Sherab Lhamo

Numerous accidents in the country point to the challenge of locating victims swiftly in mountainous areas, where precise location information is often unavailable.

Druk GPS presents a solution by offering precise location data and escape routes from any point, enabling rescue teams to locate victims more efficiently and reach them using faster routes.

Druk Global Positioning System (GPS) is a life-saving technology that is available for free and relies on GPS coordinate systems developed by a team of volunteers. This technology has provided training to over 1,500 individuals, enhancing their ability to use GPS for various purposes, including navigation and emergency response.

The idea is to empower individuals by leveraging mobile phones and innovative technology to enhance communication safety during emergencies.

The technology features real-time tracking, emergency alerts, and precise location information.

Sangay Zangmo, a Youth leader of Druk GPS, said, “This allows for quicker response times in critical situations and enables us to effectively coordinate rescue efforts.”

Sangay also provided an example where if someone goes hiking, they can track their route using the GPS technology. This allows them to retrace their steps if needed. Moreover, they can share the traced routes with friends who may not be familiar with the area, ensuring safer exploration.

Druk GPS employs pre-existing applications and satellite networks to precisely locate individuals requiring assistance. Notably, this technology functions offline, as it directly communicates with satellites, ensuring reliable operation even in areas with limited connectivity.

A geographic coordinate system is a method used to pinpoint locations on the Earth’s surface using a three-dimensional spherical model. These locations are identified by longitude and latitude coordinates, which specify precise points on the Earth. This system is particularly useful for global data sets and applications.

Sangay explained:” This direct communication with the satellites enables us to receive location data even when offline, enabling the use of GPS functionality without requiring an active internet connection.”

In remote regions such as mountains or jungles, where internet connectivity may be unreliable or nonexistent, alternative means of communication like mobile towers or walkie-talkies become crucial for transmitting updates on our current location to family members. This ensures that even if they are offline, they can still be traced and located accurately.

The Druk GPS team provides free training sessions to teach individuals how to effectively utilize GPS applications. Participants learn to interpret GPS coordinates and navigate using them, enabling them to harness the full potential of Druk GPS technology. Sangay emphasized, “Through offering training and support, our goal is to empower people to maximize the benefits of Druk GPS technology for diverse purposes.”

The Druk GPS team has successfully trained 140 teachers as level 1 GPS trainers, with 11 of them progressing to become trainers for level 2, all at no cost. Attendees of these training sessions have provided positive feedback, expressing how beneficial the knowledge gained is for their daily lives.

Druk GPS offers a range of training levels, from level 0 to level 2, allowing users to select the training that best suits their skills and interests. This approach enables individuals to maximize the benefits they derive from utilizing the Druk GPS application.

If bus owners wanted to track their buses, learning how to track their buses, by enabling them to trace the location of the bus they are traveling on, passengers can feel more secure and enhance the safety and security of bus passengers for bus owners.

Moreover, businesses can utilise tracking for efficient delivery management, families can share locations and messages for safety purposes, schools can track buses and coordinate trips more effectively, and rescue teams can locate emergencies faster. These diverse applications demonstrate the versatility and importance of GPS tracking technology in various contexts.

Druk GPS incorporates GPS Location, which accurately determines an individual’s precise position. It utilizes Google Earth for pinpointing remote locations and calculating areas, providing comprehensive geographical information. Additionally, it integrates Geotracker for creating routes and tracing them efficiently, enhancing navigation capabilities for users.

The development of this technology required significant time and effort from the Druk GPS team. Initially, three years were dedicated to accurately determining remote locations, a process that involved tactical coordinates and took three months to complete. Over the course of a year, the team focused on developing solutions for offline functionality, overcoming financial constraints and limited resources along the way.

Subsequently, another year was dedicated to enabling route creation and tracing within the app. This endeavor was particularly challenging due to the absence of existing solutions in this area. Despite these obstacles, the team persevered to bring this innovative technology to fruition, ultimately enhancing navigation and tracking capabilities for users.