Many of these rescues resulted in lives being saved both on land and at sea. Today's announcement comes at the company's four year anniversary since launching the world's first satellite messenger product, the SPOT Personal Tracker™. SPOT provides connectivity to adventurists, travelers, weekend warriors and workers when spending time outdoors or traveling in remote areas. SPOT allows users to check-in and share their locations with their contacts back home. In life-threatening emergencies, users can send SOS messages with their GPS location to the GEOS International Emergency Response Coordination Center (IERCC). Because SPOT uses 100 percent satellite technology, it works off-the-grid beyond the range of cell phone towers and VHF radio.
Of the 1,500-plus rescues that have taken place in 105 countries, 55 percent were in the United States. California, Colorado, Utah, Alaska and Florida are the states with the highest number of SPOT SOS activations. Canada accounted for 22 percent of the overall rescues launched by SPOT devices. This year, rescue officials have responded to 546 SPOT-initiated requests of which 402 were land-based, 117 were at sea and 27 were aviation related. Upon receiving an SOS message, GEOS immediately verifies the incident and notifies the appropriate authorities including Search and Rescue, the U.S. Coast Guard, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Highway Patrol, State Emergency Management centers and International Agencies. Each year, hundreds of hikers, snowmobilers, boaters, pilots, skiers, remote workers and motorists receive necessary aid from professional rescue personnel who otherwise may not know of the situation or the victim's location.
