The same high-tech GPS tracking technology that’s used to monitor the movement of Super Bowl athletes on their buses is being employed during the 2010 Games to keep track of VIPs and equipment.
“It really is some high-tech stuff,” said Jerry Hunter, founder and CEO of Oklahoma-based U.S. Fleet Tracking, adding the technology is like something out of a Bourne movie.
Hunter said his company’s tracking devices monitor the exact location of anyone or anything deemed necessary, be it an equipment bag, a team bus, limousines transporting dignitaries, or elected officials and personnel.
“(They’re) using us to make sure vehicles are where they’re supposed to be, when they’re supposed to be (there), and to co-ordinate the movement of personnel and materials,” he said.
A team of around six people will closely monitor the movements of each “major asset” on 52-inch LCD screens delivering aerial maps with vehicle markers moving in real time.
Hunter said U.S. Fleet’s services are in high demand during elite sporting events like the Pro Bowl and World Equestrian Games.
“At the Super Bowl, you’ve got a couple million dollars worth of athletes on buses, you want to know where those buses are at all times,” he said. “The safety and security of athletes and personnel are our highest priority.”
