Keeping track of what’s most valuable

Zoombak, whose parent company, the US-based True Position, is specialising in emergency location technology, has brought to the UK market a new format of the GPS – the Personal GPS Locator. It helps to track what’s most important to people – children, pets, elderly relatives, cars, bikes and various types of luggage. Using the satellite-enabled GPS, Zoombak is assisted by land based databases to provide a fast ‘real time and on-demand’ tracking system.
Zoombak is not much larger than a box of matches, and can be carried freely or in a pouch clipped to a desired object. Once the user bought the device (£99.99) and paid a monthly service fee (£9.99) they need to register it online and set a ‘safety zone’ for the object under the surveillance. The ‘safety zone’ can be as small or as large as desired and the Zoombak owner is notified either by email or text when the ‘safety zone’ is breached, eg when the car is stolen and driven away or an elderly relative gets lost on the way to the shops.
The tracking of the chosen object can be done in one of three ways. By logging on to the secure portal, the user can locate their Zoombak’s position on a map – a standard road map or a satellite photo of the location generated by Microsoft Virtual Earth. Secondly, the ‘locating’ could be done through a mobile phone using Zoombak’s chosen name and a unique PIN number. The response will come as a text message. Finally, the location of the Zoombak can be determined by calling the company’s customer services.
Kate Shevack, Zoombak’s president, commented to IER: “Zoombak gives customers piece of mind by allowing them to track what matters most.  What’s unique about Zoombak is the fact that it provides connectivity with customers’ mobile phones or email, and the ability to receive on demand the location of people or objects – twenty four hours a day.”