Is Satellite the best solution for "Dangerous Cargo"?

A recent History channel show “Modern Marvels: Dangerous Cargo” talked about using satellite technology to track Hazmat cargoes moving around the States. I have both satellite radio in my car and satellite television in my home. While both normally perform fine I find that occasionally, usually in a city or in a heavy foliage area, my satellite radio (in my moving car) will cut out and display “no signal”, and when a storm moves into the line of sight from my home (which doesn’t move) to the satellite signal is lost.

Now consider your fleet management systems for fuel or hazardous materials. Could these signal loss periods lead to “lost” cargoes that need to be tracked? In an August 2004 report, the US DOT stated that:

“Satellite systems, which include GPS, voice and text communications, and other satellite-based functionalities, presently require good satellite coverage and the well known "line-of-sight" condition (i.e., to be effective, they cannot be blocked by thick vegetation, tall buildings, or tunnels). Therefore, vehicles can lose satellite signals in urban areas, underpasses, and, more rarely, areas with a gap in satellite coverage. From a security standpoint, solutions to this inherent problem are challenging since a conservative policy would be to initiate some action whenever there is a loss of signal. An evolving solution is to utilize hybrid systems that automatically switch between satellites and terrestrial systems based on signal strength and availability.”

While the technology is advancing it doesn’t seem ready yet to deliver 100% consistent reliability to tracking of these cargoes.

Ref. http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/safety-security/hazmat/fot/finalrpt/index.htm

Author: Gerry Kirouac