MalaysiaGIS.com

Source: The Star

The Star Tracker SF3100-1 uses the Global Positioning System (GPS) and the GSM network to provide information on a vehicle's location to computer servers that can then be interrogated over the web to enable the user to track his vehicle.

"This is the beginning of great things," Atmic World Sdn Bhd director Michael Lam said after the recent launch of the product.

"This product is proudly Malaysian made as we wrote the programme and the electronics. The map that the product runs on is supplied by Navi & Map, which are Malaysia's mapping experts. Most of our customers are satisfied with our product and the effectiveness of this product is proven," he added.

"Although GPS/GSM based vehicle-tracking systems already exists in the market, most of them require the use of a call centre that performs the monitoring," Lam said during the launch.

"There's also the possibility of not being able to find the vehicle when brought indoors like a warehouse or car park where there is no GPS signals. Then there's also the possibility of it being dismantled," he said.

"With this new system, the owners do the real-time monitoring themselves over the web at anytime 24/7.

"Using GPRS, the Star Tracker systems sends location information conti-nuously back to the servers where a history of the vehicle's location is built and maintained. So even when the vehicle is dismantled, its last location before transmission stops is known."

It is believed to be the first in Malaysia and possibly the whole world. "We should be proud," Cybron chief executive officer's special assistant Azmi Abdul Aziz, whose company helped to manufacture the Starfish.

"It is our first home-grown product that did not depend on other country's technology. It's fully home grown."

Their target audiences are currently small fleets and the first to use Star Tracker for its fleet management and services is the KL Hop-On Hop-Off City Tour bus services.

However, due to the market demand, they're extending their product to the general consumer market.

The device is fixed to a car's power source and the owner can immobilise the car if it's being stolen through a simple SMS, which the device will then disconnect the fuel valve.

To reconnect the valve, just send another SMS. The car can be tracked even if it's driven to Thailand as the fuel valve can be disconnected when the car is at any part of the world.

The device is affordable, as customers only need to pay a RM3,500 for the tracking unit, installation and three-year map access. To access the maps after that, a yearly fee of not more than RM150 will be charged.

For the device to come with a battery it will cost more and the battery will last two to seven hours.

For more details, visit www.my-Starfish.com