Trackers: Big Brother or Big Country?

Over the last few years I have experimented and researched the use of trackers for training and supervising young people on D of E expeditions. I started off with SMS trackers which rely on a mobile phone signal and moved on to satellite trackers using the sat phone network.

Do they work? - They all work but there are limitations to all of them.

SMS proved too unreliable for wild country expeditions as you could easily go a day without coverage but were very useful in bronze terrain where you could almost guarantee reception. The ones I used had the advantage that you could dial them and speak to the young people if they heard them ring. They also had a dial out option to a fixed number, or numbers which they could use to contact me. They had an SOS button which would send a text giving co-ordinates. Unfortunately these come last, long so need converting to grids. The battery life was only 1 day, they then needed recharging like a mobile phone.

Satellites were initially a pain to use as they were tracked through the company website (Spot). This was the weak link as it gave you a google map position, no good in Cumbria! It also gave you a lat, long reference which needed converting. After using them for a year with this system I decided to go for the Quo mapping system with the tracker add on, this allows you to plot routes like memory map etc. but also to follow them on the map using the trackers. Limitations here are obvious, the person doing the tracking needs an internet connection! Batteries last for 10 days.

All things considered, I went for a decent investment in the Spot 2 trackers using Quo mapping by MAPYX.

The trackers are around £130 to buy.  The annual licence is about the same, per tracker! The software is relatively cheap, around £500.

Are they worth it?

Summer 2012, a typical wet and windy day in Eskdale. My phone beeps at around 13:00 as I am heading up towards three tarns from Langdale side, SOS 999 called. 5 seconds later my walkie-talkie goes, colleague based in Stickle Barn using WIFI gives same message. 2 minutes later phone rings, North American crisis management centre want to know if we need the helicopter!

I have staff already in the area so radio them to attend to grid reference given by tracker, they expect 15 minutes to meet group. I continue to Three Tarns and set up the group shelter and wait. Phone rings - RAF Kinloss, do you want us to fly? They leave me the pilot's mobile number and are happy to wait for more info. Staff member finds the group. Pupil has fallen and cut his head, initially vomiting and very groggy. Now better but still not great. Staff member assessment is rest, warm, walk out. Phone Kinloss and thank them, "no problem".

Proof that it works anyway!

Summer 2013, great weather in Cumbria. Staff have very limited contact with all groups without ever being far away, just in case. Assessor writes to me after expedition and makes specific reference to the "freedom and ownership" given to the pupils on this expedition. The trackers allowed us to supervise from a distance but maintain a control that even the most nervous parents would be happy with. The stress of managing 6 groups in wild country at the same time was minimal and the enjoyment maximum.

Trackers used in training are fantastic for reviewing routes followed against routes planned. Pupils are excited to see how they compare and buy into the trackers and what they offer.

Large numbers can also be managed with significantly less diesel miles and significantly less sitting around waiting. We took 17 bronze groups into the Peak District on the same weekend. Stress free and fun, you wouldn't believe it unless you were there!

I think they are well worth the money. At a time when volunteers are harder and harder to find in schools, their introduction has allowed me to retain staff at supervisor level who were finding the stresses and strains too much. I use less vehicles and cover considerably less miles. They need to be used as a support, not a substitute, for competent staff but make deployment much more effective, especially when used with radios for communication.