GPS tracking set to boom in Western Europe

Wireless tracking of vehicles and people will generate about $4.9 billion in revenues in Western Europe by 2012, according to a new report from Juniper Research.
The firm said the growth will be driven by the need to improve business efficiency as well as concerns about personal safety. Most of the growth opportunity lies in the business sector, but the consumer sector also provides possibilities for growth with applications such as child and pet tracking, said Juniper.
The report predicts wireless connected vehicle tracking solutions will track more than 15 million vehicles in Western Europe by 2012, and will generate revenues of nearly $4.1 billion.
“Vehicle tracking solutions have been around for many years providing real business benefits in the transport and distribution industries,” said Bruce Gibson, author of the report. “This is now set to spread to other industries as solution costs decrease and the awareness of the capabilities and potential business benefits of wireless tracking solutions grows-driven in no small part by the high profile of consumer navigation solutions and the integration of navigation functionality in commercial tracking solutions.”
In the people tracking category, tracking employees, particularly vulnerable workers, will initially drive growth in the business sector, but personal security applications in the consumer market also are gaining traction.