Costa Rica's Legislators Want GPS Units Out Of Their Cars

GPS or Global Satellite Positioning is a space-based global navigation satellite system (GNSS) that provides location and time information in all weather, anywhere on or near the Earth, where there is an unobstructed line of sight to four or more GPS satellites.

GPS receivers are now integrated in many mobile phones, like the iPhone in the photo.

It is maintained by the United States government and is freely accessible by anyone with a GPS receiver.

While originally a military project, GPS is considered a dual-use technology, meaning it has significant military and civilian applications.

GPS has become a widely deployed and useful tool for commerce, scientific uses, tracking, and surveillance. GPS's accurate time facilitates everyday activities such as banking, mobile phone operations, and even the control of power grids by allowing well synchronized hand-off switching.

Which brings us to Costa Rica and its lawmakers and their use of "official" vehicles which are equipped with GPS tracking.

The majority of legislators - 29 of the 55 to be exact - belonging to the Partido Nacional (PLN), Partido Unidad Social Cristiana (PUSC), Partido Movimiento Libertario (ML), Partido Accesibilidad Sin Exclusión (PASE), Partido Restauración Nacional y Renovación Costarricense, want stop their use, for they consider they are adversely affected.

The legislators, as a group, argue that the use of the GPS in their vehicle is a breach of their powers as representatives of a supreme power.

Strangely (or may not so), the exact number of legislators who want the the GPS removed is the same number of legislators required to approve the law (or any law).

The group formally protested the use of the GPS to the chairman of the legislature, Juan Carlos Mendoza, who said that they units will stay in place as they form part of the security measures for the legislators.

Note to say that Mendoza is the leader of the opposition bloc that for the first time in the history of Costa Rican politics has taken control of the chairmanship of the Legislative Assembly and is also the youngest to ever hold such a post.

Mendoza said the tracking system generates savings to the Legislature for the payment of travel expenses and also provides security for legislators.

Mendoza's position is based on reports endorsed by the Legislature's executive director, Antonio Ayala, who reported a significant fuel savings in travel and legislative budget since the installation of the monitoring system.

And perhaps that is where the problem lies, legislators cannot anymore "fudge" their travel expenses and can be located - at least their vehicles - at any given time.

This is not the first time legislators have complained about the use of GPS in their vehicles. In fact this is the third collective complaint of a system that was installed in February 2010 during the Arias administration and at a cost of us$9.000 a year.

The system was installed and is maintained by Radio Mensajes S.A., whose contract expires on December 18 of this year.

Legislators say they want the units out of their cars and the government should be ready to pay the company for any breach of contract.