Using GPS To Keep Track Of Street Signs
from the theft-prevention? dept
Back in college, one of the more popular decorations in the apartment I shared with some friends was street signs - that were often acquired under... less than legal circumstances (in my own defense, I was never part of the acquiring party - though, I did enjoy the decorations). There was one sign in particular that came with a pretty clear warning label designating it as the property of a nearby town, and describing all the penalties anyone possessing the sign might be in line for. The roommate who acquired that sign spent a couple of hours carefully scraping off that notice with a razor blade, which later came in handy when some friendly officers stopped by the apartment (ahhh... those college years). In the future, however, it may become a bit more difficult to get away with such crimes, as the folks in Santa Fe, New Mexico are attaching GPS receivers to every street sign. The article doesn't seem to focus on the theft-prevention aspect of the GPS, but I'm sure that's a major reason for adding it. The other reasons listed don't make much sense to me. The guy who is running the program claims that he'll use the GPS to determine if there's graffiti on the sign or if a tree or something is obstructing the sign. How on earth does a GPS system tell you either of these things? The only thing it's useful for is telling you when the sign has moved, and that's likely to be in the case of theft. Of course, this brings up the second question: how difficult can it be to find and remove the GPS device from the sign? I'm sure it's pretty obvious, since the sign is flat, so anyone stealing a sign would be smart to hack off any extraneous box before carting the sign home. If anything, this system will just make the signs more expensive to replace. Update: It appears that the original version of this story was inaccurate. They're not actually putting GPS on street signs, but just using GPS in a car to note the location of every street sign. So, not as big a waste of money. Still, though, why do you need GPS for this? Why can't they just drive around without GPS and check on the street signs?
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mo' money
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Agreed...
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Our big score in high school...
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why do all that..?
Why not video surveillance? They put up cheap cameras to catch people running red lights and monitor traffic... Use the same cameras to keep track of signs and monitor whether people obey them.
I guess the challenge would then be to steal the cameras... and scrape the serial numbers (or whatever) off them...
not that *I* would condone that sort of behavior.
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why gps signs
Also, if you blow through an intersection missing a warning sign and get injured, you'll want someone to sue. If the govt can prove that they've been diligent through inventories and replacement/maintenance schedules, your case is a loser. It's called liability and asset management-not a waste of money.
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