This is The Spot.
The Spot is a Satellite GPS messenger. We're taking it with us so that we have some means of communicating in the case of an emergency, especially when staying in some of the more remote sites. The device sends one of four messages to a satellite from anywhere in the world. Along with the message, our exact coordinates will be recorded and relayed to others via email and text messages. In an emergency, search and rescue units will also be notified. But the device is also useful to notify colleagues and family of our progress in data collection.
While we will try to update the blog as often as possible, we won't always have internet access or the time needed to get to this site... For those of you who aren't receiving our constant updates (it would probably get annoying - we have every intention of giving rather frequent updates for the sake of our occasionally concerned parents), our locations will be posted on this blog by Reed. Thanks, Reed!
We also got a new Garmin, which now has all of the sites we're visiting on it... That should make it harder to get lost.
We are of course taking our laptops as well, so we'll have at least enough contact with the outside world to have a pretty good sense of security while we're down there. I hear we'll also have access to phone cards, so we can call our families.
Leaving tomorrow! How exciting! We'll try to take a lot of pictures.
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