device installed within or on a vehicle to enable the owner or a third party to track the vehicle's location, speed, direction and disposition. GPS auto tracker systems use Global Positioning System (GPS) modules located within the electronic device for accurate location of the vehicle. Many systems also combine a communications component such as cellular or satellite transmitters to communicate the vehicles location. speed and direction to a remote user. The GPS auto tracker information is then viewed on electronic maps via the Internet or on your computer.

The shipping industry is the largest user of GPSauto tracker systems. Many large shipping companies with large fleets of vehicles needed a system to determine the location of each vehicle was at any given time. These GPS fleet tracking systems save money and increase productivity. GPS auto tracker systems are becoming more common and can  be found in consumers vehicles as driver surveilance and performance units as well as vehicle theft and retrieval devices. Police can follow the signal emitted by the tracking system to locate a stolen vehicle. In addition parents can determine if their sons or daughters are driving in a responsible manner. In addition there is also a new line of GPS Auto Tracker systems that are used to keep track of a childs where abouts even if they are out of the vehicle.

GPS auto tracker systems are now using a type of automatic vehicle location (AVL) to allow for easy location of the vehicle. The GPS satellite system was built and is maintained by government and is available at no cost to civilians. This makes this technology very inexpensive. Other older AVL systems do not require the antenna to be in direct line of sight with the sky. Older ground based systems such as LORAN and LoJack tracking units use radio frequency (RF) transmitters which will transmit through walls, garages, or buildings. Police vehicles around the world have a form of AVL tracking as standard equipment in their units.

Standard GPS auto tracker systems charge the user a monthly fee for a package that includes the GPS tracking devices, GPS tracking software, mapping as part of the tracking service. Passive GPS auto tracker units are paid for upon installation and will continue to work for the life of the vehicle. Active GPS auto tracker systems as well as the ground based cell phone and Loran systems provide real time data. A commercial fleet manager may want 5 minute updates, telling whether a vehicle is on route or off, engine status, brake status, container status as well as vehicle speed and direction.

Newer smaller and more efficient GPS auto tracker units are becoming available to the consumer market. many of these devices are now being used as GPS personal tracking devices. The bottom line is that it will be just a matter of time before every vehicle on the road will have the hardware necessary for GPS Auto Tracker Systems.