Globalstar Europe Satellite Services, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Globalstar, has announced that specialist value-added reseller Traksat has deployed more than 1,200 Globalstar-enabled safety and tracking devices for humanitarian organisations internationally
The NGO Humanity & Inclusion (HI) is deploying SPOT Gen3 satellite messengers and SmartOne Solar IoT tracking devices to protect relief workers and support operations in several African countries as well as in South America. The International Rescue Committee, rescue.org, based in New York, uses SPOT Gen3s in a number of African countries to protect and track relief workers. Similarly, ACTED uses SPOT Gen3s in Niger.
Over the last 12 months, the number of Traksat-provided Globalstar devices used to support humanitarian efforts has doubled.
In Traksat’s longest-standing project, more than 250 Globalstar satellite technology-enabled devices provide security to staff and support vehicle management for humanitarian workers in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Central African Republic (CAR), Chad, Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, as well as in Colombia.
The Nobel Prize winner HI (formerly known as Handicap International) is an independent organisation that operates in situations of poverty and exclusion, conflict and disaster, supporting disabled and vulnerable people to meet their basic needs, improving living conditions and promoting respect for their dignity and fundamental rights.
“Globalstar technology and expert support from Traksat together play a big part in helping us meet our security and fleet management challenges,” said Emmanuel Bertolus, logistics manager at Humanity & Inclusion. “Our teams work in extremely varied and challenging contexts. Reliable, economic Globalstar technology, together with the wide-ranging expertise and responsiveness of Traksat, help us to consider geolocation as a major operational asset and never as a constraint,” Bertolus added.
By combining Globalstar technology with its fleet of Low-Earth Orbit satellites, the Internet of Things (IoT) and the Traksat platform, NGOs can benefit from a wide range of capabilities to support workers’ safety and other operational requirements.
More than 10 different mapping options can be chosen with Traksat, along with specific map layers with additional live details on traffic, wind, weather and the occurrence of natural disasters.
Geo-fencing options include alerts when two or more trackers are in the same predefined radius or when one tracker is moving away from the other. This is particularly useful for securing a convoy of cars, for example, or for receiving notification when a group of people gathers at the same location. The system may also raise an alert if the user inadvertently travels beyond a predefined area.
“We are extremely proud to work with Traksat to support Humanity and Inclusion’s workers, and those at other NGOs, as they strive to help communities devastated by crises, both natural and man-made,” commented Mark O’Connell, Globalstar EMEA general manager.
