Frequently Asked Questions

What is TracPlus?

TracPlus is a global tracking service that allows you to keep track of your aircraft, vessels and vehicles, no matter where they are in the world. And if you happen to be on that aircraft, vessel or vehicle, then your friends, family and rescue authorities can keep an watchful eye on you.

How is TracPlus different?

Other tracking services require that you use their proprietary, "one size fits all" tracking terminals, which just doesn't make sense - otherwise we would all have the same cellphone! TracPlus supports an ever increasing range of tracking hardware, so you can pick the terminal that best meets your needs and your budget without compromise.

Who is using TracPlus?

TracPlus is being used by operators throughout New Zealand and Australia, including private and commercial aircraft owners, boating enthusiasts, air rescue helicopter trusts, emergency response services and government authorities.

How does it work?

A tracking terminal is installed on the vehicle to be tracked. Using GPS, the terminal determines its position and then transmits that information on a regular basis via satellite or cellular networks to our high availability server cluster at a secure data centre in Australia.

Using a standard personal computer and our TracPlus application, you can connect to our servers via the Internet to monitor the vehicle/vessel location and status. You can also view the information using GoogleMaps™ and GoogleEarth™, as well as downloading track and status data to your PC for analysis and reporting.

Is my data safe and secure?

We take the security of your data extremely seriously. In accord with best industry practice, we use security measures similar to those used by your online bank. Your data is backed up continuously, and quite simply, we will not publish or disclose your information to any other party, unless you have explicitly granted permission to that party.

What does "Guaranteed 99.999% database server uptime" mean?

TracPlus is the only tracking service to guarantee 99.999% host server uptime, that is, unscheduled outages on our database servers will total no more than 6 minutes per year, giving you maximum peace of mind.

We guarantee that the TracPlus database server will have an uptime availability of 99.999%. Of course, access to the Internet and the correct functioning of your equipment (PC, phone-line, power connection, etc) are integral to using of TracPlus, but necessarily lie outside our uptime guarantee. Please refer to our terms and conditions for additional information.

Can TracPlus be used instead of ELT or EPERB?

TracPlus is complementary to primary emergency response systems, such as ELTs, EPERBs and Mayday calls. It is not designed to be used as a replacement for those systems. We recommend that you follow standard emergency procedures and ensure that ELTs or EPERBs are fitted wherever appropriate or required.

Why is terminal independence important?

Different people have different requirements, and technology changes rapidly. In the same way that you can choose a cellphone that fits your needs and your budget, TracPlus allows you to choose from a range of terminals. And when your requirements change, TracPlus lets you update your terminal without having to replace your whole tracking solution.

What terminals are available?

TracPlus can work with any terminal that supports industry standard telemetry protocols, including SMTP, SMS, HTTP(S), LBD and SBD.

Currently available terminals include:

Satamatics 201
Satamatics 201E
Satamatics 201K
FlightCell DZM

Do you support distress alert and point of interest registration?

All current terminals support distress alerting and point of interest registration. 24/7 manned distress monitoring is included at no additional charge with per incident fees recovered on a cost basis.

What terminal should I choose?

You should choose a terminal that meets your operational and budgetary requirements, taking into account:

Coverage

Coverage is related to the data telemetry network used by the terminal. Terminals may use a satellite network, such as Iridium or Inmarsat; a cellular network, such as CDMA (Telecom) or GPRS (Vodafone); or they may use a combination of both.

Satellite networks offer global or near global coverage, but incur higher per-message costs, resulting in higher operational costs.

Cellular network coverage is primarily based on population density. While such coverage is reasonable in well populated and flat regions, it is sparse in mountainous areas. Terminals that rely on cellular networks must store reports while transiting between coverage areas. In the event of an accident or incident outside of cellular coverage, critical position information may have never left the terminal. For this reason, we recommend against the use of cellular-only tracking of assets.

Dual network terminals, such as the FlightCell DZM are able to use switch between satellite and cellular networks based on cellular coverage, resulting in improved operational costs. Functionality

If a simple, self contained, satellite based terminal is required for basic tracking, you should consider the entry level Satamatics 201 series of terminals.

If you desire a more powerful terminal that provides greater tracking detail, more frequent reports, dual network and ICS (Integrated Communications System) support, FlightCell's DZM should be considered.

Costs

Different terminals have different capabilities and can vary significantly in both capital and operational costs. If you are comparing tracking solutions, be sure to ask for the total cost of ownership.

Compliance

Aviation and maritime installations must comply with regulatory obligations. You are ultimately responsible for ensuring the installation and use of any terminal is in accordance with those obligations.

What maps do you use?

TracPlus uses Geographx™ maps for unmatched clarity and representation. These maps cover the whole of New Zealand, the sub-Antarctic islands, the Chatham and Antipodean Islands; and can be scaled from 1:10,000,000 to 1:40,000.

Corax Topographical maps for New Zealand are also shipped with TracPlus, and can be scaled from 1:10,000,000 to 1:20,000.

Medium resolution Blue Marble imagery for the whole world will be made available to all TracPlus users in September 2007 at no additional cost.

High resolution (15m) satellite imagery is available upon request for the rest of the world. Contact us for more information.

Can I install the software on multiple computers?

TracPlus can be installed on multiple computers within an organization without restriction. However, users are restricted in the number of simultaneous logins of their usercode. Additional concurrent licenses are available upon request.

What about flight following?

TracPlus complements and supports existing flight following procedures for aviation users. True and autonomous flight following functionality is now being developed with a goal of full CAA certification.

How much does TracPlus cost?

The costs vary according to the type of terminal you choose and how often you want it to transmit messages. Please contact us directly. Custom pricing for fleet operators and charitable organisations is available.

What do I need?

To run TracPlus, a personal computer meeting or exceeding the following specifications is recommended:

Operating System: Windows XP with Service Pack 2 or Vista.
CPU: Pentium 4 2.4GHz+ or AMD 2400xp+
System Memory (RAM): 512Mb RAM
Hard Disk: 1Gb free disk space for basic installation, additional space required for additional hi-resolution maps.
Broadband internet connection
Graphics Card: 3D-capable with 128MB of VRAM
Screen: 1024/768, 32-bit True Color

To use GoogleMaps™, you will require a PC or Mac with an Internet connection (broadband recommended) and an up-to-date web browser.