letting others know where you are - location tracking

see also:

• navigation management for hikers
• risk management when camping
• photography and camping main index page

• all campers and hikers should let someone they trust know where they are going and when they are expected to return (do not put this info on social media until you have returned!)
• many overnight hiking trails require you to log your details in a book at the start of the trail
• purchasing food and petrol on your credit card can also signal to your family your recent locations although they would need access to your credit card online account
• now that we all have mobile devices, we can set up automatic location tracking to allow trusted friends or family see on a map where the device was last used when it was turned on, and this may also help if you happen to lose your device

• this is perhaps the easiest to set up
• just go onto Google Maps app on your device, go to settings and select Location sharing
  • you can set a share with someone for the next 1 hour or “until you turn this off”
  • you then choose a contact to share your location and you can then also email someone else that link
  • the user can not only see your device's location on Google Maps but it also displays the battery charge level of the device which is very handy!
  • unfortunately you cannot get notified when that person is actually checking your location
• you will need to ensure your phone's location sharing settings is set to allow Google Maps to access it ALWAYS (not just when using Google Maps app) if you want this to be automatic and not relying on you running Google Maps.

• this is only useful if either it is accessed from another device on THAT account, or the user logs into your account's iCloud online, or you have set up a location share with that person
• it displays last location, battery charge and allows you to play a sound on that device so you can find it (requires that device to be turned on and accessing the internet)
• unfortunately you cannot get notified when that person is actually checking your location

• eg. Whatsapp, etc

• see remote communication for campers and hikers

• the GME XRS location services of GME XRS CB radios allows sending your GPS to your colleague with a GME XRS so if you get separated you can more easily find each other without needing mobile services - but you will need each device connected by Bluetooth to a smartphone or similar with their XRS Connect app installed and maps previously downloaded.
• obviously you will need to be in radio range of each other for this to work and the batteries need to have charge
• https://www.gme.net.au/au/hand-held-radios/xrs-660/

• these usually rely on you sending a signal or txt message to your friends or family (or in some cases to emergency services)
• you will need to be able to direct your device to the satellite
• satellite communicators (txt only)
  • Zoleo
  • Garmin
  • the latest iPhones (iPhone 14 and later) have an emergency satellite capability
  • see remote communication for campers and hikers
• satellite phones
  • have been very handy for remote travelers but are quite expensive and now being replaced satellite communicators and now by smartphones with emergency txt capability
• satellite internet devices
  • these would allow your mobile device to connect to the internet and allow location tracking as well as normal phone use
  • eg. Starlink relatively expensive but probably much better value and versatility than a satellite phone

• EPIRBs and PLBs allow you to send radio beacon signals to emergency services to let them know you are lost or incapacitated and help them find you - although this can take many hours
• these devices may be illegal in some countries
• they are legal if registered in Australia
  • see https://beacons.amsa.gov.au/

• Do not turn off your distress beacon until advised by rescue services and ensure aerial is vertical, in a clear and open area away from trees, etc
  • if possible avoid being in a valley
• the beacon will send your approximate location to the emergency services via:
  • EPIRBs and PLBs emit a digital 406 MHz distress signal, containing a unique 15-digit HexID beacon identifier, to the international Cospas-Sarsat Satellite System
  • the Signal is forwarded to the nearest local user terminal (LUT) ground station within minutes
  • the alert is then processed by the nearest mission control centre (MCC) and forwarded to the rescue coordination centre (RCC)
  • if validated, RCC begins to arrange search and rescue operation
  • the beacon registration details at AMSA are provided to the RCC in the country in which the beacon is both activated and registered
  • if your beacon is registered, AMSA Search and Rescue will ring your emergency contacts immediately for information regarding your whereabouts
  • if the beacon has GPS location capability then the time to provide location and alert is up to 20minutes with a location accuracy of 120m
  • if the beacon does not have GPS location capability then the time to provide location and alert is 1.5-5hrs with a location accuracy of 5km
  • weather, terrain and accessibility of your location may further delay searches
  • in general you should expect at least a few hours before a search and rescue team arrive in your vicinity
  • it is thus important that you have first aid (eg. snake bite bandages) and survival gear (warm dry clothes, ability to light a fire, etc) with you

• each year about 35,000 people are reported missing in Australia, but only a fraction of those cases trigger a physical search
• an average of about 10 searches begin every day around the country, with about 97 per cent of people found alive ¹⁾
• in each case, a form called a search urgency assessment is completed to determine the response required.
  • it captures risk factors such as the person's age, mental state, access to equipment, and the weather and terrain they are facing
  • one of the biggest challenges for search-and-rescue operations is when the person's last known location is unclear because it means they could be thousands of kilometres away, requiring an unrealistic search radius, this is particularly the case when the person is living an itinerant lifestyle - in this case a search effort may be minimal pending further information
  • if a reasonably defined search area is available and it appears time critical, then police may arrange an intense search and rescue effort