GPS TRACKING

The goal of the Total Traffice Vehicle Tracking System (TTVTS) is to provide Total Traffice/iHeart Media and other associated companies with the ability to easily track and communicate with company assets. Developed in the summer of 2016 and put into beta testing in the summer of 2017, the TTVTS is currently installed in traffic helicopters belonging to the Total Traffic division of iHeart Media.

These helicopters serve as traffic and news gathering platforms and are Total Traffic's eyes and ears above major metropolitan areas. Currently, there are seven ENG (Electronic News Gathering) helicopters in the fleet.

Dispatch personell and traffic producers have access to the IVTS and may view the position of all company tracked helicopters from anywhere there is an Internet connection. The helicopters have either laptop or tablet devices which can overlay position information as well as allow producers to communicate with the videographers in the helicopter in real time.

Producers can also send map coordinates to the videographers which can relay the information to the chopper pilot. This makes it simple to direct the helicopter to where the news is and allows the crew to focus on the news and flying rather than navigating or trying to find a specific scene or address.

Since the helicopter is sending its position information in real-time back to the IVTS servers, producers and anyone else logged into the system will know the position of the helicopter at all times.

Using the already familiar Google Maps, producers can easily follow the aircraft no matter where they may roam. As long as the aircraft is within range of a cellular tower with data connectivity, they will be able to track the movements of the aircraft. Videographers also have the added ability to "surf" the Internet while in the air. This can assist them in locating news events, checking e-mail, or even placing an order for pizza when they get back on the ground.