Package tracking orpackage logging is the process of localizingshipping containers,mail andparcel post at different points of time during sorting, warehousing, andpackage delivery to verify theirprovenance and to predict and aid delivery. It is a key component of the broader logistics concept ofTrack and trace.
Package tracking developed historically because it provided customers information about the route of a package and the anticipated date and time of delivery.[1] This was important because mail delivery often included multiple carriers in varying environmental circumstances, which made it possible for a mail to get lost.[2][3]
Mail tracking is made possible throughcertified mail andregistered mail, additional postal services that require the identity of a piece of mail to be recorded during various points of delivery, so that the sender can obtain a proof of delivery and the receiver can predict the time of delivery.[2] The service is provided for an additional charge[4][5] but recently free service has been introduced as the cost of the associated technology has been decreasing.[6]
Initially, a piece of mail was identified by the sending date and the addresses of the sender and the recipient; latertracking numbers came to be used for identification.[7]Traceability has been improved even further bybarcoding: by non-specific1Dlinear barcodes and2Dmatrix barcodes and specialized augmented postal codes such asPostal Alpha Numeric Encoding Technique (PLANET),Postal Numeric Encoding Technique (POSTNET) andIntelligent Mail barcode, and otherelectronic product codes (EPC-s).
To identify the location of the mail, several methods have been used. One common approach involves scanning the package barcode at various transit points to report its arrival or departure.[8] Another method is to use aGPS-basedvehicle tracking system to locate the delivery vehicle that contains the package and record it in a real-time database.
For high-value shipments, a more direct tracking method is employed where a small, battery-poweredGPS tracking unit is placed inside the parcel itself. This enables continuous, real-time tracking of the specific package, independent of the delivery vehicle, providing an additional layer of security against theft or loss.[9]
As package tracking technologies have evolved, it has also become possible to increase the amount of information andmetrics returned about a package. In addition to location, sensors can also report on temperature, humidity, pressure, acceleration, and exposure to light—factors that are important for delicate or perishable contents.[1]
Web-based package tracking has been used from the early days of theInternet[10] to automate customer service and as a cheaper alternative to phone-basedcall centers, providing the ability to track the status of a package "within minutes".[10] The service became quickly popular: forUPS the number of packages tracked on the web increased from 600 a day in 1995[10] to 3.3 million a day in 1999.[11] On-line package tracking became available for all major carrier companies, and was improved by the emergence of websites that offered consolidated tracking for different mail carriers.[12] With the rise ofsmart phones, package trackingmobile apps were able to send tracking info to customers' cell phones. With improved data processing, e-mail programs were able to automatically detect tracking numbers in messages[13] and receipts and print thereal time location of the package.[14]
Most traditional package tracking systems do not track packages after a package is dropped off at a centralizedmail services center withsingle-point delivery, such as the ones used at apartment complexes, collegeresidence halls, corporatemailrooms,post-office box stores and mail and parcel centers. These mail services centers receive all incoming mail and sort it; the mail may then be delivered to individual recipients or the recipients may have to pick up the mail themselves. To cover that gap and track a package at different points within the internal delivery process, specialized internal or "inbound" package tracking systems have been developed.
These systems log in the packages that arrive by recording the items from different carrier companies, the time the delivery is made, the name of the recipient, tracking number and other data. The recipients are notified of the packages or sent reminders. Once the package is received by the end recipient, the systems record thetimestamp, the recipientsignature andmethod of authentication and the package is logged out.
Several technologies have evolved with slightly different features (Winn Solutions or WITS, PackageLog, PakLog, SCLogic, TekTrack, Oden Industries, Inc. (PacTrac), WTS by Quadient and others), including patented solutions.[15]
