GPS Tracking
During Landy Rally 2007, Team Remember Chernobyl ran a realtime GPS tracking system tied to Google Maps and Google Earth.The 2007 Google Earth tracking data is still available online at this address (Google Earth must be installed to see the data).
For Landy Rally 2008, the team hopes to run a new tracking system on the two team vehicles and also four GPS loggers on other teams vehicles.
What's new on the Remember Chernobyl vehicles
Where the 2007 system sent data every 20 or so seconds, irrespective of speed and course, the new system understands the GPS data better, so on the twisty mountain roads can provide more data, while on long motorway sections provides less detail. This will hopefully reduce the number of 'cut corners' that appeared on the 2007 maps, and make the files smaller. The new system will also be more aware of its internet connection, so where terrain and phone companies meant we were unable to send data in the past, we will store the data and send it as soon as we have a viable internet connection. This should mean the route across Switzerland is shown, even though it isn't updated in realtime.
What about these other four vehicles?
We're currently working on producing four tracking units to be fitted to other vehicles. These units consist of a GPS receiver and aerial, micro-processor, memory and a radio modem. Each unit will be about 100x150x40mm, and just needs a connection to the vehicles main battery. It will then monitor its GPS location, and when moving, store the location at 1 minute intervals.
When not moving, each 'brick' will turn on its built in radio modem, and listen for a signal transmitted by one of the Team Remember Chernobyl vehicles.
Each night, at the camp site, the four remote units will connect to one of our vehicles computers and download its days logs, ready to be posted to the internet. If they happen to be parked within range during the day, then the data will be transfered then, too.
The point of this is to show the individual routes taken by teams or convoys, and also provide a route that people can follow from home during and after the event.
Hopefully the four units will all end up on vehicles taking different routes, rather than in the same convoy, and may be swapped between teams during the rally.