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May 01, 2006
Where's Tim? Tracking Tim in Google Earth
There's a popular web site called "Where's Tim?" which follows the places a guy named Tim Hibbard is going: live in Google Earth or Google Maps. Tim is using a phone with GPS. As he moves he leaves a trail of where he's been, or you can load a history for a given day. Some people wouldn't like this kind of scrutiny. But, Tim works for a company called EnGraph which sells GPS tracking software. So, it is good marketing for his employer.
Tim also has had a simple "Fly To with Google Earth" which shows a placemark of his current location on the satellite photos in GE. I sent him some E-mails and suggested he try using a GE network link to follow him interactively, and I suggested he allow history paths to be shown in Google Earth as well. He has already implemented both.
Here is the Where's Tim GE network link 
(he comments here) which updates once every 15 seconds. If you click on the Placemark you get his location and current speed (if he is moving).
If you are on the Where's Tim main page, you will see a place to enter a date to "Get History" on the lower left. After you enter a date and hit "Go" you get an option below the date to "View History in Google Earth". This will load his track for a given date. Here's today's path for example. By the way, Tim is kind of easy to find because he lives and works in Lawrence, Kansas - the default location Google Earth starts with. via GoogleMapsMania which also links to another person being tracked with Google Maps.
Related:
- GPS Flight Logs
- magnalox - GPS track visualizations with many mapping tools
- GPSvisualizer - Power set of free tools for GPS visuallzation
- Ski Alta - GPS tracks of ski trip in Google Earth
Posted by FrankTaylor at May 1, 2006 07:12 AM
Comments
Posted by: Mike at May 1, 2006 11:36 AM
Awesome Where's Waldo hack!!
Posted by: Tom at May 1, 2006 05:34 PM
I believe such a technology is here today. However, I wonder how much is the cost of having such a service will be?
Moreover, who would want to be tracked by another, especially when it concerns personal privacy.
Posted by: Keith at May 1, 2006 06:48 PM
If many people register with such a tracking service, choose to make their location public, and this info is combined with the recent release of sketchup free by google, we can pretty soon have a good approximation of Real-life Sims(tm). Dave - http://www.commentsovernews.com
Posted by: David Sterry at May 1, 2006 06:52 PM
Pretty cool, but not perfect advertising.....I mean it shows he drove off the road.....Maybe he did :)
Posted by: some guy at May 1, 2006 07:28 PM
Google has laid the ground work for the new world and given us the tools to detail our own surroundings. They just need to add the spark of life to the environment, and that will come when they harness the countless unused GPS chips in phones. A year ago they bought the talent (AKA a company) to produce such a spark - http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/aug2005/tc20050817_0949_tc024.htm
Posted by: Jonathan B. at May 1, 2006 10:06 PM
"I believe such a technology is here today. However, I wonder how much is the cost of having such a service will be?"
Maybe a little off topic but here is a prepaid service similar to what Tim is doing here. This service runs $6.00 dollars/month
Posted by: John Annis at May 2, 2006 12:13 AM
Yet another reason to NOT have a cell phone.......I can understand having a GPS chip in a cell phone, but the owner should have the option of turning the darn thing off, should he desire to do so.
This is so Orwellian it makes me shudder. The ability to track someone, unbeknownst, and from the other side of the planet, no less, reminds of the audio and video recording devices, used in "1984", that were everywhere, even in the far woods and fields, allowing the government to track any "citizen" (ie., slave, really). I hope that people realize what they are getting themselves into by just shrugging their shoulders with an "oh, well", and not fighting this type of intrusion into their privacy.
Count me out......
Posted by: Incognito In Indiana at May 4, 2006 01:14 PM
Incongito in Indiana,
You do have the option of turning it off. In every CDMA cell phone that has GPS, there is a menu option with three settings: 1) Disable location information, 2) Enable location information for emergency calls only (i.e. 911), and 3) Enable location information for all calls.
If you find it scary and Orwellian, turn it off, or at least turn it so only 911 operators can see where you are.
Posted by: Jackal at May 21, 2006 05:36 PM
How can I disable a nextel cell phone company tracking feature?
Posted by: alex at December 21, 2006 02:20 AM
Well all I have to say is that if you get kidnapped by someone it would be nice to have someone able to track your ass before someone rapes it ... thats just my opinion...
Posted by: Jakc at February 18, 2008 04:21 PM
Does anyone know how to do a online GPS (like Google maps) location search using cell towers.
Posted by: Joe at April 30, 2008 05:45 PM
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Very interesting. I am guessing that parents will be tracking their teenagers this way soon. Is that spying on your kids?