This satellite-GSM technology already exists, but I wonder how many listmates even know they can make free emergency calls from their handsets? These calls locate the nearest GSM mast, bounced to the closest satellite and routed to the caller's closest police station around the world. Trust me to have tested it; my test worked in some places outside Nairobi where it always reports busy. Through a little bit of politics? NO! I will leave it out. I should imagine airborne crafts, closer to satellites, should easily incorporate a GPS cordinates sms-based feature that send an sms reporting their GPS position routinely? Maybe when a foreign genious proposes it.(Couldn't help that one ;-) "The telephone number 112 is the international emergency telephone number for GSM mobile phone networks. It does not necessarily work on mobile phone networks based on other technologies. In all European Union countries it is also the emergency telephone number for both mobile and fixed-line telephones." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emergency_telephone_number Thanks, Alex Kagwe James <[email protected]> wrote: Just concerned and probably out of context as far as the discussions we've been having are concerned. Isn't there a technology, probably GPRS based that can be used to track aeroplanes all over the world? Just like the way car track traces cars using GPRS. Is it possible to have such to track and trace aeroplanes. The time it took to trace the KQ plane was quite worrying and given that aeroplanes traverse deserts, seas and forests, then a system like this would make a difference in the time that it takes to trace a plane and probably save peoples lives. Just a view, no politics please!!!!!!! -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Wainaina Mungai Sent: Tuesday, May 08, 2007 8:19 PM To: Kagwe James Subject: [kictanet] Flight KQ 507: Did the Media cross the line? Was the media insensitive and offensive as they competed to air and publish reports of the flight KQ507 crash? Read about it on http://www.madeinkenya.org/forum_files/forum0507-2.php _______________________________________________ kictanet mailing list [email protected] http://kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet Please unsubscribe or change your options at http://kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/jkagwe%40aforbes.co.ke _______________________________________________ kictanet mailing list [email protected] http://kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet Please unsubscribe or change your options at http://kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/alex.gakuru%40yahoo.com --------------------------------- Ahhh...imagining that irresistible "new car" smell? Check outnew cars at Yahoo! Autos.

The problem could very well have been that the area was not mapped in an accurate manner using GPS thus causing the error/inaccuracy due to a mismatch between the coordinates from GPS and actual maps. Many African cities and locales outside of major cities remain GPS unmapped to date. This is evident in the web blogs of tourists who drive north to south across the continent from Europe and often post GPS coordinates to help future travellers who may take a similar trip to find their way. Nairobi has been mapped geographically through JICA but such maps do not appear to have been availed freely to the public domain. The immense benefits of such mapping include the ability to use navigational systems in vehicles or simple to use driving directions through services such as google maps. However only a subsequent investigation can determine what truly happened with the erroneous signal. The collection of slides below for example shows how GPS can be inaccurate and what corrective measures can be taken to ensure accuracy : http://www.codata.org/codata02/07med/hightower/hightower_files/frame.htm#sli... The benefits of geographical mapping can be immense in many different ways. For instance it can be used to determine high crime rate areas or determine where certain types of crimes occur. A good example of such a free service is www.crimeindc.org which integrates google maps with street addressing and police reports to highlight high crime areas in Washington, DC. Such a service would be of benefit to the police for instance where a certain area shows a pattern of a particular type of crime then the appropriate crime fighting squads who specialize in solving those types of crimes can be assigned to the area. It would also help police and/or rescuers reach victims of accidents or crime in a faster than usual manner where newer mobile phones activate GPS tracking to the respective carrier when the user dials an emergency telephone number. In Kenya this makes practical sense particularly in the case of increased crime and the fact that ownership of a sim card can go untracked, however it also raises privacy concerns particularly if such technologies are abused by governmental authorities or those entrusted with the integrity of ensuring that users of such technologies maintain an reasonable level of privacy. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assisted_GPS ----- Original Message ----- From: "Kagwe James" <[email protected]> To: "Mike Theuri" <[email protected]> Sent: Wednesday, May 09, 2007 12:39 AM Subject: Re: [kictanet] Flight KQ 507: Did the Media cross the line? Just concerned and probably out of context as far as the discussions we've been having are concerned. Isn't there a technology, probably GPRS based that can be used to track aeroplanes all over the world? Just like the way car track traces cars using GPRS. Is it possible to have such to track and trace aeroplanes. The time it took to trace the KQ plane was quite worrying and given that aeroplanes traverse deserts, seas and forests, then a system like this would make a difference in the time that it takes to trace a plane and probably save peoples lives. Just a view, no politics please!!!!!!!