• Most of GPS hiking tracking equipment works independently of cellular coverage. Hence the trackers work even in the farthest regions, freeing you from the regional limitations a mobile carrier might impose on you otherwise.

• Hiking tracker equipment can be paired with tracking solutions employed by local authorities, thus ensuring that you exist in their database and are able to link up with them in case of any problems and request help immediately.

• GPS tracking equipment can also come with weather update integration, so that you can stay informed beforehand and make decisions accordingly. A brewing thunderstorm in the next point of your hiking trail may not really be something you want to experience, and this equipment provides you real time information like that.

• Hiking trackers can be really small and can be designed in conjunction with any of the normal equipment used by hikers, such as watches, shoes, handheld devices etc. This means that the hiker has a wide variety of options to choose from according to his convenience.

• The price of the GPS equipment has come down significantly in recent years, making it affordable to outdoor enthusiasts of all income groups.

• GPS trackers come with preprogrammed options to send out distress signals or reach out to local authorities or friends in case the hiker needs to.

• Hiking GPS equipment can also be used to load maps of the area, and this can be extremely helpful for hikers and outdoor enthusiasts to use a much more dynamic way of locating themselves than a static paper map. It can also provide you an easier platform to store your route map or itinerary and allow you to proceed with your hike with peace of mind.

• The pin point accuracy of the GPS tracker equipment means you can be located swiftly within a few feet of your actual location, if needed.

The Challenges

• The GPS equipment needs to be rugged and terrain-ready because most of the outdoor activities undertaken by adventure enthusiasts are places of extremes. Depending on the activity, the tracker may need the ability to withstand extreme heat or extreme cold or even low/high atmospheric pressure. Moreover, it always needs to be water proof and not just water resistant.

• Public safety regulations need to be framed at least on designated outdoor activity areas, and technology solutions need to be developed for the authorities so that they can keep track of all the hikers in the area through GPS trackers logged into their system. This will enable swifter emergency services in case a need arises, and also facilitates a running mode of communication between the hikers and the local authorities.

The Solution

• Most of modern outdoor trackers are designed to withstand extreme conditions, including exposure to water or pressure variations or temperature extremes. This enables the hiker to be tracked down even in the most adverse of conditions.

• Public infrastructure is being developed to facilitate GPS tracking of hikers, and the proliferation of technology means that anyone with an internet connection can actually track a hiker through the use of a web portal.