditions (known as “Dilution of Precision” or DOP) so that the person or software that relies on those reports can decide whether or not to use them for a given purpose.  Azuga’s data pipeline has been designed to filter out any GPS readings that do not meet our standards for quality.
  • Obstructions - large masses like mountains and buildings or other objects that obscure the sky like trees or a roof can block or deflect GPS signals.  In these cases (similar to the last example) the GPS receiver will report an error or otherwise indicate that a location fix is of questionable quality so it may be treated appropriately.
  • Issues with the GPS device itself - in the case that the GPS receiver fails to report any updates or is consistently reporting bad data, Azuga has a system for detecting these conditions so we may work with our customers to repair or replace the device, right away.
  • Artificial signal obstruction (GPS Jamming) and other intentional tampering - In rare cases, bad actors have tampered with or disabled GPS devices.  Similar to defective hardware, Azuga has systems in place for identifying these cases so they may be resolved.  In the case of device removal or tampering there are other measures that can be taken to reduce risk like installing or hiding the device in a part of the vehicle that is not visible or difficult to access.  The use of factory-fit telematics hardware to collect the GPS data is another common solution that Azuga can support.

If you have more questions or are experiencing issues with GPS accuracy please contact customercare@azuga.com.