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The use of global positioning systems, or GPS, as a means of logistical organization for fleet vehicles has become more widespread in recent years. The system has the ability to track vehicle location, report on diagnostic trouble codes, and keep tabs on maintenance schedules thus helping to improve the safety and productivity of the vehicles and their operators. In addition, the increasing use and implementation of yaw and roll stability control in heavy trucks has contributed to an increased level of safety for truck drivers and other motorists. However, these systems require the vehicle to begin a yaw or roll event before they assist in maintaining control. The aim of this paper is to present a new method for utilizing the GPS signal in conjunction with the fuzzy based stability index to create a truly active safety system.

This paper describes an experimental framework to track a meteorological balloon at low altitudes using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The purpose of the experiment is to simulate the trajectories of plant pathogen spores using a buoyancy controlled weather balloon. In the described framework the balloon is instrumented with an onboard telemetry unit to broadcast its GPS coordinates and other flight and meteorological data. The UAV's circular flight pattern is centered on the current position of the balloon, where the position coordinates are shared over a wireless network. The principal advantage of using the weather balloon is to increase the likelihood of detecting airborne pathogens by sampling inside the spore plume. The apparatus enables the UAVs to sample larger distances away from the source than previously possible.