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An introduction to the Flaik GPS Tracking and Statistical
Time/Distance Data System.

We recently had the chance to try the Flaik GPS system
that is available through the Tremblant Adventure Center
as well as through the Tremblant Ski/Board schools. This
is the first installment of our review of the experience.

Background Info.:

To begin with, we put this topic in "Tremblant Geographic"
because, you can't get much more "Tremblant Geographic"
than a GPS based tracking system that records and archives
Mountain User data exclusively relating to Tremblant (but
of course, the Flaik benefits apply equally to any Ski Resort
with the system in place).

This system was originally intended to be used by the Kids
Ski and Board programs here so that parents would have
the re-assurance that comes from a system that's able to verify
exactly where their kids are at any given moment. As an
added benefit/value, at the end of the day parents know just how
far their children have gone, at what speed they have traveled,
and the vertical rise that they have covered.

Basically, it is a sophisticated review/progress report derived from
Time/Locational data collection generated by a GPS device attached to
an individual as they spend their day on the slopes.

Working creatively to combine GPS and Cel Phone technologies, the final
concept provides a remarkable range of contact versatility.

Flaik was founded in Australia in 2005 by its inventor, Steve Kenny.
At the time, the basic idea was a solution for 2 guys who each thought
they had covered more ground on the mountain that day, but beyond
simply bragging, or bragging about guessing, now they could verify
exactly who was actually going the distance. Eureka!

With that argument settled, the development of Flaik's potential
rapidly became serious, particularly when it came to the safety
and security of Children on the mountain. Parents traveling with
young children to a place that they may not be familiar with, then
putting them into the hands of teachers/care givers that they have
never met before has long been a concern. As traveling ski parents
that had our kids on the hill at the age of 2, we know how it is.

Flaik offers a new level of confidence for the concerns of parents
who can now clearly see a system in place where ski school supervisors
can demonstrate literally up to the second real-time locating for
each child. If a student gets separated or strays off, the system
can send out instant alerts so the wandering child can immediately
be brought back to the group.

All these functions are monitored by the Flaik trained personnel in
the ski school base who monitor the GPS tracking system by
computer mapping that is updated every 45 seconds. Moving
the cursor over any errant wayward dot on the map allows staff
to pinpoint both the identity and location so any risks are
immediately dealt with.
This pic shows both student and instructor wearing a
Flaik device as can be seen as buckled on one leg.
The red Flaik leg band is light and does not interfere
with any aspect of you or your children's freedom or range
of motion.

Private individuals or groups that rent the system can utilize
the same benefit of being able to log on using a mobile device
or a computer to monitor the near real-time location of friends,
family or other group members.

We are going to build the content of this article as we learn
about the capacities and uses for the system. We invite your
input as well, so if you have experience with the system that
you would like to share, please accept this invitation to
contribute in this thread. Ulitimately, we will produce a feature
blog article, but in the meantime, the chat format allows for
very easy expansion and formating of information as it becomes
available.

When it comes to "...Information as it becomes available." ...
It should be noted that we expect the useful applications for
the Flaik GPS system will grow as users find new ways to
interpret or apply the raw data, so it will be a natural,
evolutionary dialogue herein, as those uses expand.



Another sample of Ski School use of Flaik GPS systems.
Here is a link to the FLAIK GPS page @ http://www.tremblant.ca
http://tinyurl.com/ydw89qk



Link to this article, "cut and paste" to send to a friend.
http://alturl.com/p7p4p
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Flaik Reporting/Stat's.

When you or your kids are using the system, record the device
# which is prominently displayed in the L.E.D. pulse lit window of the
unit itself. The files that device generates are attached to you
by the date of your use. In the first screenshot below here, you
can see the units I.D. # in the window located front, bottom.

Like many other web integrated data providers, you will need
to register and set up a user account on the Flaik site (links
provided below).

We found it quite easy. Follow all the prompts and in no time
you'll be surfing through your data.

Lets take a look at some of the Flaik screens.

First off, we have a daily summary display. Please note:
at the bottom of this page is the search block that you need the unit
I.D. and the date to retrieve specific files. Fill in accordingly.
In this case, we're going to review the day displayed by clicking on
"View Details" ... which takes us to... The Screen Below.

-You will see that the initial graph presented is for vertical feet skied,
by individual runs, over the length of time reported.

-You can see that the routes for the day are superimposed over a
Tremblant trail map.

-You can see that according to the speed scale on the right, apparently
we were "Speeding" at certain points!(more on that below)
We were happy to see the "Vertical" as the primary display, because
of the long held and very unofficial status that "Vertical" skied has with
skiers all over the world. To ski a given amount of "Vertical" signifies a
level of accomplishment that seems to be universally respected.
For example: Years ago(early '80's) when we skied Snowbird Utah,
they gave out medals to those who skied 100,000 ft of "Vertical" in
a week, and for the destination traveling skiers at the time, this was
a very noble achievement that carried status and bragging rights.

When we first looked at the vertical summary of our test day above,
it evoked a similar sense of accomplishment to think that in 5.75 hours
we could crank off over 24,000 Vertical, and have lunch too! In this case
you can see "lunch" as the flat line occurring at the summit, mid session.

A note about the "speeding" thing...

Firstly, it was a mid-week Wed., Feb 10th. Not a crowded day, so there was
plenty of room to maneuver safely, secondly, we were just cruising
"G.S." style, in order to cover a lot of ground for the sake of testing
the Flaik systems capabilities.

Not every day would be ideal for this kind of rapid coverage and it is
the skiers responsibility to ski safely with all due caution and respect for
traffic and surface conditions.

Moving on, we'll take a look at some of the other screens and the data
they contain.



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Using the "Dashboard" controls, you can set yourself in motion
by clicking on the Green Arrow button. This sets your entire day
in motion, run by run, including all stops.

The 3 different graphic data display's are:
Vertical, Distance and Speed, which are all
set in relation to time.

1) Vertical Screen:

In this example we have "Zoomed" in by using the sliding scale magnifier
on screen right, then by dragging the cursor over the trail map we can
get as close as we want to our precise path, which in this case is shown by
the yellow dot skier icon.

You can also slide the graph "Start" and "Stop" markers to examine any
specific time frame within your day. We have shown an initial portion of
our test day here to illustrate.

2) Distance Screen:

In this illustration we have zoomed out to show the complete trail map
and we have advanced the time to show more distance.

3) Speed Screen:

Here we're showing the same time marker as above, but with
the "Speed" graphic displayed as selected from the 3 options
offered, screen left.
Flaik Summary:

This is by no means an exhaustive review of the Flaik systems
capacities, however it will provide you with a more than adequate
overview with enough detail to both motivate you to try the system
and/or navigate its features.

We found Flaik to be easy, fun and very informative, not to mention
the safety and educational elements for all users.

As far as "Piece of Mind" for parents with youngsters in the
Tremblant ski school program, we don't think you could find
a better system and it's free for all kids up to age 12.

Give it a try!

If you would like to see exactly how the day was on Feb. 10th, 2010, the
unique day of our test, GoTo: http://alturl.com/ibzsw This is a link to our
archive of daily Tremblant conditions for that specific date.

Link to this article, "cut and paste" to send to a friend.
http://alturl.com/p7p4p
Other Links:
http://www.flaik.com .
http://tinyurl.com/ydw89qk
http://www.tremblant.ca


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