GPS Asset Tracking 101

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What is GPS asset tracking?

GPS asset tracking is a system that uses Global Positioning System (GPS) technology to monitor and manage the location and movement of physical assets, such as vehicles, equipment, or containers, in real-time, offering enhanced security and operational efficiency.

Whether you’re in fleet management, construction, logistics, or agriculture, knowing where your assets are—and how they’re being used—helps reduce loss, optimize operations, and lower costs.

How do Asset Trackers Work?

Asset trackers use GPS technology to monitor the real-time location and movement of assets such as equipment, vehicles, and valuable items. A compact GPS device is discreetly installed on the asset, allowing for covert tracking. These trackers receive signals from GPS satellites and transmit location data over cellular or LoRaWAN networks, enabling remote monitoring and improved asset security.

Devices can feature motion detection, adaptive tracking, and geofencing, ensuring efficient power management while providing accurate location updates. Whether for tracking vehicles/fleet management, construction equipment, or high-value shipments, these trackers offer a reliable solution to enhance security and operational efficiency.

Benefits of GPS Asset Tracking

Why GPS Asset Tracking Matters

GPS asset tracking protects, optimizes, and streamlines operations, ensuring better security, efficiency, and cost savings.

Prevent Theft & Loss – Protect your assets with real-time tracking and instant alerts. If an asset is moved unexpectedly, you can take immediate action to prevent theft or recover stolen equipment faster, minimizing downtime and losses.
Maximize Asset Utilization – Stop wasting money on underutilized assets. GPS tracking helps you monitor asset usage patterns so you can allocate resources more effectively, reduce idle time, and ensure equipment is where it’s needed most.
Cut Operational Costs – GPS tracking allows for proactive maintenance scheduling, preventing costly breakdowns and extending asset lifespan. By monitoring usage hours, fuel consumption, and wear-and-tear, businesses can reduce maintenance costs and increase ROI.
Enhance Compliance & Safety – Many industries require strict regulatory compliance for asset tracking, especially in logistics, construction, and cold chain transport. GPS tracking ensures that assets are monitored, documented, and properly maintained, helping businesses avoid fines and meet safety standards.

GPS Asset Tracking Applications

Discover how organizations use GPS tracking to enhance security, efficiency, and compliance.

Agriculture

Maximize productivity and sustainability with real-time GPS tracking and IoT agriculture sensors. Monitor farm equipment, livestock, and environmental conditions with precision.

Learn More About IoT Agriculture Sensors

Bicycle Tracking

Protect and recover high-value bicycles with real-time GPS tracking for bikes. Monitor trip history, usage patterns, and optimize fleet performance with long-life tracking devices.

Learn More About Bicycle GPS Trackers

Bin Tracking

Track mobile and stationary bins with battery-powered GPS devices. Gain real-time location insights and improve asset utilization across worksites and transit routes.

Explore GPS Bin Tracking Solutions

Cold Chain Monitoring

Ensure temperature-sensitive goods remain compliant with GPS tracking and cold chain monitoring. Get real-time visibility, alerts, and historical trip data to protect your cold assets.

See Cold Chain GPS Monitoring Devices

Container Tracking

Improve supply chain efficiency with GPS container tracking. Monitor asset movement, prevent loss, and streamline global logistics with flexible, low-power tracking hardware.

Discover GPS Container Tracking

Equipment & Tool Tracking

Prevent equipment and tool misplacement or theft while optimizing utilization with rugged, battery-powered GPS devices. Ideal for construction, industrial, and rental applications, our solutions simplify tool tracking and asset management across job sites.

Explore Equipment Tracking Solutions

Fleet Management

Gain full visibility into vehicle location, utilization, driver behavior, and more. Our GPS fleet tracking devices help businesses optimize fleet operations, reduce fuel costs, and ensure driver safety

Explore GPS Fleet Tracking

Medical Equipment Tracking

Ensure critical medical equipment is always where it’s needed. Our solutions offer real-time indoor/outdoor tracking with temperature monitoring to meet healthcare compliance.

See Medical Equipment Tracking Solutions

Livestock Tracking

Enhance livestock security, prevent loss, and improve herd management with GPS livestock tracking devices. Monitor movement patterns and location history remotely.

Discover Livestock Tracking Solutions

Pallet Tracking

Track and analyze pallets indoors and outdoors across warehouses, yards, and supply chains with GPS tracking devices.

Learn More About GPS Pallet Tracking

Tool Tracking

Track and secure high-value tools with rugged GPS tracking devices. Monitor location, usage, and movement in real time to prevent loss, optimize operations, and support theft recovery.

Learn More About GPS Tool Tracking

Mining, Oil, and Gas

Monitor and protect high-value assets in remote, rugged environments. Our GPS tracking solutions ensure reliability in extreme conditions.

See Mining & Oil GPS Solutions

Vehicle Tracking

Improve theft prevention and recovery with real-time vehicle GPS tracking. Get instant alerts for unauthorized movement, speed monitoring, and geofence violations.

Learn More About Vehicle GPS Tracking

Waste Management

Track waste bins, dumpsters, and portable sanitation units with long-life battery-powered GPS trackers, improving collection efficiency and reducing theft.

Explore Waste Management Tracking

IoT in Aviation

Track and manage aviation assets with GPS and IoT tracking solutions. Ideal for ground equipment, cargo logistics, and aircraft maintenance operations.

Learn More About Aviation Asset Tracking

GPS Asset Tracking Use Cases

Mitigating Cargo Theft with GPS Tracking Solutions

In the first 20 weeks of 2023, CargoNet reported over 900 theft and fraud incidents within the U.S. supply chain – a 41% increase from 2022.

By leveraging advanced GPS asset tracking solutions, logistics companies are significantly improving the security of their cargo shipments, deterring theft attempts, and responding swiftly in case of any unauthorized activities.

How GPS asset tracking devices help improve security and reduce theft:

Real-Time Location Monitoring: GPS trackers provide precise, real-time location updates, enabling logistics teams and law enforcement to monitor cargo at every step. In the event of unauthorized movement, trackers can pinpoint exact locations, accelerating recovery efforts.

Actionable Alerts and Notifications: Trackers can send instant alerts when assets are moved unexpectedly or tampered with. These alerts—delivered via email, SMS, or in-app notifications—enable rapid intervention and loss prevention.

Learn more about smarter solutions for cargo tracking.

Critical Aircraft Part Tracking and Condition Monitoring with IoT

As a result of COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of high-value aircraft parts was forced to leave critical assets unattended for several weeks in an uncontrolled environment. Due to high humidity levels, the critical aircraft parts corroded and were unusable, resulting in a substantial (hundreds of millions of dollars) financial loss for the company and its aviation partners.

To improve visibility in their supply chain, in 2021 the manufacturer selected Digital Matter’s Oyster Edge.to track and monitor the location and condition of thousands of their critical aircraft assets as they move globally through production, storage, and delivery.

By providing essential visibility of critical high-value assets in transit, the Oyster Edge allowed the manufacturer to authenticate the location of goods at any time, track speed of movement and arrival times, monitor storage conditions, and streamline the problematic movement of goods. Over time, this will save the manufacturer hundreds of millions of dollars in lost or damaged assets.

Learn more about GPS trackers can enable complete visibility over your entire supply chain.

Articles on GPS Asset Tracking

Stay up to date with the latest trends, insights, and innovation related to GPS asset tracking.

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IoT Asset Tracking Technologies: Core vs Edge vs Fusion vs GPS

Compare Core, Edge, Fusion, & GPS tracking devices to find the best solution for indoor-outdoor, or outdoor-only tracking needs.

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Indoor Asset Tracking

Discover how our indoor asset tracking and WiFi Positioning systems protect essential assets to improve efficiency and, reduce loss.

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Hospital Asset Tracking

Discover how our hospital asset tracking systems protect essential assets to improve efficiency, reduce loss, and support patient and staff.

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4G and 5G GPS Trackers - Cellular IoT in GPS Asset Tracking

Elevate Asset Tracking with our 4G & 5G GPS Tracker on Cellular IoT Networks. Get Connected Today!

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WiFi Asset Tracking

Discover how our Wi-Fi GPS tracker enhances asset tracking with seamless indoor/outdoor location accuracy, combining GPS and Wi-Fi technology.

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Comparing GPS Asset Tracking Hardware for Rental Fleets

Discover how rental fleet operators enhance efficiency for trucks, trailers, cars, and high-value rentals using GPS tracking technology.

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Understanding 4G Cat 1bis and 2G Fallback in Global IoT Asset Tracking

LTE Cat 1bis is seeing a resurgence in IoT devices around the world, and it brings a lot of advantages with it.

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NB-IoT for Mobile Asset Tracking

Find out how NB-IoT is a suitable solution for mobile asset tracking contrary to previous assumptions that it is only suited for stationary asset tracking.

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