“It’s 10:00 p.m… Do you know where your children are?”

Thomas Gregory was, among other things, a news anchor. In the mid-1960’s, he coined that famous phrase at the beginning of his newscast and, although he passed away in 2006, it still opens every newscast today. At the time when Mr. Gregory first proposed that question, it was likely that the answer from many parents would have simply been “No.” Lifestyles were different then. Things seemed simpler, at least in retrospect. When children wanted to see their friends, they walked to their home or rode their bicycles or met in an agreed-upon location like a park or favorite corner store. Parents knew their children’s friends and, more often than not, they also knew the friends’ parents and siblings. Human nature dictates that children still tried to circumvent curfews and rules but the climate in regards to their safety was less worrisome.

Today, stories of abductions, pedophilia and other crimes against children appear regularly in the media. Sadly, this fosters panic among parents and results in a need for almost constant contact. Parents experience emotional turmoil over such “firsts” as letting their child ride their bike all the way around the block alone for the time or giving permission to walk to a friend’s house unaccompanied. Compound this as those same children age and attend school farther from home or the immediate community or simply acquire a driver’s license. Freedom for young people unfortunately creates a great deal of fear for their parents.

To this end, today’s families may look to technology to assuage some of their worries and insecurities in regards to the safety of their children. It may start with a “nanny cam” to keep a watchful eye on early child care providers. It progresses to a child’s first cell phone – some with just big, kid-friendly buttons pre-programmed to call Mom, Dad or 9-1-1. Then, as those children grow and become independently mobile, a new technology emerges – GPS tracking.

Parents of young children may find security in a locator system such as that offered by ionKids. This system consists of a handheld “base” for the parent and wrist bracelets to be worn by the children. The base can monitor up to four wrist bracelets simultaneously. Each bracelet is on a different frequency and there is no use of cellular signal so the system is intended to work well indoors (such as at the grocery store or the mall) with no lapse in service. The bracelets are designed to be tamper-resistant and require a key to operate the locking mechanism. They also set off a beeping signal when the child moves out of range of the base (purported to be up to 350 feet indoors and up to 200 feet outdoors). Such technology can go far to alleviate the panic that ensues when a child moves out of view in a public setting.

Another heralded option is the Amber Alert GPS. This system requires that the parent has a web-enabled cell phone. The GPS unit can be placed in a younger child’s backpack or attached to a wrist or ankle. With older children and teens, it can be carried in a purse, pocket or even in the car. The parent calls or text messages the GPS unit and, within a few short seconds, receives a text message back with its exact location. The address and map can then be viewed either on the phone or on a computer. Of further comfort to parents will be the SOS button on the GPS unit. If the child is in a dangerous situation or has any kind of emergency, they simply press and hold the button. Parents pre-program the unit with the coordinates of five trusted individuals and all of them will receive text and email notifications every five minutes until the situation is resolved. With certain subscription plans, the Amber Alert GPS also offers what is known as “bread crumbing.” In this case, the unit will send regular messages to the parent, on a schedule that they determine, keeping them posted on their child’s whereabouts throughout the day or evening – without them having to call or text a request.

While some (particularly older teens fighting to establish their independence and freedom) will balk at GPS tracking, it is a technology that offers parents a large dose of peace of mind – and gives them the confidence to answer Mr. Gregory’s famous question with a resounding and informed “YES, I do!”

When Christopher Columbus first set sail on his voyages, there was little to help him navigate his way around the seven seas. While the compass was first invented to help improve navigation on the sea, there was nothing really out there to help with directions and navigation on the road.

All this has changed since the first global positioning system (GPS) came into existence. Instead of using magnets that helped track latitudes and longitudes in compasses, GPS use signals from satellites to guide travelers on sea and road. More popularly known as satellite navigation, or SatNav in short, these devices are available as automatic standalone pieces that can be fixed to an automobile or motorcycle, and can even be carried around when walking to a destination.

SatNavs these days can plot your position on a monitor, warn you of traffic congestion zones, and speed cameras, in real time. A few manufacturers have claimed to have pioneered the first SatNavs for use by the general public. Among these are Mitsubishi Inc, Honda, Alpine and Pioneer. In the U.S, a company named Magellan is said to have introduced the first GPS devices for use in automobiles.

The display on these devices is usually three-dimensional and the user can get a top aerial view of the road he is traveling on. What makes it really handsfree are the voice prompts which enable the driver to focus on the road while listening to the instructions from the SatNav device. The names of streets and door numbers of houses appear on the monitor as the driver passes by them. Many of the devices feature additional information such as parking areas, restrooms, restaurants, and fuel stations. Places of interest and entertainment areas are also often featured as part of the package.

Updates for these devices are often available online on the internet, so all that a user has to do is to connect the device through a USB (Universal Serial Bus) connection to his computer and download updates. Maps are frequently updated by the global positioning companies on their websites and this and other traffic and road related data are made available to the users.

Vital to the functioning of these devices are global positioning signals from satellites. Without these signals, you are as good as lost with a device that can’t show you the directions. The liquid crystal display monitor is so lucid and is high on clarity that the device can be used to broadcast DVD and television programs. The mp3 feature is another feature for in-car entertainment. More recent models of SatNavs can be connected to your mobile phone and you can set them up for hands-free talking.

All portable SatNav systems these days come kitted with a power adapter, USB cable for connecting to your computer, car charger, bracket for mounting the device in your car, and a secure digital card with preloaded maps of a country or continent, based on your purchase, and CD-rom discs of navigation software applicable to your SatNav device. In today’s day and age, few drivers venture out to faraway locations without this very useful and portable device.